Bulletin 12 March 2026 (Mar. 13, 2026)

The Guest Speaker today was Caitlin Norgard who is completing her Masters in Psychology at UWA. Caitlin was asked by her Grandfather Peter Blockley to speak to us on a young persons vison on Community Engagement. It was an excellent presentation that had the members to asking many questions.

Caitlin was hosted by Mally Rall and thanked on behalf of the Club by John Van Vliet.

Some of Caitlin's detailed notes are as follows:

Young people are volunteering less

· Cost of living pressures

· Work, study, and family commitments leaving little free time

· Trouble finding specific volunteering opportunities that interest them

· Cultural and linguistic barriers

What would attract young people to a group like Rotary?

· Flexibility

· Clarity and accessibility

· Immediate, local impact

· Diversity, inclusion, and social justice

Rotary International has started to recognise the impacts of a historical lack of diversity. Individual clubs need to acknowledge and throw off the “old boys club” perception.

Social Identity Wheel activity

· Starting here, we can imagine the barriers faced by someone with different social identities to our own

· Perspective-taking is a vital strategy to reduce bias and foster inclusion

Examining the Wesley boys’ Five Pillars

· Can the people who designed this tell me a little bit about that process?

Positives

· Comprehensive reflection of underrepresented communities in Rotary

· Inclusion of neurodiversity is important

· Focus on gender equality is great

· I can see an aim to foster cultural safety, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

· A great start— and a good idea to make a statement on your website

Advice

· Consider the purpose

· Co-design

· A great diversity and inclusion statement would involve:

o Recognition of past barriers / biases

o Guiding principles e.g. fairness, collaboration, accessibility, gender equality, cultural safety

o Can include a focus on specific underrepresented groups

o Relate it back to your organisation’s mission

· Need to back it up with action

o Support projects that address key issues for these commitments

What might this mean in practice?

Example: Gender Equality

· Improving the underrepresentation of women in Rotary leadership roles is good

· Consider what I mentioned earlier about flexible meeting times and modes.

o Women take on a disproportionate amount of care work (e.g. childcare), flexible meeting times would benefit them

· What about issues like gender-based violence that harm women and impede gender equality in the community?

o Violence is experienced at greater rates by:

§ Young women (18-34)

§ Women with disability

§ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women

§ Queer and trans people (most often by men)

· Would Rotary commit to a Family Violence initiative?

· How about spreading awareness and engaging in traditionally “feminine” things?

o Blanket drives, donating money to knitting groups

o Would something like a community knitting or crochet class be a helpful means of advertising this / spreading the word and engaging the local community? Would you participate in it?

If I have time: Smaller examples / bits of advice for other areas:

· Ask and listen to people from these communities

· Cultural safety

o Importance of collaboration with Indigenous spokespeople and communities

§ E.g. Rotary WA Aboriginal Reference Group

§ Reconciliation Action Plans, cultural knowledge training

· Neurodivergent and disability

o How accessible is your club?

o Can people who may need an accommodation easily request this?

· Queer community

o Meaningful public example— put rainbow (and First Nations’) flags on your website

o Get involved in / support Pride events

o Support and raise awareness around issues like: mental health, homelessness, discrimination

Conclusion

· Diversity is important

o Better understanding of community needs

o Organizational growth

o Enhances impact and relevance

· This needs to be a commitment to actively creating a space that is for others, as much as it is for you.

Two-minute Noodles

Peter Blockley mentioned that his new Hairdresser was from India where Peter was born and through their discussions he was remembering how to speak Hindi again using the nursery rhymes he remembers from his childhood. Peter recited a couple of the rhymes to us all.

Announcements

President Elect

Congratulations to Tony Pepper who has agreed to be our President Elect commencing his role as President from 1 July this year.

Changeover

Depending on availability it is planned to have Changeover on Thursday 25th June or Friday 26th June - final date to be confirmed

Membership Sub-committee formed

Corrin Caine has volunteered to lead a Membership recruitment sub-committee with Geoff Woods, Neil Hancock & Tony Delich. The committee goal will be recruiting new members to ensure the continued viability of the Club.

Rotary Code of Conduct

Bernie Foley requested we circulate the Rotary Code of Conduct to everyone for your information & guidance.

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

5. Help maintain a harassment-free environment in Rotary meetings, events, and activities; report any suspected harassment; and help ensure non-retaliation to those individuals that report harassment

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION CODE OF CONDUCT

Rotary core values: fellowship, integrity, diversity, service, and leadership

This code of conduct reflects our core values and explains the responsibility that comes with being a Rotarian and Rotaractor, which includes members from nearly every country in the world, speaking over 100 different languages. We are committed to upholding and evolving this code as our organization grows.

Like our core values, we expect Rotarians and Rotaractors to exemplify this code of conduct as they interact with one another, Rotary program participants, Alumni, project partners, and members of the community. Specifically, the code of conduct applies at all club, district, zone, and Rotary International meetings, trainings, events, and anywhere else a member represents Rotary and on My Rotary and social media.

Expectations

All club members and other participants including Rotary program participants, Alumni, project partners, and representatives of Rotary are expected to comply with this code of conduct, be considerate and contribute to a collaborative, positive, and healthy environment in which all are respected and valued.

USE RESPECTFUL LANGUAGE

 When you first meet someone, introduce yourself and explain how you would like to be addressed, including your preferred pronouns (he/him/his, she/her/hers, they/them/theirs). Call others by their preferred name, rather than using a nickname that is easier to pronounce.

 When addressing larger groups, utilize gender neutral words to avoid gender assumption.

 Use active listening to deepen your understanding of others.  Be conscious of language use and adapt depending on region. Some wording is acceptable in some cultures but unacceptable in others.

 Avoid slang or idioms that do not translate across cultures or be deliberate in explaining them to share our diverse cultures and languages.

 Speak plainly and avoid acronyms and jargon that not everyone may understand.

 If you are curious about someone’s cultural background, faith, sexual orientation, gender, or another characteristic, ask if they are open to sharing more about themselves. Refrain from asking if the topic is not relevant to your conversation.

 Foster an atmosphere of intergenerational dialogue and avoid describing anyone by their age. BE SUPPORTIVE

 Be an ally and advocate for others and be ready to intervene when you see a need.

 If you see or hear something inappropriate, address the behavior in a way t0 offer support to those affected.

 As a member of Rotary, uphold the Code of Conduct, build this culture within your club experience, and address any issues as they arise.

FOSTER A WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT

 Ensure every member and participant can fully engage in any meeting, event, or activity that you organize in person or online by offering an accessible venue, simultaneous interpretation, closed captioning and/or transcripts, and other resources as needed.

 Review any club or program traditions and stop or change activities that may be offensive or alienating to a specific group.  Create a welcoming environment and include all in conversations, projects, and events.

 As much as possible, pay attention to nonverbal communication such as eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice, personal space, gestures, and posture, and how it impacts your ability to engage with and relate to others.

 Know the important dates of various religions and schedule events and activities in a way that is inclusive and considerate of people who observe them.

 Be aware of people’s dietary and health restrictions.

 Open opportunities for everyone to hold leadership roles in your club and district or engage with your community partners.

CELEBRATE DIVERSITY

 Increase your club’s awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with disabilities.

 Celebrate a variety of cultural events and religious observances, rather than continually conducting service projects or hosting events associated with a single culture or religion.

 Acknowledge and celebrate significant dates relevant to diversity.

 Avoid stereotyping and mocking any specific group.

 Acknowledge and celebrate different genders. Code of

Conduct Questions and Concerns

For questions or concerns regarding the code of conduct or behavior that goes against the code of conduct, email DEI.Inquiries@rotary.org.

Adult Harassment Issues

Per the Rotary Code of Policies, Rotary currently maintains the following to report issues of harassment involving Rotarians or Rotaractors at meetings, events, or activities:

Rotary is committed to maintaining an environment that is free of any form of harassment, broadly defined as any conduct, verbal or physical, that denigrates, insults, or offends a person or group based on any characteristic1 (age, ethnicity, race, color, disability, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientations, or gender identity).

If you are notified of any allegation of harassment involving an adult, or you feel you have been harassed, follow these steps:

1. If anyone’s safety is in doubt, contact local law enforcement. 2. Notify a club officer (club president or secretary), district leader (district governor or district governorelect), or zone leader (RI director).

3. Report the incident to Rotary International’s Club and District Support team by contacting cds@rotary.org.

4. Any allegation of harassment or abuse that involves young people must be reported to Rotary International at youthprotection@rotary.org within 72 hours.

1 Characteristics listed here are from the Rotary Code of Polices, Harassment-free Environment at Meetings, Events, or Activities. As the Rotary Code of Policies is updated, this Code of Conduct section will be updated.

President Kym's Parting Thought

"As I learned from growing up, you don't mess with your Grandmother." Prince William

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- This Bulletin is via the Clubrunner website and it is currently prepared by our Treasurer Geoff Woods, if you would like anything added to the Bulletin please email any photos and a written summary on Word.

- The Bulletin Editor position is also available to any Club members that are not on the Board, please volunteer to prepare the Bulletin to help take some of the workload.

Your Weekly Bulletin is Here!

Guest speaker for Thursday 19 March is Councillor Elizabeth Lezer BBus, MBA, GAICD, City of Perth, speaking on "Major Projects envisaged for the City".