Rotary Centennial Twin Club Program

As part of the Rotary Centennial celebration, Rotary International is encouraging clubs to participate in the Rotary Centennial Twin Club Program. Twin clubs are two clubs from different countries that have established strong ties and have agreed to team up to complete a special program, be it an international service project, Rotary Youth Exchange, or Friendship Exchange. Clubs that already have twin relationships are invited to register as part of this Rotary Centennial activity and are encouraged to undertake a new joint program or project in honor of the centennial.

All twin club relationships must be reported to Rotary International by 1 December 2004 through the Member Access section of the RI Web site, which will be available soon. Clubs also are encouraged to find a partner by registering in the Member Access section.

[SPECIAL NOTE: The RI website site Twin Clubs registration is not yet functional due to security and privacy issues. We're making the forms available right here for you to use right away.

                Twin Clubs Registration Form (for clubs not already registered)

                Twin Clubs Report Form (for clubs already registered)

These PDF forms are downloadable to you computer

Goals
• To emphasize the international avenue of Rotary service and friendship.
• To establish a long-term relationship with another club that will lead to complex ongoing projects.
• To enhance understanding of another culture.
• To further international understanding and foster goodwill.

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Program Criteria
• Clubs must be from two different countries, preferably from different continents.
• Program must involve personal participation of Rotarians.
• Clubs must report their informal twin club relationship by 1 December 2004 via the Member Access section of the RI Web site, which will be available soon.

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Determining Club Compatibility
Finding a suitable partner should be a club effort. The concerns and opinions of every club member must be taken in to account if the match is to be successful. In the search for a partner, clubs should first be able to clearly identify their interests, strengths, and weaknesses. A brief summary of the club should be written up for potential postings and future correspondence. When selecting a partner, clubs may want to consider clubs that:

• Hold similar interests.

• Have faced similar problems.

• Possess expertise in an area that their club would like to improve.

• Are located in a geographical region of interest to club members.

• Have the same name in the RI Official Directory (for example: the Rotary Club of San Jose, California, USA, and the Rotary Club of San Jose, Costa Rica).

• Have a common language or resources for translation/interpretation.

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Finding a Partner
After determining what type of club would be an appropriate match, the next step is to look for a club that meets the established criteria. Below are a few ideas for finding a partner:

• Sign up on the Member Access section of the RI Web site, which will be available soon.

• Contact your district governor or a past governor.

• Drop by the networking area in the House of Friendship at the RI Convention.

• Attend other international Rotary meetings such as presidential conferences.

• Frequent project fairs sponsored by Rotarians in various parts of the world.

• Search the World Community Service Projects Exchange.

• Capitalize on an established sister-city relationship — Sister Cities International.

• Register on the Seek-A-Sister portion of the Rotarians On The Internet Web site.

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Establishing a Relationship
Careful planning and clear communication is essential to establishing a strong relationship. Like any other worthwhile project, twin club programs take time and effort. Ensuring that each club has a clear understanding of its role and responsibilities in the partnership is key. To formalize the twin club relationship, clubs may wish to sign a simple letter of agreement, which outlines the goals and length of the partnership. Some ideas for developing a strong relationship include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Undertaking an international service project.

• Participating in a Rotary Friendship Exchange or Youth Exchange.

• Planning and holding an international projects fair.

• Organizing a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) event.

• Exchanging project ideas or club program ideas.

• Holding a video conference club meeting.

• Capitalizing on visits by Rotarians who may be traveling.

• Exchanging handicrafts and local products.

• Using your imagination to come up with innovative ideas for building your twin club relationship.

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Reporting Your Twin Club Relationship to RI
Reporting twin club relationships to RI is essential so that RI is able to quantify how many clubs are involved, the variety of programs undertaken, and to recognize clubs for their accomplishments in Rotary publications and on RI's Web site. Clubs that have established a twin club relationship should complete a report form by 1 December 2004 via the Member Access section of the RI Web site, which will be available soon.

For more information, contact RI staff at tel.: 847-866-3422 or fax: 847-866-3301.

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