Rotary is not just a club that you join; it is an invitation to endless opportunities. We believe in creating opportunities for others and for ourselves. We believe that our acts of service, large and small, generate opportunities for people who need our help, and that Rotary opens opportunities for us to live a richer, more meaningful life, with friends around the world, based on our core values.

Governments and institutions are gaining a greater appreciation for the types of public health partnerships that are critical to our work. People stuck at home, eager for greater connections and hungry to help their communities, are now embracing the values we have promoted since our beginning.

All of this is positive news, but just because there are greater opportunities than ever for Rotary to thrive does not guarantee that we will succeed. The world is changing rapidly — and was doing so even before this crisis. People were starting to move away from regular lunch meetings and toward online gatherings. Friendships were being cultivated and revived in social media relationships even before most of our meetings moved to Zoom and Skype. Younger generations have a strong desire to serve — but have questioned whether they could play a meaningful role in organizations like Rotary or whether they might make a bigger impact forming different types of connections. Now is the time to put everything on the table, test new approaches, and prepare Rotary for the future.

The COVID-19 crisis has forced all of us to adapt. This is good, and our new Action Plan specifically calls on us to improve our ability to adapt. But adaptation is not enough. We need to change, and change dramatically, if we are to face the challenges of this new age and provide the Rotary that the world so desperately needs.

This is our great challenge, not just in the next year but into the future. It is up to us to remake Rotary for these new times — to wholeheartedly embrace the ideas, energy, and commitment of young people eager to find an outlet for idealism. We must become an organization fully enmeshed in the digital age, not one that simply looks for online ways to keep doing what we have always done.

The world needs Rotary now more than ever. It is up to us to make sure that Rotary Opens Opportunities for generations to come.

Holger Knaack, the President of Rotary International 2020-21

Art, science and Rotary basics, including a sufficient variety of topical issues – and what is highly importat: the joy of working together! These topics form the basis of Tammer Nova’s activities this year. 

Tammer Nova focuses on versatility and activity. We invite interesting speakers from different fields to our weekly meetings, organize social events and visits for our members, rejoice about each other and being members of Rotary. We participate in the implementation and promotion of our own projects, and we are open to launching new projects both independently and in cooperation with other clubs. 

Youth exchange is important to Tammer Nova. It is also important to donate to both the Rotary Foundation and to local charity and service organizations. Our donations are often focused on supporting mothers and children and on Rotary’s work to remove polio from the world.

We constantly strive to develop our own operations. We take care of our members and offer a variety of ways to participate. We invite active women and men also as visitors to our weekly meetings. For our part, we light up Rotary’s image by highlighting themes that are important for Rotary and our own active service.