Becoming a member of a club or society is one of the most gratifying things one can do. It is the epitome of social interaction, business networking and personal fulfilment. Each club has their own requirements and regulations. There are so many advantages of becoming a member of a club such as learning new skills, developing a passion for something specific, creating a bond with people that share the same interests and most of all inspiration of change through mentorship and guidance.
In primary school and high school, both parents and teachers emphasized the need to join at least one club and it is the same recommendation I would give now; that you join at least one of these clubs.
- Rotary and Rotaract
Rotary International is a community service club whose purpose is to bring together professional and business leaders across the world in order to provide humanitarian service and foster a sense of community and friendship. Becoming a Rotary Club member is by invitation but you are free to attend meetings of any Rotary or Rotaract Club. The club maintains a high regulation of being non-political.
Any prospective member must be at least thirty years old although, Rotary International has Rotaract International for people below thirty years old with the same goals as Rotary. Rotaract has fast gained popularity with young professionals in Kenya and in Africa with thousands of members joining every year. The Rotarian’s primary motto is “Service Above Self”; its secondary motto is “One profits most who serves best.
There are numerous advantages to joining a Rotary or Rotaract club. You get to make friendships and business networks that will last a long time and above that you get to do while giving back to the community. Through Rotary, service to local and overseas communities is well-organised and rewarding. If you like helping others, here is your chance to do something worthwhile and make a real difference. Then you get a real chance at personal growth and development in leadership, public speaking, social, business, personal and vocational skills as well as improving cultural awareness.
In Nairobi, there are so many such clubs to name a few; Muthaiga Rotary Club of Muthaiga, Rotary Club of Madaraka and Rotaract Club of Nairobi Central among others. Meetings are weekly for Rotary clubs and fortnightly for Rotaract clubs. Here is a link to the Facebook group where you can make inquiries about Rotaract or Rotary clubs in your area.
- AIESEC
AIESEC is a global youth-run organisation. The aim of the club is to provide young people with leadership development, cross-cultural global internships, and volunteer exchange experiences across the globe. The club has consultative status with the United Nations.
To join AIESEC, you apply online from their website. Your application will be reviewed and if successful, an interview will be scheduled before you are declared a member. To be a member it is important that you have good time management and entrepreneurial skills, you also need to be goal-oriented and a team player.
In turn, you will expand your network both locally and internationally, attend international conferences, workshops and training as well as learn how to build partnerships with start-ups and NGOs.
Google has numerous clubs across the country such as the Google Student Ambassador program and the Google Development Group (GDG). These programs by Google are large-scale community-run events that offer speaker sessions across Google product areas. Mostly, these programs are for developers. A popular event is the Google DevFest, an event that is inspired by and uniquely tailored to the needs of the developer community that hosts it.
To join any Google club, you need to attend any of their events, register and start learning immediately. Google Developer Groups are clubs for developers who are interested in Google’s developer technology; everything from the Android, App Engine, and Google Chrome platforms, to product APIs like the Maps API, YouTube API and Google Calendar API.
4. Model UN
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real-world issues with the policies and perspectives of their assigned country. For example, a student may be assigned to Kenya and will have to debate global topics such as environmental sustainability, political unrest and developmental policies of Kenya.
To join Model UN, you would need to form a university or college team. The team can register and attend conferences. After registration, the team will be given a country to represent. Current Model UN conferences can be found in their website database. Joining a Model UN club is a life-changing journey that will help you develop confidence in leading others, a stronger awareness of global issues, and the chance to make new friends from around the world.
5. Bloggers Association of Kenya.
The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) is a community association of Kenyan bloggers and content creators. BAKE promotes online content creation & free expression in Kenya.
To join BAKE, one would need to be an online content creator first meaning you need to be a blogger, writer, painter, social media manager or influencer creating content in audio, text, image or video formats for an online audience. After that, register on their website and wait for the approval.
There are numerous advantages of joining BAKE such as an improved and larger audience for your online content, and a chance to get a nomination and win in the annual BAKE Awards (although you do not have to be a member to get nominated for the awards). Then, you get to meet other content creators in events organised by the association and engage in a wide variety of topics.
After you have joined a club, here is How To Socialize As An Introvert
Which clubs have helped you socialize and become a better person?
