Time for a chat

After months of #isolife, Rotaract Australia is getting on the front foot, actively seeking to engage with Rotaractors and Rotarians across the country through its new podcast.

Chats by Rotaract Australia aims to fill in the gap left by dozens of cancelled in-person networking opportunities caused by COVID-19 and connect Rotaractors, Rotarians and clubs doing exciting things.

The podcast is the brainchild of Rotaract Australia’s Communications Director Laura Telford and Vice President Holly Corbett and, as former journalists, both bring their own flair and passion for storytelling and sharing.

“Social distancing and not getting to have those organic interactions with people at conferences and events is hard, and we want the podcast to be an avenue where we start those conversations again – albeit in a slightly different way,” Laura said.

“The podcast is about highlighting awesome people and projects in bite-sized pieces, which leaves people wanting more.”

“We want the podcast to be something that connects the Rotary family across Australia and would love for people who want to share their story or an interesting project to reach out to us.”

As a Multi-District Information Organisation (MDIO), Rotaract Australia also aims to empower Rotaractors with the most up-to-date information about what new developments are happening within Rotary International, and this kind of content is also included in the podcast.

“We are always looking for innovative and modern ways to share information with Rotaractors, so as well as telling human stories we have a strong focus on creating resources to help clubs,” Holly said.

“Each time we release new episodes of Chats by Rotaract Australia we include a personal interview episode and a resource episode. Over time, resources will include topics such as club roles 101, how to update your club constitution, and explaining how Elevate Rotaract will impact clubs. The possibilities are endless, and we will be guided by what Rotaractors want to know more about.”

The podcast launched in September – coinciding with Rotaract Australia’s 10th birthday year – and Laura said the best is yet to come.

“We want the podcast to be something that connects the Rotary family across Australia and would love for people who want to share their story or an interesting project to reach out to us,” she said.

“We hope that by empowering and highlighting the voice of Rotaractors the partnerships between Rotary and Rotarians will continue to strengthen.

Rotary and Rotarians have always played a key role in the development of Rotaractors, and we hope that everyone in the Rotary family will enjoy listening to our stories.”

Holly said there was also an opportunity for Rotaract and Rotary clubs across Australia to sponsor individual episodes to show their support for Rotaract Australia and growing Rotaract across the country.

“Sponsorship includes naming rights to an episode as well as a brief window within the episode, similar to an advertisement, to showcase a club innovation, project or support for Rotaract,” Holly said.

“The sponsorship will help cover the costs of podcast creation software and online hosting, as well as complimentary episode transcripts to ensure the content is accessible to all people.”

To find out more about the podcast click here.