What is the Institute ?

From the 15th to the 17th of September 2023 at the “Nuvola” Convention Center, Rome will be the host of the “Rome Rotary Institute 2023, which will be the result of the collaboration between Rotarians and guests from Italy, Malta, San Marino, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Andorra, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, Azores, The Netherlands, Germany, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland. The Rome Rotary Institute 2023 will be the time for the leaders of our organisation and the protagonists of our society to come together to discuss and understand the necessities of our communities, as to redefine the affected areas of intervention as well as service objectives, through shared experiences, debates, and networking. From the 13th to the 15th of September at the Hilton Rome EUR “La Lama”, the GETS and GNTS will be held, the training Seminars for our future leaders (Governors Elect 2024-25; Governor Nominees 2025-26; Rotaract DRRs). In the morning of the 15th of September, the Rotary Foundation Seminar and the Peace Forum in the Mediterranean, promoted by the Intercountry Committees, will be held at the “Nuvola” Convention Center and followed in the afternoon by Institute. On Saturday evening the guests can experience the “Grande Bellezza” of Rome joining the Gala Dinner at the exclusive venue “Ninfeo del Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia”.

Theme

Change means evolution

For an organization Rotary, which has been asking itself how to redesign its organisational future, the need for awareness in terms of cultural change has become stronger than ever; an awareness which is key in the understanding the needs of local and international communities, so as to gain the ability to act preemptively in meeting them. We are not living through an era of change, but, rather, through the change of an era, this implies that we are in an all-encompassing transitional phase, affecting: relationships, family, education, jobs, art. It’s in these moments that rethinking our organisational and cultural models becomes necessary, in order for us to rise up and meet the challenges of the future because it’s not the strongest that survives, but the one that is most adaptable to change.

INCREASE OUR IMPACT

Expand our impact, involve other partners in our projects to make them bigger and monitor their results. Polio eradication remains Rotary’s number one priority.

IMPACT

REACH

EXPAND OUR REACH

Increase membership according to our criteria of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and reach a larger target audience through new means of communication, bettering our ability to tell our stories.

ENHANCE PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT

Engage our members through increasing their participation in our organisational processes and having them feel more included in our projects, and beginning back clubs and members to the center of attention.

ENGAGE

ADAPT

INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO ADAPT

We need to rethink our organizational structure in order to increase efficiency and be reactive to the needs of clubs and the communities they serve, through simplifying our system of governance, structure, procedures, yet still accounting for the new emergencies that inevitably arise in a context of continuous change.

Message from RI President

Dear fellow Rotary leaders, As you attend your Institute, in Rome, Italy, do not forget your vital importance to Rotary. We have been handed the reins of leadership at an historic moment. Rotary offers people of action a chance to connect and find a sense of belonging, and this fellowship gives us hope that we can create lasting change. In many parts of the world, asking for help — especially in the realm of mental health — is considered a weakness. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is brave to be vulnerable and to admit you don’t have all the answers. Reaching out for help is courageous — and continuing on a path towards wellness is even more so. I hope you take the knowledge gained at this Institute back to your clubs to help them succeed throughout the coming year. Remember that your work can and will Create Hope in the World. Warmest Regards,

Gordon McInally Rotary International President 2023-24

Message from the Convener

Traditionally, the Rotary Institute is a moment of information and training of Rotarian leaders. Our meeting in Rome 2023 strives to represent a stepping stone on a longer path which will involve the entire rotarian community by using its collective intelligence in an endeavour to contribute to a necessary process of change in order to keep our organisation relevant, and to increase its impact through action. Pope Francis said “We are not living through an era of change, but, rather, through the change of an era”. We need to open ourselves to a new season of cultural creativity that can reach a greater audience that can completely represent the communities in which we live and operate. As rotarians, we have taken up a strategic plan that represents a road map of our actions. During the course of the Institute, we will undertake a full immersion on how to best use it to remain relevant and able to adapt to the times we’re living through, as to better meet the challenges that are set before us by our local and global communities. According to Darwin,“It’s not the strongest that survives, but the one that is most adaptable to change”; this applies not only to the singular individuals but to organisations as well. What better backdrop than Rome to welcome the challenges of the change model? The eternal city, which has been able to adapt and renew itself through the centuries, without ever losing its own strong identity.

Alberto Cecchini Rotary International Board Director 2022-24