E-031 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Mentor Storytelling Night

Use this as a starting point. Cross out what does not fit, add what is missing and make it your club's own.

Where this idea came from

Playbook entry
E-031 · Mentor Storytelling Night
Theme
Theme 2: Engagement & Belonging · Subtheme 2: Mentoring & Pathways
Source material
Current playbook index title and category plus an internally authored detailed-guide draft

Initiative-specific development wave

How this draft was developed

These sources support general principles for member storytelling, intergenerational learning, consent and privacy; they do not constitute Rotary International or OAIC endorsement of the named Mentor Storytelling Night initiative or this locally designed delivery model.

Primary references consulted

  • Make Connections (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to tell how members and community leaders identified a challenge, mobilised people and acted.; Rotary describes events as opportunities to start conversations, establish relationships and inspire action.
  • Deliver Continued Value (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary links interaction across generations with personal growth and professional development.; The guidance recognises that members' own accounts of their experience help others understand the Rotary journey.
  • Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of Solicited Personal Information (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner)
    Used for: Australian privacy guidance supports collecting only personal information that is reasonably necessary and using a data-minimisation approach.; Consent for sensitive information should be informed, voluntary, current and specific rather than inferred from silence.

Candidate District material consulted

These records remain draft evidence and still need a human source decision.

  • Club Playbook - Theme 2
    Related record 15 Mentorship Spotlights supports the broad idea of sharing a short mentor-mentee story for role modelling. It is not a literal Mentor Storytelling Night record and does not supply this event's consent, facilitation or privacy controls.
  • Theme 2 - Sub Theme 2 - Fellowship.docx
    Structured draft M-T2-FL-16 Rotary Storytelling Evening supports the broad idea of members sharing Rotary experiences. Its title, sub-theme model and supporting details are not substituted for current E-031.

Theme 2 source-assurance wave

What has been checked

  • 3 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
  • 6 attributed source claim(s) were mapped to their bounded use in this initiative.
  • Candidate District material remains separate and does not establish this result.
See each source's scope and limit
  • Engaging Younger Professionals: Make Connections
    Supports: The 32 attributed Theme 2 claims attached to this source, limited to the implementation elements and supporting documents named in each initiative-level claim mapping.
    Does not establish: That the initiative is endorsed by Rotary International or District 9510, that it is permitted by the club's governing documents, that members want it, that it suits the local club, or that it will achieve the intended outcome.
  • Deliver Continued Value
    Supports: The 49 attributed Theme 2 claims attached to this source, limited to the implementation elements and supporting documents named in each initiative-level claim mapping.
    Does not establish: That the initiative is endorsed by Rotary International or District 9510, that it is permitted by the club's governing documents, that members want it, that it suits the local club, or that it will achieve the intended outcome.
  • Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of solicited personal information
    Supports: Data-minimisation, collection-purpose, proportionality and consent safeguards where the Privacy Act and APP 3 apply.
    Does not establish: Whether a particular Rotary club is an APP entity or whether a proposed renewal survey, diagnostic or member record is lawful in its actual circumstances.

What still needs a person to confirm

  • Confirm the member, prospective-member, past-member and community needs, preferences and consent that the local design assumes.
  • Confirm which privacy, safeguarding, incorporated-association, charity, work health and safety, food, liquor, copyright, licensing, screening and other duties apply to the club and the activity.
  • Test accessibility, cultural safety, belonging, language and alternative participation routes with affected people and recognise First Nations cultural authority rather than inferring suitability from the guide.
  • Confirm every local fact, starting point, cost, role, current service contact, measure, stopping condition and platform capability before the club decides to proceed.
  • Confirm the authority and current scope of each primary source, resolve login-gated or moved-page references and keep any candidate District material attributed and unapproved until its source decision is made.

The source-verification release gate remains closed.

Checks still on hold

Still an internal draft: source interpretation, local suitability, accessibility, governance and editorial approval remain open checks.

1. Is this worth trying here?

What we hope will change: Use Mentor Storytelling Night to make mentoring and personal development easier to find, choose and sustain.

2. Our 90-day try-out

What our club will do for Mentor Storytelling Night
StepWhat we will doWho could lead itOur dateHow we will know it is done
1Ask members what they would find useful to understand about mentoring, then choose two or three learning themes such as a helpful question, a difficult turning point or a respectful ending.Mentoring leadFour weeks before the eventA short audience-needs note and an approved set of story themes
2Invite potential storytellers privately, explain the audience and boundaries, and make clear that declining, changing topic or withdrawing will have no effect on their standing in the club.Story coordinatorThree to four weeks before the eventA consented group of storytellers and a chosen topic for each person
3Hold a short preparation conversation with each storyteller to shape a five-minute beginning, turning point and lesson, remove unnecessary personal detail and agree what questions are welcome.Story coachOne to two weeks before the eventA speaker-owned story outline and individual boundary note
4Brief the audience at the start: listen without fixing, do not repeat personal detail outside the room, ask about the learning rather than the person and respect a speaker's decision not to answer.FacilitatorAt the start of the eventA shared listening agreement understood by the room
5After each story, use one clarifying question and one small-table prompt to identify a mentoring practice the club could adopt, avoiding judgements about the people involved.Facilitator and table hostsDuring the eventA short set of practical mentoring lessons, recorded without personal detail
6Check privately with each storyteller after the event, confirm that no content will be reused without fresh consent and give the mentoring team one agreed practice to test over the next 60 days.Story coordinator and mentoring leadWithin seven daysA storyteller follow-up record and one owned mentoring improvement

3. Checks before we start

Things our club needs to check
QuestionWhat it means for usWho will checkDone?
Check the idea with the people affected and confirm its purpose, owner and practical limits before putting it into use.
Protect member choice and privacy, make participation accessible, and do not infer belonging or satisfaction from attendance alone.
Confirm venue, accessibility, safety, incident, cancellation and follow-up arrangements for the actual audience and setting.
A story reveals another person's private information or makes them identifiable without permission. — Prepare every story privately, remove unnecessary identifiers, seek specific permission where another person remains recognisable and change or withdraw the story if permission is uncertain.
The audience treats a personal story as an invitation to diagnose, advise, debate or investigate. — Set a listening agreement, collect questions through the facilitator and stop questions that cross the speaker's stated boundary or require professional or complaint handling.
A speaker feels pressured to continue after becoming uncomfortable or distressed. — Agree a pause signal, have a support contact available and let any storyteller shorten, change or stop without explanation or loss of recognition.
A story shared for an internal evening is later quoted, photographed or published as club promotion. — Treat event participation and publication as separate decisions; obtain fresh, specific consent for each later use and retain a simple withdrawal contact.
The event owner must approve the audience, consent process, facilitator, privacy briefing and distress or concern response before invitations are issued.
No person may be named, quoted, photographed, recorded or made identifiable beyond the storyteller's specific permission and the other person's permission where relevant.
Stories involving complaints, safeguarding, trauma, health, legal, financial or disciplinary matters must be redirected to an appropriate private process rather than explored in the room.

4. What changed?

What we will keep an eye on
What mattersWhere we are nowWhat we hope to seeHow we will checkWho
After 90 days, review Mentor Storytelling Night. Look for suitable matches, regular check-ins and progress against goals chosen by the participating member.
Invited storytellers who receive the brief, choose their topic and confirm their sharing boundaries before the event.
Audience members who can name one specific mentoring practice they understood better after the stories.
Privacy, consent or distress concerns raised during or after the evening and how promptly they were addressed.
One mentoring improvement tested within 60 days, with a named owner and a recorded learning decision.

After 30 days

Is it reaching the right people? Is anything unsafe, unfair or harder than expected?

After 60 days

Make one useful change based on what people have told you.

After 90 days

Compare with where you started. Decide whether to change it, continue it or stop.

Made for this initiative

Tailored supporting documents

These working documents use the decisions, safeguards and evidence needs of this initiative. Complete them with the people affected and keep the agreed version with the club's project record.

01

Story Invitation and Consent Choices

Let each storyteller understand the event and choose what they are comfortable sharing before they accept.

Open supporting document
02

Mentor Storytelling Night Run Sheet

Give the host a practical sequence and clear safeguards for a warm, well-paced evening.

Open supporting document
03

Story Learning and Follow-Up Record

Capture useful mentoring lessons without retaining personal story detail or assuming publication consent.

Open supporting document

Before your club says yes

Does the idea fit?

Talk with the people it is meant to serve and check that the need is real.

Who can say yes?

Name the person or group that can approve the work, spending and any safety arrangements.

Are people protected?

Check privacy, consent and safety. Collect only the information you genuinely need.

Can everyone take part?

Check the language, format, place, technology and cost for barriers.

Are the facts and permissions right?

Check names, claims, images, quotations, partner references and Rotary branding.

How will we learn?

Note where things stand now, check in at 30, 60 and 90 days, and decide what to do next.

Worksheets for your club

Open them online, print them or change them to suit the way your club works.

01

Roadmap

Use this worksheet to turn the idea into a short list of actions, dates, costs and responsibilities.

Open worksheet
02

Are we ready to try this?

Use this worksheet to decide whether a small first try is realistic and what the club must settle before it starts.

Open worksheet
03

Progress tracker

Use this worksheet to note where things stand and choose a few useful signs that will help the club decide what to do next.

Open worksheet