DEI- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Why DEI?

What is DEI ?

How is it useful for Rotary’s Growth?

• DEI is a new Avenue in Rotary
• We have problems in Growth of Rotary
• We are stagnant with our membership for a long time
• A large section of the society is unrepresented in Rotary
• We need to revisit the basics once again
• We are unable to retain a large number of new members

Rotary’s commitment to DEI-June 2021.

At Rotary, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.

• We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, color, and other diversity criteria.
• We recognize that individuals from certain groups have historically experienced barriers to membership, participation, and leadership. We commit to advancing equity in all aspects of Rotary, so that each person has the necessary access to resources, opportunities and support.
• We believe that all people have visible and invisible qualities that make them unique, and we strive to create an inclusive culture where each person feels they belong and feels valued.
• In line with our value of integrity, we are committed to being honest and transparent about where we are in our DEI journey as an organization, and we continue to learn and do better.

We value DIVERSITY and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, colour, disability, learning style, religion, faith, socioeconomic status, culture, marital status, languages spoken, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as differences in ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.

Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Fair and just practices and policies that ensure all rotary members can thrive .EQUITY recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocatesthe exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

The best example is a Dietician who decides what is good for each patient separately and provides the same.

In simple words it is need based support. Identify need and provide support.

INCLUSION --  Recognizing that individuals from certain groups have historically experienced barriers to membership, participation, and leadership, we commit to advancing equity in all aspects of Rotary, including in our community partnerships, so that each person has the necessary access to resources, opportunities, networks, and support to thrive.We believe that all people hold visible and invisible qualities that inherently make them unique, and we strive to create an inclusive culture where each person knows they are valued and belong. 

Remember- IF WE ARE NOT INTENTIONALLY INCLUSIVE, WE ARE UNINTENTIONALLY EXCLUSIVE

In most of the  clubs new members 1-3 years in Rotary leave every year for some or the other reason. But we should sit back and think over it. We should assimilate / invest into them more significantly. We are extremely good in recruiting members ( 1000+/- every year) but converting members to Rotarians is still a challenge.  To me, it is an exercise, an investment that needs commitment and dedication from Club and District leadership.

The net result is that in last 10 years since 2015 we have added less than 300 Rotarians to the total in the District .

In practical terms let us explore unrepresented ,physically disabled ( in wheel chair) LGBTQ members and the like feel welcome in Rotary.

ROTARY’S DEI CODE OF CONDUCT

• Use respectful language
• Be supportive
• Foster a welcoming environment
• Celebrate diversity

Rtn. Brij Sethi

District Chairperson DEI