On May 4-6, 2023. the Rotary International 2023 District Conference was held at the Midvalley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville, UT. UVU’s Rotaract Club was invited to participate and speak in this event, which consisted of three days of presentations, workshops, and seminars that included influential government leaders, Rotaractor leaders, District leadership members, and keynote speakers.
Governor Jose Velasco speaking at the conference
Utah Valley University and its Rotaract club, a student club that works with Rotary International to provide students service opportunities in their community, was invited to attend and speak at the conference, with a particular focus on the United Nations CSW67 event in New York that we had attended. UVU Rotaract Club is part of the Utah International Mountain Forum[1] (UIMF) that advocates for sustainable mountain development in the State of Utah and globally. More than two dozen students, Rotaractors, and mentors attended CSW67 and presented research for strategies towards sustainable mountain development and the inclusion of women in higher education through the Student Engaged Learning (SEL) Model. Our delegation’s purpose for visiting included putting on multiple side and parallel events to showcase the aforementioned research, including Rotaractors from abroad such as the Kyrgyz Republic. Students were additionally able to interact with a wide array of diplomats, visit embassies near the UN HQ, and even attend active sessions of the General Assembly and the Security Council. The Rotaract club in UVU, alongside the Utah International Mountain Forum, was integral in facilitating the visit; requiring professional and extensive collaboration with multiple UN-registered NGOs, the Kyrgyz Republic, the President of the General Assembly H.E. Mr. Kőrösi, the university, and various other actors and agencies.
Orem-Lindon Rotarians during the conference
There in the conference, UVU Rotaract Club President Tristin Smith and Vice President Mckay Brooks highlighted, in great detail, the success and importance of the event as advocating for the status of women and providing invaluable learning experience and networking opportunities for the students who were able to attend, many online. They spoke that the event showcased the participants, representing Rotary and UVU, as extremely competent leaders and researchers whom effectively interacted with world leaders and high-level diplomats to advocate for the betterment of our Utah community, our nation, and those across the globe. Ultimately an unsaid question was asked, what could contribute more to the development of our future public leaders than opportunities such as these?
Our club’s speakers gave great mention to the acquisition of funding for the visit, receiving funds from multiple grants, in conjunction with university funding, support from Rotary International, and fundraising. A great emphasis was put on the fundraising undertaken to be able to participate in the event, and a wildly successful operation at that. They spoke that during February 7-16, 2023, Orem-Lindon Rotarians and Utah Valley University Rotaractors held a fundraiser by selling California oranges[2]. Club members and other associates were able to sell boxes of oranges[3], which gave us funding for the event as well as other service projects. Ultimately, it was showcased that students and club members were integral in all aspects of the delegation to New York.
After Tristen and Mckay gave their remarks, 2022-2023 Rotary District Governor Jose Velasco congratulated our club for our tremendous work, especially highlighting the opportunities our club leaders have been able to build to help develop students from UVU and give them real-life and hands-on opportunities to apply their studies relating to political science, international relations, sustainable development, and communications. He noted our recent partnership with Osh Technological University in the Kyrgyz Republic and the clubs earlier participating in CSW66. On stage, Gov. Velasco announced that our UVU Rotaract Club had received the honor of being Rotaract Club of the year for the amazing efforts of its members and leadership. Tristin Smith, Alitha Thompson, and Mckay Brooks were especially honored as effective and ambitious leaders that are seldom seen, having boosted the club's membership up to 32 members and focused service efforts on important local projects. This award came as a great surprise and excitement to those of us who are able to attend, I especially felt honored to have been a part of such an amazing team.
Tristin Smith and District Governor Velasco as Utah Valley Universities’ Rotaract Club was announced Rotaract Club of the year.
After the announcement, awards were given to Utah Valley University faculty and Rotaract Club mentors such as Dr. Baktybek D. Abdrisaev, who was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship for his outstanding performance in guiding students and, just as importantly, his instrumental role as a facilitator and leader for students such as me. A Paul Harris Fellowship is an award given when an individual makes a charitable donation of $1,000 or greater to the Rotary International Foundation[4]. In this case, the donation was made by leaders of the district in Dr. Abdrisaev’s name. It is without a doubt that the bestowment of this award showcased the great talent and value presented by Dr. Abdrisaev to Rotary International and his community, a sentiment deeply shared by me.
Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev (Second from the left) receiving the award of a Paul Harris Fellowship from District Governor Velasco (Left).
Alongside the remarks by our club at the conference, I and other Rotaractors were able to hear from and interact with many Rotary International leaders as well as attend workshops on peace-building, club administration and development, and service initiatives. Ultimately the entire event presented opportunities to get involved in Rotary’s mission of providing service for our communities and develop great friendships with other attendants of the conference.
One especially striking portion of the conference was the inspiring address by Immediate-Past Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta who was assigned as the representative for Rotary International President Jennifer Jones. He spoke on the results of many initiatives of Rotary and the potential we must improve communities around the world and affect the lives of countless individuals. His message was extremely inspirational, educational, and motivational; having affirmed that the most important part of our service is that we carry it out with the conviction that you are making a difference in someone’s life.
Shekhar Mehta, Immediate Past Rotary International President alongside Carter B. Darger
Announced at the conference is the soon-to-come transfer of the office of Rotary District Governor from Jose Velasco to John Redd, who will serve for the 2023-2024 term. Rotary District Governors are appointed for year terms in which they serve to set goals, lead the district, conduct district meetings, and engage with the public. Although I am proud of the work Jose Velasco has done in his term, I am confident Governor Redd, friendly and respectable, will more than deliver in his work during the coming year term.
UVU Rotaractor Carter B. Darger (left) alongside the incoming 2023-2024 District Governor John Redd.
As mentioned earlier, the time spent at the conference allowed me and others who attended to meet, network, and better develop relationships with other Rotaractors and Rotarians. Having attended the event with Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) mentor Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev and his wife Mrs. Cholpon Akmatalieva, we were able to visit and hear from present Rotary District Governor Jose Velasco and his wife Martha. During our time with them at the conference they reaffirmed many of the other conference speakers’ words and advice; and gave us both tools and inspiration to continue to serve others in our community as well as continue to pursue initiatives and opportunities such as with CSW67, UVU’s receiving of the current Kyrgyz Ambassador to the US and Canada, H.E. Mr. Amanbaev, and later the receiving of the United Nations President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi on May 15th[5].
His Excellency Baktybek Amanbaev (right), past Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and Canada, and his wife, Mrs. Cholpon Akmatalieva (second-most right), District Chair Martha Velasco (second-most left), and Carter B. Darger.
Carter B. Darger alongside 2022-2023 District Governor Jose Velasco.
The District Conference additionally gave the attendants and me the opportunity to engage in several workshops and service project breakout sessions. I attended a workshop designed to promote peace-building. In this workshop, the difference between positive peace and negative peace was demonstrated. Positive peace is an area where institutions, attitudes, and other societal factors create a situation in which peace is sustainable and bring about better relationships between groups whereas negative peace is a situation in which groups live in peace but with lingering resentment that may result again in war absent any other barring factors. The workshop used examples of peace-building in the context of communities in Colombia, where Rotary International is focusing on initiatives, giving us active real-world tools and strategies being used to promote the harmony of communities within the state. Coming out of the workshop, I am equipped with better knowledge of peace-building strategies and resources to use.
Ultimately, the conference served as an extremely beneficial and educational opportunity for me and the rest of the members of UVU’s Rotaract Club. Having met with foundational and district leaders, heard reports from our own club leadership, received and listened to addresses and speeches by community and international leaders, and attended workshops among many other items I have come out of the conference feeling inspired, ambitious, and further developed.
Carter Darger, UVU Rotaractor
[1] For more information about Utah International Mountain Forum, please visit Utah International Mountain Forum | Utah Valley University (uvu.edu)
[2] More Information to be found at Utah Valley University Rotaractors Annual Fundraising | Utah International Mountain Forum | Utah Valley University (uvu.edu)
[3] Full Boxes of Oranges (40lbs) were sold for $47 each, Half Boxes (20lbs) were sold for $27 each
[4] As according to Rotary International the Rotary Foundation transforms this gift into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world through initiatives such as eradicating polio and promoting peace.
[5] For more information on the visit of the UN PGA, the UIMF website provides the following resources:https://www.uvu.edu/utahimf/blog/2305pga_visit.html; https://www.uvu.edu/utahimf/blog/2305pgakorosi.html
MEDIA ABOUT THE CONFERENCE AND UVU ROTARACTORS
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DISTRICT ROTARY NEWSLETTER ABOUT THE CONFERENCE AND AWARDEES
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Congratulations to the Rotaract... - Mountain Partnership | Facebook
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