The Four-Way Test

Of the things we think, say or do,

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Four-Way Test Program for Junior High Schools

Every Rotarian in the world knows what the Four-Way Test is and how valuable it can be in everyday decision making.  For many it is not only a tool for doing business, it is also a tool to live your everyday life by.

The Rotary Club of Fort Collins started a Four-Way Test program in the Poudre School District on 1993.  It all began when our President at the time, Robert Powell, wanted to spread the word about the Four-Way Test as a positive decision making tool for the youth in our community.  We began by contacting teachers at two local Junior High Schools and sharing our vision with them.  It didn’t take long before the Rotarians were sitting at tables with students and sharing the Four-Way Test with them.

Thanks in large part to the leadership and enthusiasm of club member and PDG Max Getts, the program has evolved considerably and almost 90% of the members of our Club have now participated in it. 

With our program, students write scenarios about tough situations they are facing at this point in their life.  We then have a roundtable discussion with the Four-Way Test questions as the tool for coming to the best solution to these challenging and sometimes difficult scenarios.  The Rotary Club of Ft Collins is now active each semester in three different Junior High Schools in the city.

A few years after the club began being an active part of the PSD curriculum, the club sponsored the development of a video that discusses the details of the 4Way Test and how it can be used in Junior High Schools.  There have now been over 1,000 copies of this tape distributed all across the United States, Canada, and 9 foreign countries.