Annual Council Meeting 2026
From Aberdeen to Winchester and across to Dublin, members from across the Rotaract Great Britain and Ireland network came together on Saturday 14th March for the organisation’s Annual Conference Meeting while also marking World Rotaract Week.
Across Great Britain and Ireland, Rotaractors are dedicating their time, ideas, and enthusiasm to making things happen. Club leaders are planning events and building welcoming communities within their clubs. Members are volunteering in their local areas, supporting causes they care about, and creating opportunities for others to get involved. Many are also working behind the scenes to support the wider Rotaract network.
Our Annual Council Meeting is an important moment in the Rotaract year. It gives the opportunity to connect with one another, reflect on the past year, and look ahead to where we want to go next as a network.
Reflecting on the event, Chloe Rollings, the Chair of Rotaract Great Britain and Ireland said;
“I was incredibly proud to showcase the work the Rotaract GBI Board has been delivering, and it was equally inspiring to hear directly from clubs and Rotaractors about the projects, ideas and impact taking place across our network. We have several exciting opportunities coming up for our network in the year ahead and I hope these initiatives will help bring even more of us together.”
This was the first network-wide event Chloe had hosted for Rotaract GBI since becoming the Chair at the end of January this year. Her term will run until 30th June 2027.
Over the past year, Rotaract has continued to grow and evolve. We’ve seen new clubs emerge, existing clubs thrive, and more opportunities for Rotaractors to connect across districts and countries.
Chloe added;
“Looking ahead, I’m incredibly optimistic about the future of Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland. Rotaract has always been about bringing people together to create positive change. As we celebrate World Rotaract Week, I’m proud of what our members are achieving and excited about what we will build together next.”
One of the attendees at the event was Chris Wells, President of the Rotaract club of Tyneside and a Rotaractor for over a decade, said;
"A refreshing and exciting meeting. Finally offering actual hold in your hands and smell practical plans, ideas and opportunities for clubs and Rotaractors to make this awesome group flourish, especially in these times when we need it more than ever."
Chloe and Chris at Northern Pride supporting the Purple Community Fund with Rotaract Tyneside
On this page you’ll find all the updates from Rotaract Great Britain and Ireland’s 2026 Annual Council Meeting, along with all the links you'll need to get involved in what’s coming up!
Our Strategy
With our strategy we aim to create a clear and shared framework to bring together our activities as we look to develop upon our success and facilitate a movement that stands the test of time. It reflects our commitment to uplifting every club and every Rotaractor, wherever they are on their journey.
Rotaract Great Britain and Ireland isn’t itself a Rotaract club, but rather a Multi-District Information Organisation (MDIO) that was first established by Rotary International in 1992. Within our strategy we’ve outlined our purpose, vision, mission and values.
Our Purpose: As a Multi-District Information Organisation, we exist to connect, guide, and represent Rotaract clubs across Great Britain and Ireland. We provide a coordinated structure for collaboration, communication, and development - enabling clubs and Rotaractors to share knowledge, access resources, and amplify their collective impact. Through the MDIO, Rotaract GBI strengthens its voice, develops communities, and ensures every Rotaractor can thrive within a unified and sustainable network to contribute to a better, fairer world.
Our Vision: We envision a Rotaract movement where every member has a shared sense of community and common purpose which they use to create meaningful change - in their local communities, across the world, and within themselves.
Our Mission: We aim to deliver and host high-quality opportunities, resources, and guidance that enable every Rotaractor and club to flourish; nurture connection, leadership, and impact - helping our members turn ambition into action and create lasting positive change.
Our work and values are guided from the principles developed in the “Four-Way Test” as a framework that is shared within the Rotary network to help inform how we think, act, and serve. These values define who we are as Rotaractors and how we create impact together.
We stand for truth.
We act with fairness.
We build goodwill and better friendships.
We seek benefits for all.
Our strategy is centred on four core pillars: Build, Grow, Support, and Empower. It is supported by our Theory of Change that explains how the work we do leads to the outcomes and impact we aim to achieve. It is created around our four interconnected pillars which each contribute to a lasting and sustainable movement for good.
The Theory of Change is created around the framework of “if we”, “then we can”, “this will lead to”. It is supported with a breakdown of activities, outcomes and indicators of success.
The next phase of the strategy will focus on translating this strategic framework into clear actions, measurable outcomes, and a culture of continuous improvement with the development of a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework and new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Presidents Assembly
Club Presidents are central to the success and direction of Rotaract clubs and we're excited to share that Rotaract GBI will host an Assembly of Presidents every other month to provide a forum for ongoing conversations, sharing of best practice, and peer-to-peer learning; designed to complement existing governance while focusing specifically on club leadership development, communication, and continuity.
This new formal link to club leaders and Rotaract GBI will become the third body of the organisation with the first two being the Board of Directors, the executive team, and the Council of District Rotaract Representatives, the governance body.
Clubs Connect
Rotaract GBI is moving away from holding formal conferences and instead is piloting a new programme called Clubs Connect. It is designed to bring Rotaractors together through meaningful experiences that celebrate people, community, and service.
Rather than focusing on a single formal conference, this approach creates flexible opportunities for members to connect, collaborate, and make a difference in communities across Great Britain and Ireland.
Rotaract Great Britain and Ireland have partnered with the Rotaract club of Dublin to host the first pilot Clubs Connect weekend, taking place from Friday 5 June to Sunday 7 June in the Irish Capital.
Dublin
Tickets will go on sale from St. Patrick's Day (17th March) and start at £50 per person and Rotaract GBI is offering a 20% discount on tickets booked before the end of March.
The District Rotaract Representative for Ireland (1160), Jose Ribera, made the announcement and said;
“Dublin is ready to welcome you! We are so excited to be part of Clubs Connect this June! Whether you’re joining us from across the UK, Ireland, or beyond, get ready for a weekend of good craic, genuine connections, and a little service along the way! Tickets drop this St. Patrick’s Day!”
During the Annual Council Meeting hot off the press plans for the weekend were shared. The event will begin on Friday evening with welcome drinks at a traditional Irish pub before gathering for a group breakfast on Saturday before taking part in a scavenger hunt across the city. In the afternoon, there will be opportunities to visit some of Dublin’s top attractions before a celebration dinner on Saturday night. Sunday focuses on community service projects before people head to the airport.
Training
Rotaract GBI’s Training Director share an update following the launch of the 2026 online training series, designed to equip Rotaractors with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to strengthen their clubs and enhance their leadership impact.
This is the first year that Rotaract GBI has included a Training Director role and speaks to a wider commitment to ensure our network is fully aware of learning opportunities available and that Rotaractors are fully prepared with the skills and confidence needed personally and professionally.
The Training Director, Heloisa Chambisse, said;
“Following the ACM, it is evident that the Rotaract GBI Board is committed to delivering many exciting, innovative, engaging and valuable initiatives, resources, projects and opportunities to club members.
And, as the Training Director, a newly introduced role, I am honoured to be playing a part in the series of initiatives that have been and will be introduced throughout this year, and even more excited to implement the curated training programme designed with the sole purpose of equipping all club members with the necessary skills to excel both within and beyond Rotaract.”
Training sessions so far have included the sessions “Empowering Growth”, “Lets REM Together” (related to Rotaract European Meeting), “The Art of Fundraising” and “Lets Talk All Things Membership”.
Upcoming sessions include “Speak with Influence: The Art of Persuasive Speeches” on Thursday 19th March and “From Plan to Success: Project Management Essentials” on Tuesday 24th March. Sessions in April are aimed at club officers and include sessions for club secretaries, treasurers and social media officers.
Tickets for the free to attend sessions can be found on the Rotaract GBI TicketTailor.
Rotaract in Europe
From North Macedonia to the Netherlands our international work helps our network broaden their perspectives, build global connections, and contribute to solutions that address challenges on a worldwide scale.
Rotaractors from our network have had the opportunity to attend events in Skopje and Utrecht with other participants from over 30 countries. Workshops at these events have included “Rotaracting for Peace” and “End Plastic Soup”.
Flags of those attending a Rotaract Europe event in 2025.
The Rotaract European Convention (EUCO) is heading to Opatija, Croatia, between 29th April and 3rd May. The next Rotaract European Meeting (REM) is hosted in Karlsruhe, Germany between 10th-13th September before moving to Cluj-Napoca, Romania for the start of 2027.
Website
We are pleased to share that Rotaract GBI now has a new website with the first phase of the new website roll out including information about the MDIO, Board, and our international links. It provides an overview to clubs and our connection to Rotary. The site also includes new contact forms, news and blogs as well as profiles on a handful of Rotaractors.
As new features are tested and small bugs are worked out we are looking to add more profiles to the site as well as project pages to showcase Rotaractors making a difference and Rotaract in action. As part of an expansion to our clubs section, we also want to create dedicated website pages for each Rotaract club which includes details of meeting times, club projects and any club highlights.
Finances
The Board highlighted that a number of problems over the past 18 months relating to finance had been resolved. This included restrictions on access to the organisation's bank account. Due to these past problems, 43% of Rotaract GBI available funds are currently held with Rotary GB&I and are set to be paid in accruals.
In a short point about income and expenditure for 24-25 it was noted that past problems had meant that 39% of that year’s expenditure were for payments to cover costs accrued during the 23-24 Rotary year and that 57% of the in year expenditure had gone towards the delivery of the GBI conference.
The financial summary shared during the meeting highlighted that 42% of the budget set for 25-26 had been spent in the first six months of the Rotary year and that the MDIO was on course to be under budget by 27% for July 2026.
A budget for the 26-27 Rotary year has been drafted with a 22% increase in expenditure from 24-25 (comparison not made for 25-26 as this budget excludes in-person events) and speaks to the aspirations the Board have for Rotaract.
Income remains consistent with a 7% variation between the three years presented and it was confirmed that while a majority of funding currently comes from Rotary, the introduction of the Finance Director roles increase the capacity for Rotaract GBI to be able to access additional funding streams.
Guidance Documents
The Rotaract GBI Board has created a number of new internal policies, external guidance documents and proposals.
A new guidance document for DGs about the role of DRRs has been created which outlines the role of DRRs locally and within GBI. In draft, we have created a guidance document for clubs about age limits for members that distinguishes between the age limit to join and the age limit to remain.
New internal policies about expenditure, value of money and costs connected to the Country Representative role have also been updated by the Board.
As Rotaract has evolved, the language used to describe it has not always kept pace. Earlier descriptions have continued alongside newer interpretations, which has sometimes created confusion about what Rotaract represents today.
We want Rotaract communications to focus on participation, shared values, and action rather than age or life stage. Rotaract is defined not by who members are expected to be, but by what they choose to do together and the impact they create.
As a result, we are creating new guidance aimed to provide a clear and consistent language for talking about Rotaract, Rotaractors, and Rotaract clubs. By aligning how we describe Rotaract, we can better communicate its purpose, value, and place within Rotary, while still allowing space for local voice and individuality.
To mark Rotaract’s 58th birthday, during World Rotaract Week, we published our first set of headlines that delivers a core message in one sentence with a focus on the single most important takeaway.
Rotaract is a global network that brings People of Action together to create meaningful change in their local communities, around the world, and within themselves.
Rotaractors are socially minded people who join our organisation to build meaningful connections which they use to create a positive impact in society.
Rotaract clubs are local groups, led by socially minded members and connected through a global network, which respond to community needs while fostering a sense of belonging.
Elections
Every year, Rotaract Great Britain and Ireland invites Rotaractors to stand for election to its Board of Directors. Serving on the Board is an opportunity to contribute to the leadership and direction of Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland. Any Rotaractor who is a member of a Rotaract club within Great Britain and Ireland is eligible to stand for election.
Applications are now open until Saturday 11th April at 5PM.
Governance
Our Constitution and Bylaws are the foundational documents that define how we operate as a network of Rotaractors across multiple districts. They set out our structure, outline the roles and responsibilities of our leadership, and describe how decisions are made.
District Rotaract Representatives will be able to vote on a number of amendments which include clarification on rules of proxy voting, expands rules on conflicts of interest, increase Directors reporting requirements and updates rules about the Chair’s term as part of 254 changes.
The Council of DRRs will also be asked to vote to formally approve or reject the information presented during the Annual Council Meeting.
