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Rotary in Russia Conference
April 3, 2004
St. Petersburg, Russia
April 3–4, 2004
Rotary International (RI) is an international service organization composed of business and professional leaders dedicated to promoting peace and world understanding. The organization provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary’s more than 1.2 million members in 166 nations belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs (including about 75 clubs in the Russian Federation) that are organized into 529 districts.
RI has participated in the Open World Program since 1999. Local Rotary clubs have hosted nearly 1,500 Open World participants from Russia in all 50 states and the District of Columbia during the past five years.
The 2004 Rotary in Russia Conference marked Rotary’s 10th anniversary in eastern Russia and its 14th anniversary in western Russia. This year’s conference focused on Rotary in Russia in the next 10 years from the Russian perspective. Held for the first time in Russia, the conference offered the opportunity to learn about the present state of Rotary in Russia and enabled Rotarians from Russia, America, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland to network. The health situation in Russia was among the topics discussed. Other topics included the assessment of Rotary’s current humanitarian programs in Russia and cooperation between Rotary clubs and districts around the globe.
Among the Russian Rotarians who participated in the Rotary in Russia Conference were several Open World alumni: Inna Smirnova, Marina Serebryakova, and Elena Kozievskaya, Moscow; Elena Grigoryeva, Krasnodar; Tatyana Pershina, Tver; Andrey Chernev, Murmansk; and Irina Dynina, Izhevsk.
One of the highlights of the conference was a presentation by Open World alumnae Tatyana Pershina, president-elect of the Tver Rotary Club, and Inna Smirnova, secretary of the Moscow Rotary Club. Pershina and Smirnova emphasized the importance of the Open World Program as a whole. They also announced a new opportunity available to Rotary clubs in the Russian Federation – a joint initiative between the Open World Alumni Outreach Program and Rotary clubs. Having the two entities join forces will enrich both organizations and strengthen the alliance between Open World and Rotary, one of the program’s main U.S. host organizations. However, the most important benefit of this collaboration will be the projects that both organizations will work on together. The Tver Rotary Club has already begun working with the local Open World alumni coordinator, Irina Soubbotina, on the upcoming Healthcare Fair project that will be held in Tver in midsummer.
As Open World and Rotary share the same values of promoting community development and leadership, the two organizations complement each other. Through its community involvement, Rotary International is able to provide Open World participants with firsthand exposure to America’s democracy, civil society, and market economy. Participants also see the benefit of volunteerism and goodwill to others in the community setting. Many Open World participants hosted by Rotary International come back to Russia and seek to join or found a local Rotary club. They go to people and tell them about the universal experience that brings people of different races, backgrounds, and life histories together to build a better world.
The Open World Program does not end after delegates return to the Russian Federation. The continuation of newly established relationships is an important outcome that benefits all parties involved and further enriches U.S.-Russia bilateral relations through people-to-people diplomacy.
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