“Perhaps dreaming is not so bad if one dreams good dreams and makes them come true.” - Paul Harris
All projects and initiatives in Rotary start with someone’s dream for a better world. The dream for the Rotary Fellowship of Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) started with a simple dialogue between a group of Rotary friends realizing that they too had a shared dream – Believing in a world where Rotary members and participants have the leadership skills and knowledge to create positive change in their local and global communities.
The organization is home to many incredible leaders. The Rotary Fellowship of LEAD serves as an opportunity to bring together Rotarians, Rotaractors, alumni, and friends of Rotary who have an interest in leadership and personal and professional development through events where we can connect and learn from each other.
LEAD has six core objectives:
- Connect individuals passionate about leadership development.
- Facilitate conversations about leadership development.
- Provide leadership development resources.
- Educate individuals how to ideate, problem-solve, and lead.
- Host at least one leadership event around the Rotary International Convention.
- Host at least one annual retreat focused on leadership development and inspiration.
The LEAD team was overwhelmed by the initial response received when the idea for the fellowship was launched in mid-2021, with over 500 people expressing interest in joining the fellowship and over 50 people joining LEAD's breakout session during the 2021 Virtual Convention. And, LEAD is pleased to have a number of projects in the works for the 2022-23 Rotary Year.
With the first in-person Rotary Convention in three years coming up in Houston, LEAD will be hosting a series of coffee catch ups. This will create opportunities for interested members to enjoy face-to-face fellowship with existing members of the LEAD team.
LEAD will also shortly be launching a leadership-focused blog on its website. The fellowship includes so many inspiring and diverse leaders, and the blog will provide a means for everyone to share the breadth and depth of their experiences, as well as, provide the opportunity for all members to submit thought leadership posts for the blog.
The team has also started planning for two exciting in person events in the 2022-23 Rotary year: a TEDx speaker style event for the convention in Melbourne, Australia and a Global Leadership Retreat.
If you are interested in getting involved with the Rotary Fellowship of LEAD, they would love to connect with you!
Visit the LEAD website at rflead.org.
Be sure to sign up on LEAD's expression of interest form so you can stay informed about upcoming opportunities.
For those who have already signed up, look out for a more specific update landing in your email inbox soon!
As we serve to change lives and imagine a better future, we need people who roll up their sleeves and make it happen. Those are the people we find in the family of Rotary. Those are the people who truly lead. Those are the ones who can connect through the Rotary Fellowship of LEAD.
Extracted From
An Article by Rebecca Fry, Co-Founder of Rotary Fellowship of LEAD, Past President of the Social Impact Network Rotary Club
https://rotaryserviceblog.org