January is Vocational Service Month
During this month, and any other time it is appropriate, many club members contemplate the professional and business skills they can contribute to their community: youth mentoring, help local businesses (engineering, technical, agricultural, organizational, financial skills, etc). Other Rotarians contribute their talents (art, photography, webdesign, organizing, etc) and personal energy to club projects in their local, regional or international communities. This longstanding Rotary tradition is articulated in Rotary's longstanding principles:
Guiding principles of Rotary
These principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world:
The Object of Rotary is a philosophical statement of Rotary’s purpose and the responsibilities of Rotarians. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the Second Object, which calls on Rotarians to “encourage and foster”:
• High ethical standards in business and professions
• The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations
• The dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society
The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings.
ROTARIAN CODE OF CONDUCT
As a Rotarian, I will:
1. Act with integrity and high ethical standards in my personal and professional life.
2. Deal fairly with others and treat them and their occupations with respect.
3. Use my professional skills through Rotary to mentor young people, help those with special needs, and improve people’s quality of life in my community and in the world.
4. Avoid behavior that reflects adversely on Rotary or other Rotarians.
As a Rotarian, how can you put these ideals into action?
Consider these options for yourself:
• Talk about your vocation in your club, and take time to learn about fellow members’ vocations.
• Use your professional skills to serve a community.
• Practice your profession with integrity; inspire others to behave ethically through your own words and actions.
• Help a young person achieve his or her career aspirations.
• Guide and encourage others in their professional development.
If you do any of these things, you are performing vocational service. And if vocational service motivates and energizes you, then you’re in the right place, because vocational service is the very essence of Rotary. It is what sets Rotary apart from other service organizations.
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