On November 10th through 12th, Rotary International (RI) hosted the Trails to Peace conference in Salt Lake City Utah. Rotaractors, members of the student club, affiliated to RI  from UVU were invited to volunteer by aiding in setting up and presenting the piece of peace display for attendees. The following Rotaractors participated at the event: Tristin Smith, Alitha Thompson, Byan Alghanmi, Abdulrahman Alghanmi and myself.

     

The Piece of Peace display set up at the Trails to Peace Conference

The intent of the display was to invite attendees to consider what actions they can take to facilitate peace in their local communities. World peace is an incredibly lofty goal that is beyond any one person’s ability to achieve. However, we have much greater control over our own lives. We may not be able to bring peace to the world, but we can bring peace to our interpersonal relationships, households, and neighborhoods. When we spoke to those interested in the display, we invited them to share an actionable way they could practice this after leaving the conference.

One of the standout conversations I had was with Howard Cohen, a district governor from Seattle. Howards piece of peace was a personal motto of his “Love, message, love.” Howard is a firm believer in maintaining sight of the human whenever engaging in communication. Even when the only news to be shared with someone is negative, it is vital that the delivery of that bad news does not cause unneeded strife for the recipient. Howard and I really clicked over the shared value of seeing humanity in others.

           

McKay Brooks, Brian Farr, and Jerry Summerhays

Many of the Rotarians I spoke to were focused on how they could cultivate peace within their own districts, or what actions they could have involved their district members in to facilitate peace. I spoke with a district governor from California whose goal is to keep young people engaged with Rotary. I offered her the advice of trying to build a social media presence for her chapter to get the word out about what Rotary does. My perception is that my generation is hungry to better the world we live in, and the Trails to Peace conference offered great insight into how Rotary can play a role in this effort.

I also had the opportunity to attend one of the general sessions where Rotarians met to give updates on the projects their districts were conducting. Many of the presenters in the session I attended had projects that tied into the broader End Polio Initiative. Each project involved vaccine administration, but each district did so in different ways. One provided materials to healthcare facilities while another used direct administration by Rotarians. I got to see first hand how Rotary achieves its goals at the grassroots level. Districts are given discretion with which projects they take on and how since they know the needs of their community best.

My decision to study and work in politics stems from a desire to know I made this world better for some of the people around me. At the Trails to Peace conference, I was able to meet people who share my passion, and discover some of the ways that getting more involved with Rotary and Rotaract can help me accomplish my goals. Although this was the first time I’ve been involved with the organization, it certainly will not be the last.

           McKay Brooks, UVU Rotaractor