I lied when I said I was going to appreciate fanfic authors here. I've given Sel some of my many LOTR recs instead. So I can talk about Rotaract, being as World Rotaract Week is this week.

We used to have an international site, now we don't. I mostly tend to use the National one, the District one, or ours.

I won't use the official line, good as it is, but Rotaract is an international organisation for people aged 18-30. We are affiliated with Rotary - we're the younger generation - but that and the name is where the similarity ends. There are two primary focuses, social and community. How they're divided depends on the club and the person.

Socials can be big - like National Conference and European events, which will happen a few times a year. More often, like once or twice a month, there are district events (a district simply being a grouping of clubs in a similar region). About half of these will be to raise money for charity. Then there are small socials, just within clubs. These tend to be things like going out for a meal, or to the pub.

The aforementioned district events also contribute towards community but clubs will also do things within their town, such as getting involved with local events like carnivals and holding tinshakes. For which Rotarians tend to come in handy.

Another, smaller part, is PD, which stands for either personal or professional development. In some respects, these things happen in the background. For example, in January I stood up in front of sixty people and talked without any nerves at all. Which I couldn't have done a year ago. But there are also more organised things, such as first aid training or taking a wolf for a walk.

The reason that most people join is to meet people, make friends, and have something to do. And because everyone wants the same thing, that's quite successful. It's also a good way of learning about your local area and community.

I have to admit, I am a crap salesman. But this post has at least told you what I'm always talking about. Hopefully it's inspire you to learn more. If you can't find a club near you it's always worth asking because there are new clubs in the pipeline.