A small but mighty group of courageous young women from conflict zones around the world have formed a networking club with the assistance of the Cochrane Rotary Club.
Manvi Pant celebrated her 23rd birthday along with Cochrane Rotary this week, as she presented an overview of how the Rotaract E-Club for Peace and Education was formed, and what their plans are for the future.
It is a Rotary Club like no other. They meet entirely online.
Pant called the club a good example of a new age for Rotary.
Composed of young women (club membership is 85 per cent women) from conflict zones like Afghanistan, the group meets online every second week to discuss topics of mutual interest.
Simply put, they are building community, with the financial backing of the Cochrane Rotary club, which covers their membership fees which allows for access to a variety of educational materials and other benefits.
“We are creating a community that fosters peace and respect for others,” Pant said.
The club is still in its infancy, having just been officially recognized by Rotary International last fall. They are currently sitting at 20 members.
The Mission Statement of the club is: “To create a safe, inclusive, and empowering space where young individuals—especially women in conflict zones—can engage in meaningful discussions, access educational opportunities, and build a global support network.”
Typical club meetings take place virtually over Zoom, featuring keynote speakers, focused discussions, followed by some kind of game to end the meeting on a lighter note.
“The games are my favourite part of the meetings – we do get a little competitive,” she said.
On occasion the group discusses research papers, talks about things like a photo contest, or shares activities like calligraphy.
Rotaract originally began as a Rotary International youth program in 1968 at Charlotte North Rotary Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, and has grown into a major organization of 11,172 clubs and nearly 170,000 members in 189 countries and geographic areas.
Closer to home, Martin Parnell, after giving a 12-week online course through Classrooms Without Walls entitled “The Adventures of Marathon Martin and Friends,” discovered there was a need to continue the connection.
A number of the students wanted to know how to keep the group together, and Parnell came up with the idea of establishing an on-line community-based Rotaract Club.
And the rest is community-building history.
Pant, who lives in Calgary and is applying to the University of Calgary med school, played a short video of messages from some selected Rotaract members in Afghanistan, thanking the Cochrane Rotarians for funding their activities by paying for their membership fees, and outlining how important their newly-formed club was to them.
Their faces were blocked out by large heart-shaped graphics, in a nod to security concerns.
Pant said it was a reminder of some of the challenges facing women living in conflict zones, especially those who strive to communicate with like-minded people in other parts of the world.
Shaky internet connections are always a challenge, as is the constant threat that big brother might be monitoring conversations.
The political climate in places like Afghanistan makes her colleagues’ lives complicated “in ways you can’t imagine.”
Pant said anyone interested in becoming a mentor to the club would be welcome – no Rotary membership required.
She can be contacted at [email protected].
An unidentified man’s voice is heard at the end of Pant’s presentation, talking about how, even in conflict zones like Afghanistan, there are small signs of progress.
“There is hope,” he says. “You can see it in the children going to school.”
