The Smartest Person in the Room IS the Room
This Meeting’s HighlightsProgram: The Smartest Person in the Room IS the RoomProgram Description: What happens when you take the rules away for learners? Find out in this session that explores the global growth of organic learning for educators. Learn about how a simple protocol grew into a thriving movement that fosters empowerment and creativity.Speaker: Kristen Swansen, Co-Founder & Board Member of EdCamp, Vice President of Learning at SlackMeeting for the week of March 13, 2017 to March 19, 2017Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our weekly online meeting! To complete our meeting, please continue reading from here to the bottom of this page. Each Monday our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 60 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time.Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you; read it while on public transit, waiting in line for coffee, or even at the park! Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
Welcome to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!
Message from President Mitty
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
New to our meetings? Then I want to welcome you to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley's online meeting! Every week we curate inspiring and educational content in an online format like the one you're seeing here. As you continue reading, watching, and scrolling, our hope is that you'll leave feeling a little bit more inspired. As an online Rotary club, we have these asynchronous meetings online, but we also meet in-person in the Silicon Valley / San Francisco bay area for service projects and for social events. Keep reading on, and feel free to also join us for one of our in-person events if you can make it! Happy St. Patrick's Day Week! Here are some fun facts about St. Patrick's Day to start us off! Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on every March 17th, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. The color green and shamrocks are associated with St. Patrick's Day because according to Irish legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland. Saint Patrick was actually British, having been born to Roman parents in Scotland/Wales in the late 4th century. And finally, in traditional Irish folk tales, there are no female leprachauns, only male leprachauns! The more you know, right?On eClubs. I love talking about our Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley because we are always evolving and working on becoming a better version of ourselves. In the recent weeks, I have had many conversations with Rotarians throughout North America about eClubs and how the meetings function. For those of you who have never visited another eClub meeting, I would encourage you to consider doing so by searching online for other Rotary E-Clubs. You'll find that many eClubs function very differently from our own when it comes to their online meetings and offerings. What I love about our eClub is the standard we have set for ourselves when it comes to the weekly meetings with programs we host with our guest speakers. Not only are our programs (or "shows") often inspiring and engaging, but they bring together speakers from all around the world and all levels of industry. But what I am most proud of are our members, and the over 90% attendance rate that we have had for our eClub members. I also love how the meetings are only a piece of being part of our eClub. With member-specific grants to help reimburse members wanting to go to conventions and conferences, to service project grants, to the in-person service projects & social events in the Silicon Valley, our eClub is constantly learning and improving. Members and visiting Rotarians, this is a good time to remind folks that we also own the domain rotarymakeup.org, because it really is easy to do a makeup for your Rotary Club at one of our eClub meetings! Just submit the attendance survey and leave a comment!Get excited for this week's program! I believe we have been blessed to have had amazing speakers delivering incredible programs for our club. Being still a new club, these speakers don't happen to just land at our door. Instead, it is thank to the hard work and dedication of our amazing club members for making many of these speakers opportunities possible! Special thanks to Rushton, Yvonne, Andrew, Heather, Stephen, and so many more members for referring speakers to our club! It's because of the amazing work of these individuals that we can get excited for programs like this week's, where our guest speaker is the Vice President of Learning at Slack and the Co-Founder of EdCamp!!! Incredible!
Yours in service,
Mitty Chang,
President
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
president@siliconvalleyrotary.com
Weekly Inspiration: The Transformational Outdoors
Every week we start our meetings with a short video highlighting innovation, inspiration, entrepreneurship, or social change. This week we are featuring a video from The North Face team that was referenced in our past program with educator and professional speaker Jeffrey Heil. This video is about Ryan Hudson.
This is the story of Ryan Hudson. A victim of severe poverty since birth, Ryan Hudson grew up living in and out of homeless shelters. At age 14 Ryan was introduced to snowboarding through Outdoor Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to using outdoor activities to empower at risk youth, and his life took a 180. Now competing as a semi pro athlete and serving as a brand ambassador for The North Face, Ryan's story shares just how transformational the outdoors can be.
Ryan's story was referenced in the amazing program we had recently with educator and professional speaker Jeffrey Heil. If you missed Jeffrey's program "I did not choose my profession, it chose me", you click here to go back to it before watching this inspirational video below:
Incredible!
Laughing Out Loud (L.O.L.) with our Lady of LOLs
We believe that laughing a little every day keeps you healthier. Every week we try to share with you something that will make you smile! This section is curated by Rotarian Yvonne Kwan, our club’s “Lady of LOLs.”
From Yvonne: "Get ready for the St. Patrick's Day jokes!"
Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
Because they're always a little short.
Why do people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day?
Regular rocks are too heavy.
What do leprechauns love to barbecue?
Short ribs!
Coffee with a Rotarian
A natural part of Rotary is the networking and the fellowship you get out of meeting other Rotarians. Coffee with a Rotarian is a program of our club where we match our members with other Rotarians that they haven't had a chance to really get to talk to. This program is organized by member Tzviatko Chiderov.
In this week's Coffee with a Rotarian, we are featuring the coffee meetup between members Brian Liddicoat and Rushton Hurley!
Here's what Brian had to say about Rushton:
Here's what Rushton had to say about Brian:
Awesome! Keep up the coffee sessions, friends!
For Members: Updates
This segment of the meeting is dedicated to our club members. This section includes announcements and new initiatives. Guests, you are welcome to read this section or just skip it.
RI Convention in Atlanta this June + Private Bourbon Tasting
Members, by now you have probably heard a few times in the meetings that this year's annual Rotary International Convention is happening in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from June 10 to 14, 2017. The Rotary International Conventions are by far one of the best Rotary fellowship/networking experiences one can participate in. There are 40,000 Rotarians and Rotary program participants expected to attend this year's Rotary International Convention! If you are planning on going, please be sure to leave a comment in this week's meeting! We will have a couple of club meetups in Atlanta during the RI Convention, including a bourbon tasting hosted by President Mitty!
Challenge Coins for Donations to The Rotary Foundation
From our Club Foundation Chair Andrew Taw: "To celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Rotary Foundation, District 5170 is currently offering beautiful challenge coins for donations to TRF during the 2016-2017 Rotary Year (which is from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017)! These coins have the 100th anniversary logo on one side and the 4-Way Test on the other."
Members who donate the following amounts will receive the following coins:
$1000 - Gold$500 - Silver$200 - Bronze
Donated enough to The Rotary Foundation since July 1, 2016 to qualify for a challenge coin already? Go ahead and request your Challenge Coin via the online form here then!Haven't donated enough to qualify for a coin yet? Then consider making those donations over the next few weeks!
Members, didn't see your service report in the blotter? Then fill out the service survey!
Members, want to get your service update into the next service blotter? Please share what you’ve been up to, as it allows us to get to know each other better in the process! Just click on the link below to let us know!For Members Only: Click here to fill out The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
Our Events & Projects
We hold our meetings online, but we hold regular service projects and social events in the Silicon Valley every month! This section is updated every week with our upcoming events. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here.
Also be sure to join our Meetup Group for automatic calendar updates and to RSVP for our events! These are open to all guests as well!
https://www.meetup.com/siliconvalleyrotary/
Upcoming Events:
All times are Pacific Time! (San Francisco time)
February to April events coming soon! Here are some of the major May and June events to look forward to!
Club Jam Session in San Jose - Sunday, April 2, 2017 from 11 AM to 2 PM
Members! We are putting together a club content jam session in San Jose. Join your fellow members and club leaders as we have a work party creating some of the content for the upcoming club meetings. Snacks, lunch, drinks, and fun times included! Location will be sent to members.
Charity Chili Cook Off for Justin's House - Sunday, April 23, 2017
For the past two years, our club has been volunteering at Justin's House. The mission of Justin’s House is to provide a variety of services that inspire youth to live beyond abuse and addiction. Our club is looking for members and guests who are interested in volunteering this year on Sunday, April 23, 2017 for their annual Chili Cookoff in Santa Clara, California. Interested members or guests, please contact our event chair, Rushton Hurley at rushton@gmail.com - thank you!
Our club's event chair: Rushton Hurley
Rotary District 5170 Conference - May 5-7, 2017 in Santa Cruz, California
Join hundreds of Rotarians from throughout our Rotary district for our annual Rotary District Conference! This year's conference will take place in Santa Cruz, California at the Boardwalk! This family-friendly event will be open to all guests and family members to attend. We hope to see more of our eClub members join us this year!
Our club's event chair: Yvonne Kwan
Rotary International Convention - June 10-14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Join over 35,000 Rotarians from around the world at the annual Rotary convention! This year's convention will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and features the centennial celebration of The Rotary Foundation! The Rotary International Convention is the largest regular gathering of Rotarians, and is also one of the best networking opportunities anyone can ever experience. Our Rotary eClub will have member events and experiences in Atlanta! Come join us in Atlanta! Members, be sure to let President Mitty know the dates you will be there!
Our club's event chair: Mitty Chang
Club Charity Fundraiser - Sunday, August 6, 2017 at Retzlaff Vineyard in Livermore, California
Save the date for Sunday, August 6, 2017 for our club's first annual charity fundraiser! This delicious food and wine lunch event will indulge your taste buds while we enjoy amazing company, live music, silent auctions, auctions, and ticket drawings. More info coming soon.
Our club's event chair: Andrew Taw
Happy Dollars: Do Good by Sharing Something Good
Each week we ask our members to share stories with the club and toss in a few dollars to support our efforts. The primary goal of this section is to provide a fun way of getting to know each fellow members and guests, while giving back to a good cause.
Happy dollars is an opportunity to share something positive that has happened in your life whether it is personal or business. Think of it as your opportunity to brag a little, but also put a little bit into a karma jar. The money donated through happy dollars is put to charitable use, and the message that you leave for happy dollars will be posted in our online meeting the following week for the entire week for folks to see! (Pending that it's appropriate!)
Last week's happy dollars went towards our club's general fund. Here were the happy dollars donations from last week:
Thank you to member Rory Olsen for his $15 donation, to be donated to The Rotary Foundation's PolioPlus Fund! Rory had this to say:"The sun is shining, so I am happy! Please apply my gift to Polio Plus."
Thank you to member Brian Liddicoat for his generous $15 donation! Brian had this to say:"Getting excited for my upcoming construction law trial in Napa. Exciting!"
Thank you all for your donations last week!
This week's donations will go towards supporting club operations!
Happy dollars is also a great opportunity to share with the group about something good that has happened to you.
So what are you happy about? Share with us below, and help support one of our future leaders!
Selected Six
Every week at the bottom of our meetings, there is a comments section for members and guests to tell us what they enjoyed about the meeting or to ask questions to the speaker. We select six comments every week from last week’s meeting to be featured during this week’s meeting.
Here are six comments selected from last week's meeting about Rotary Youth Exchange Alumni Making a Difference:
Member Ferheen Abbasi (Osaka, Japan) had this to say:"Great program! I really appreciate Diane's words - opportunities don't just happen, you create them! I need to hold this saying closer to me and seek out more opportunities. I can't be complacent and must keep moving forward!! Mitty, did you get new glasses?? They look great!"
Members Shags Shagrin (California, USA) had this to say:"Mighty Mitty -- how do you get all this done with your travel schedule and running a business?!? Thanks for the reminder to "Spring Forward"... And adding to the CONGRATS to Raquel on her scholarly achievements - we need more leaders in Rotary (wink wink), and we have a great membership group, for sure. Also loved the video of wearable weather -- in college I had a car with such a bad paint job that if I didn't wipe it down after the rain, it got water spots as seen on the fabrics! YVONNE - guess why I pitched my alarm clock out the window this morning...I wanted to see time fly!!! The story of Richard, Laura, and Elisa is exactly why Rotary is the absolute BEST group for caring and sharing. Finally, GREAT PROGRAM, DIANE! - I remember when our District in Ohio (6650) got their first Youth Exchange Program inbound students in 1971 -- she was from Brazil and lived with us for the first three months when I was 15 -- WOWSERS!!! What a great experience. Our family went on to have a girl from France and then a boy from the Netherlands, and then I went to Finland after hosting a boy from there - both for three weeks each - when Rotarian's kids only had access to the summer program. That was in 1973 for those wondering, and the article in the local rag about it is in the archives of this Club's programs somewhere! When I first joined Rotary in 1982 at age 26, I worked with YEP for 15 years, loving every minute of it, and I still keep in touch with many of our Club's YEP students, and one even came back to our area in Ohio to marry and settle down! Photo before leaving for Finland (wish I had that hair now!!!) [photo is to the right]"
Member John Lozano (California, USA) had this to say:"Thanks for sharing your story Diane. As a new Rotary member, I enjoy hearing how Rotary has impacted so many Rotarians from a young age into their adulthood. Good stuff! Congrat Raquel! That's a tremendous achievement. I have added a photo I took while sitting in my car waiting for a friend. I also find rain an amazing image creator."
Member Raquel Juncal (Costa Rica) had this to say:"There are many benefits when you become an exchange student but without a doubt, the skills that one develops when living in another country are those that remain for life and are very useful whenever we face an unknown situation. Having lived in another country with a multiplicity of cultures, teaches us to relate and be more tolerant and receptive to others. Great speech, Diane! Mitty, ¡Gracias! :D"
Guest Fernando Morales had this to say:"Great speech Diane. It made me reflect on my exchange year in Denmark. It wasn't through Rotary, but it was still the same experience you describe as it was something extremely different from what I was used to growing up in Honduras. Definitely an eye-opening experience. It is great that Rotary can keep offering these opportunities to youth worldwide."
Member Brian Liddicoat (California, USA) had this to say:"Diane, I appreciate your suggestion that those unwashed Trump and Brexit voters don't embody the Rotary spirit as much as "enlightened" people such as yourself. Not sure that I'd be making that argument as an Australian, however. Having visited your (honestly) wonderful country several times, I know that Australia's policy on illegal immigration is slightly to the right of Saudi Arabia's and far more draconian than even Donald Trump's wildest visions. For those unfamiliar, try googling "Australia illegal immigrant detention camps in New Guinea" to get an idea. As an Australian, aren't you thoroughly ashamed of your country's awful treatment of illegal immigrants? No? A complex issue, you say? Good people can honestly hold different views on the subject, you say? Well, then: now you know how I feel... That's why Rotary has a well-earned rule about keeping politics and religion out of the organization. Because it's a little hard to get people to donate money and time to your cause after first telling them that they're bad people (or bad Rotarians) if their worldview and voting record is different from yours. Other than that, fine speech."
Be sure to leave a comment at the end of this week’s meeting after you watch the program below, and perhaps you’ll see your comment featured next week!Tip: If you participate in the monthly photo contest via the comments, you're much more likely to be featured in the next week's meeting! Guests can participate too! Read our Members segment of our meeting to learn more about the theme for this month.
Program: The Smartest Person in the Room IS the Room
Every week we bring to you a new program on innovation, education, technology, and humanitarian service. This week our guest is Kristen Swansen, Co-Founder & Board Member of EdCamp and Vice President of Learning at Slack.
"The Smartest Person in the Room IS the Room." What happens when you take the rules away for learners? Find out in this session that explores the global growth of organic learning for educators. Learn about how a simple protocol grew into a thriving movement that fosters empowerment and creativity.Meet Kristen Swansen. Kristen is a renowned learning scientist, professional developer, writer, speaker, and consultant on impactful learning designs. She has worked directly under the tutelage of Dr. Grant Wiggins and authored both Professional Learning in the Digital Age (2013) and Unleashing Student Superpowers (2014). A founder of the Edcamp movement, Kristen is also passionate about open space learning models. Kristen currently serves as the Director of Learning & Development at Slack. Kristen has a doctorate in learning science and design.
Members and guests, please join us in welcoming Kristen!
Related Links
Ask a question. Leave a comment!
Have a question for Kristen? Leave a comment or a question in the comments below! Or just tell us how your week has been!
Upcoming Program Schedule
All of our guest speakers and programs are recorded live online. We welcome members and guests to join us in one of these upcoming recordings. Recordings are approximately 30 to 45 minutes long and are subject to change without notice. (Sometimes speakers cancel on us!)
Upcoming Recordings:
Coming soon (rescheduled), Susie Rivera of the FLY (Fresh Lifelines for Youth) will tell the story of that amazing organization.
Want to be one of our upcoming program speakers? Email president@siliconvalleyrotary.com with information about what you would like to speak about!
If you would like to join us for any of the live recordings, please email president@siliconvalleyrotary.com with your request. Requests will be checked up until 5 minutes prior to the recording time. Please note the timezone is all California, USA time.
You’re Almost Done! One last thing: The Attendance Survey...
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done. First, we have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
Visiting Rotarians, this is how you can get an email receipt to pass along to your club’s secretary as proof that you’ve attended our meeting if you need it for makeups.Non-Rotarian Guests, we would love to see who is dropping by our meetings! This part is optional for you. If you think you may want to join our eClub at some point in the future, we would strongly recommend you fill out the attendance form as it will improve your chances of success for your membership application.More importantly, for all members and guests — we strongly recommend and ask that you leave a comment below in our comments area below. Tell us how you enjoyed the program. Ask this week’s speaker any questions you might have. Or just stop by and say hello and tell us where you’re from!
