It's not a cult, I swear!

I know, it’s such a comedic trope to swear something isn’t when it so totally is but I swear, it isn’t!

This statement has been a running inside joke in Rotaract for ages and it is universal.  You can literally find Reddit posts about it, but the thing is, the sweetest thing about this joke is that the genesis of it is so wholesome.

We often joke that it is a cult because when you join Rotaract, and you’ve had that ‘Rotaract moment’ it is so hard to leave! You find persons that have been Rotaractors for over a decade and even after they have ‘aged out’ you’d still find them there – taking up leadership roles in the wider organization, being mentors, down to turn up to the parties and trips, always there to pop up in the group chats to share stories about the good ‘ole days. So, what is it? What is it that keep us so hooked? I think it’s two things, two very cliche things – fellowship and service.

When in Rotaract, like when you really get emerged in it, you gain a family. And I get it, you’re talking and engaging with these people almost everyday, you’re planning projects, you’re sharing think pieces on a new organizational policy, you’re having inside jokes and nuanced conversations. Then you’re going out there and do these wholesome and humbling acts of service that are tugging on your heart strings and no one else can really understand that feeling besides these people you shared this experience with and that creates an indescribable bond.

 Imagine going out there and providing just a month’s worth of ration to a mom of four and hearing her say that she honestly sat up on her bed that morning not knowing how they were gonna get food that day and then you came along or holding a short workshop teaching a DV victim how to start a lil shop just to sustain herself and she thanking for giving her back her optimism and her confidence. It moves you. After the project is all done and you  find yourself sitting in that bus with a bunch of other people that probably had the same or similar engagements like you and sometimes in that moment no one is saying anything, but you feel it. You get that feeling that has bonded you. Then you go out for an after-project hang and drink two beers and laugh and connect, building on that feeling you all just shared.

That right there is what makes you wanna stay.

You then build relationships that extends beyond just projects and club activities, you find best friends, business partners, loves of your life - Rotaract becomes much more.

So you see, like I swore, it is not a cult but it is not just a lil side activity to pat your resume, its a community, it is personal network, it is that feeling,  it is a family.