The Newbies, The Oldies, and The Lost Souls

I gave a talk recently to members of my beloved Rotaract club of Pudu on 1 September. Held at a fine dining restaurant within KL called Carmen's, the ambiance was rather informal though. So I decided to do an off-the-cuff presentation with minimum presentation gadgets - in fact none to be precise. After being in Rotaract for more than a decade, we realize we're able to speak from the heart rather than the mind.

(The ambiance before the club meeting and my talk)

Here's a brief of the content I thought would be useful to those who were unable to be present that day.

Throughout my entire Rotaract life (pun intended), I've came across such term as 'new member', 'senior member', 'old member', 'not-so-old member', and even 'not-so-new member'. These were informal membership classification Rotaractors gave to one another, from time to time. To me however, one's Rotatact life should consist of 2 ends - 1 in the beginning and the other at the end, and a middle part which I'd call it the 'in-between'.

A Rotaractor who's just about to begin his/her Rotaract journey shall aptly be classified as a 'Newbie'. But, then we will have the question of when do we stop calling this member a Newbie? For the illustration and clarification of my presentation we shall clearly draw the line as follows, shall we?

Newbies : Rotaractors having no more than 2 years of Rotaract experience.

Oldies : Rotaractors having more than 5 years of Rotaract experience.
And those who doesn't fit both the above equation shall be the In-Betweeners.

Every club has their fair share of newbies, oldies and in-betweeners during a certain part of their club's existence. The challenge need not necessary mean finding the proper balance or formula, but are rather more pertinent question would be, "Is everyone playing their role effectively?"

As Newbies, I shared that the following 3 areas of interest useful to one as a guide towards one's role in a Rotaract club.

1) Know the Game
If we treat Rotaract as a game, and we are players participating in a timed activity, we should understand first the rules of this game in order to enjoy it. The rules that governs Rotaract is only 3 - Standard Rotaract Club Constitution, Standard Rotaract Club By-laws, and Rotaract Statement of Policy.

2) Cultivate Proper Rotaract Habits
There's no better time to cultivate habits than at the early stage of one's life (in Rotaract). Habits on being punctual, saying what's truthful, and attending meetings are a few to mention. Setting appropriate habits will help one in fulfilling a beneficial Rotaract journey - That's for sure.

3) Saying "I can, if you help me to."
This phrase I learned during my early years in Rotaract have proved to be useful yet handful. Many a times, I find new members unwilling to commit to the ideals of service for having too many uncertainties, and to an extend fear in accepting challenges. This respond of "I can, if you help me to" will certainly bring new found perspective and answers in an otherwise predictable circumstances. Try it!

As for the Oldies, there's no better means than being..... An example of an effective Rotaractor. (A role model, in other words). An oldie's words would not bring significant meaning to newbies if not complemented by actions, wouldn't it? And the famous saying of "action speaks louder than words" may well be a new practice for senior members of a club.

And lastly, the In-Betweeners. These are the most concerning group of members as they tend to be 'lost souls' if not shown adequate care and given appropriate responsibilities. Members at this stage of their Rotaract journey may be 'lost' due to the diminishing passion and interest, or the lost of direction and purpose in this organization. The In-Betweeners should themselves assess their circumstances and come to a firm decision as to their contribution and needs to the club. 'Lost souls' can turn an otherwise healthy club into an unhealthy club - like fats to our body. Too much of it gives an incorrect impression of the state of the club (like looking good in numbers of membership standing, but actual active members are much less than what it seems). Throughout my experience, 'lost souls' do come in handy when the 'muscles' of the club require a rest, or when assistance is required without having the need for the 'lost soul' to be present in person - like doing back-end support functions.

Whether you're a newbie, oldie or a lost soul; there's an old saying "The world's like a stage, everyone has a role to play". No one is neither too young nor too old to forget that.