What do we look like?

PICTURED: Co-founder of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Oceania Rebecca Fry with her young family at the four-day RYLA ELEVATE program.

Rotary International Director-elect Jennifer Scott AM looks at the changing face of Rotary and asks some of our younger leaders why they joined the ranks.

By PDG Jennifer Scott
Rotary International Director
Rotary Club of Upper Blue Mountains, NSW

What do people think about us when they see our Rotary badge or our Rotary club t-shirt? Are we cooking sausages at Bunnings or Woolworths? Are we planting trees or cleaning up rubbish in our communities?

Our public image is what people outside of Rotary think of when they see us in the community or read about us on social media or in the local newspaper.

Our public image is shaped by what we look like, as well as our actions, the activities we engage in and the impact we have in our community.

So, what do we look like?

In Zone 8 we have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves. And we certainly need to, with 48.5 per cent of members being over 60 years of age and only five per cent of Rotarians being under 40!

In today’s world, why do younger people join Rotary? I asked three younger Rotarians why they joined and the impact of membership on them and their families.

With a mum in Rotary from my teens, I grew up with Rotary as part of life – it was dinner on Wednesdays,” explains Claire Scott, founding chair of the Rotary Club of Canberra Sundowners, ACT.

“That meant I grew up in a family where community service was an important value. I also got to benefit from Rotary youth programs, so when I was older, I wanted to give back to Rotary and do good in my community.

“Joining Rotary was the obvious choice, but not my only choice. What appealed to me was the organisation’s responsiveness to local needs, rather than being single issue driven. It’s a global network, which meant I had continuity when I moved around for work, and its growing flexibility to accommodate new ways to run clubs and new issues like the environment as an avenue of service was appealing.”

PICTURED: Guest speaker and Rotarian Mingaile Scherer from Lithuania with her young baby and District 9910 Governor Jenn Wong with baby Ethan at the 2025 International Assembly in Orlando, Florida.

District Governor Jenn Wong also grew up in a Rotary family.

“As a second-generation Rotarian, I’m lucky enough to have been brought up in the family of Rotary,” explains Jenn.

“When an opportunity arose to apply to be a district governor, my husband and I were also talking about starting our own family. We tossed up the pros and cons and eventually found the positives of taking a leadership role with a young family definitely outweighed the negatives.

“Since then, we’ve welcomed our son, Ethan, who has accompanied me to club visits, events, fundraisers, service projects and even overseas for training. Bringing Ethan up with 1.2 million family members has given him new experiences that we could only have dreamt of. Seeing Rotarians brighten as they take on a ‘grandparent’ role has been especially special.

“Knowing that Ethan will learn the privilege of service, how to help others, how to be a global citizen and ultimately use these experiences to create peace is the most special gift we could’ve given him – all thanks to Rotary and Rotarians.

“If anyone is thinking of joining or inviting a young family to join, I couldn’t endorse it enough. Rotary is the perfect place to raise your family, and I am so thankful for everyone who embraces our family as part of yours!”

Rebecca Fry, founding chair of Rotary Social Impact Network, describes herself as a trail runner, Rotarian and passionate community leader.

Being part of Rotary as a young family means our kids grow up surrounded by purpose-driven leaders,” Rebecca says.

“Amelie and Eloise attended their first RYLA Oceania Leaders’ Forums at four months old and joined us for the RYLA Oceania ELEVATE Retreat in December.

ELEVATE supports RYLA alumni across Australia and New Zealand to continue their leadership development journey.

“Rotary allows us to contribute meaningfully while building friendships across generations and geographies.

It’s not just about what we give, but also what we gain: connection, purpose and a shared commitment to making the world better. It’s a reminder that leadership and service don’t have to pause when you have a family – they just evolve.

So, let us think more about the family of Rotary and growing the next generation of Rotarians. Every Rotarian is an ambassador for our Rotary brand.

Have you thought of asking your adult family members to also become Rotary ambassadors? In 2014, then RI President Gary Huang, of Taiwan, did just that.

Since then, the age of Rotarians has dropped in Taiwan and membership has steadily increased to 37,558 as at January 2025.

The picture of younger and more diverse Rotarians has changed the public perception of Rotary in Taiwan.