Incoming Rotary International president Shekhar Mehta has announced the 2021-22 presidential theme – Serve to Change Lives.
He has urged members to become more involved in service projects, saying that caring for and serving others is the best way to live because it changes not only other people’s lives, but also our own.
During his theme address to incoming district governors at the Rotary International Assembly on February 1, Shekhar said that Rotary kindled a spark within him to look beyond himself and embrace humanity.
“Service became a way of life for me and I, like many others, adopted the guiding philosophy that, ‘Service is the rent I pay for the space I occupy on this earth, and I want to be a good tenant of this earth.’”
Shekhar encouraged district governors-elect to lead by example during their term and inspire Rotary and Rotaract members to participate in projects that have measurable and sustainable impacts. He is asking each club to conduct a Rotary Day of Service.
“At the end of your term as district governor, you should feel that, because of your leadership, because of your inspiration to Rotarians and Rotaractors, the world has changed for the better because of the service done by them during the year,” he said.
For the 2021-22 Rotary year, Shekhar wants members to focus their efforts on empowering girls and ensuring their access to education, resources, services and opportunities, so that future generations of women leaders will have the tools they need to succeed. He asked members to use Rotary’s belief that diversity, equity and inclusion is critical in all we do as a compass to guide this work.
He also hopes to continue the push on increasing membership through his Each One, Bring One initiative, challenging incoming district governors to increase membership from 1.2 million to 1.3 million by July 1, 2022.
Increasing membership while also continuing our commitment to eradicating polio, fighting COVID-19, and serving our communities is an ambitious goal. “And that should excite you,” Shekhar said. “Rotarians love challenges.”