Rotaract Club of Niš

The Rotaract Club of Niš was chartered on 24 October 1997 and has, since its founding, been a space where young people have the opportunity to contribute to their community through volunteering, friendship and working together. The first president of the Rotaract Club of Niš was Nebojša Rančić.

Over the years, more than 300 young people aged 18 to 30 have passed through the club. With the strength of their youth, enthusiasm and dedicated work, generations of Rotaractors have built and developed the club, leaving behind numerous projects and helping to position it among the more prominent Rotaract clubs in the District.

We see the Rotaract Club of Niš as a group of young people who have embraced the idea of Rotary and recognized it as an opportunity to put their time, knowledge, energy and skills at the service of the local and wider community. Throughout its existence, the club has brought together young people of different interests and professions, uniting them around a shared idea – that change can be made through concrete action.

Over the course of its work, the Rotaract Club of Niš has carried out a large number of humanitarian, social and educational activities. Among the projects that marked the club’s earlier years were equipping a speech therapy room at the “Mara” Institution, painting workshops, visits to new mothers at the Niš maternity hospital with gifts for 8 March, charity exhibitions, charity concerts and charity parties. A special place was held by activities for children with Down syndrome, the “A Sweet for a Smile” campaign and the “Let’s Help Kraljevo” humanitarian campaign. Among the projects that have become part of the club’s tradition, the charity concert, the charity wine evening and charity gigs stand out – events through which club members have brought together humanitarian work, culture, music and the community.

A new generation since 2024

After a period in which the club’s work was interrupted, the Rotaract Club of Niš was re-established in 2024. A new generation of members has continued the tradition of previous generations while bringing new ideas, projects and ways of working.

Since its re-founding in 2024, the club has carried out a large number of activities. The tradition of the Charity Concert was revived, organized in support of the work of the Nikluzija Inclusive Sports Club. The club has also organized several charity gigs and has continued to support various initiatives and organizations in the local community. Support for health institutions holds a special place in the club’s work. The Rotaract Club of Niš donated an air conditioner and medicine cabinets to the Oncology Clinic in Niš, providing concrete support for improving working conditions. Together with its sponsor Rotary club, the club also took part in the campaign “Aid for Those Affected by the Wildfires in the Toplica Region”, supporting the population hit by the fires. Every year it also supports the “Race for Life” (Trka za život), organized by the “Budite uz nas” (“Be With Us”) Oncology Patients’ Association.

Twin clubs and the District

An important part of the club’s work is building connections with Rotaract clubs at home and abroad. The Rotaract Club of Niš has twinned with the Rotaract Club of Skopje and the Rotaract Club of Didim from Turkey, opening up opportunities for international cooperation, the exchange of experience and joint projects. The club also nurtures long-standing twinnings with the Rotaract clubs Novi Sad and Metropolitan, with which it has developed numerous contacts and collaborations over the years.

An important part of the history of the Rotaract Club of Niš is also the active involvement of its members in the work of the District. Over the years, many club members have been part of the District team, taking on various responsibilities and contributing to the development of Rotaract at a wider level. A special place belongs to the two club members who have served as District Rotaract Representative (DRR): Jelena Milenković was DRR for 2008/2009, while Petar Pešić held the position in 2016/2017.

Today the Rotaract Club of Niš continues a tradition of almost three decades, bringing together young people who want to connect, grow, create and be of use to their community. The legacy of several generations of members is the foundation on which the new generation is building the club, with the same idea that has accompanied it from the start – that youth, knowledge and energy can be turned into concrete good deeds.