How often do we hear claims that our youth today are not like we were? A quote from Socrates – some 2500 years ago - is still relevant today: “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” And, the ancient Athenians didn’t have social media!
We cannot always build the future for our youth, but (perhaps) we can build our youth for the future. The month of May is Youth Services Month in Rotary. It is the month when Clubs around the world focus on youth programs. Rotary Clubs sponsor young people to gain confidence and self esteem and develop their abilities in leadership, debating, communication and road safety/driver awareness. We also have youth programs which assist students who have career goals in the areas of mathematics and science.
The following is a synopsis of Rotary’s 12 Youth Groups and Programs:
Rotaract: bringing together people ages 18-30 to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service.
Interact: for young people ages 12-18. Interactors develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Rotary’s motto - ‘Service Above Self’. Members organise at least two projects every year, one that helps their school or community and one that promotes international understanding. Our Club is in the process of establishing an Interact Club at Bribie Island State High School.
EarlyAct: a school-wide service club for primary students sponsored by a local Rotary club. The mission and operation are closely linked to the ideals of Rotary. Projects benefit their school, local and global communities. EarlyAct has been successfully running at Bribie Island State School since 2012.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards – RYLA: a leadership development program for young people aged 18-27 who want to learn new skills, build their confidence, develop leadership, communication and problem solving skills and have fun. Our Rotary District runs a seven day camp at Luther Heights each May.
Rotary Youth Exchange: a program providing an opportunity for students to learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. The 12 month exchange is for students aged 15-19 and is sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries.
Rotary Australia and New Zealand Student Exchange – RANZSE: where Australian and New Zealand students aged 14 to 16, are matched in a 3 month family-to-family exchange between the two countries.
·Rotary Peace Fellowships: an annual selection of up to 100 professionals from around the world, to receive fully funded academic fellowships at our Rotary Peace Centres. Our Club has two Peace Fellows studying at the University of Queensland.
Rotary Youth Driver Awareness – RYDA: a one day program, for students in Year 11. The program targets the attitude and awareness of young drivers and passengers. Thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Caboolture this program is now available at Bribie Island State High School.
National Youth Science Forum – NYSF: for Year 11 students passionate about science. NYSF gives an opportunity to visit a variety of Australia’s leading scientific facilities and talk to many of our top scientists thus allowing for informed career choices. This year our Club sent two local students to Canberra. We have one candidate for 2020 and are looking for another.
Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment - RYPEN: providing a group of young people aged 14-17 an opportunity to develop valuable leadership skills. This weekend-long program will see them engage with like-minded people, while having fun and learning new skills in areas such as problem solving and public speaking.
Model United Nations Assembly - MUNA: an annual, weekend event, that is part of an International Rotary project to educate Year 11 and 12 students on the United Nations and its commitment to world peace, health, education and living standards around the world. Our Club has previously taken Bribie Island High School students to Canberra to compete in the National competition and will do so again this August.
The Science Experience: designed for youth who have an interest in science. The program provides information for Year 9 and 10 students about further studies in science, technology and engineering, highlighting the wide range of careers.
So, you can see that Rotary is working to prove that the great Socrates may have got it wrong. If you are interested in any of Rotary’s Youth programs, please contact our Youth Director, June Sturges on 3410 8817 or email: warwickandjune@bigpond.comYouth Future – or Future Youth? By Anne Matthews PR Director Bribie Rotary How often do we hear claims that our youth today are not like we were? A quote from Socrates – some 2500 years ago - is still relevant today: “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” And, the ancient Athenians didn’t have social media!We cannot always build the future for our youth, but (perhaps) we can build our youth for the future. The month of May is Youth Services Month in Rotary. It is the month when Clubs around the world focus on youth programs. Rotary Clubs sponsor young people to gain confidence and self esteem and develop their abilities in leadership, debating, communication and road safety/driver awareness. We also have youth programs which assist students who have career goals in the areas of mathematics and science. The following is a synopsis of Rotary’s 12 Youth Groups and Programs:Rotaract: bringing together people ages 18-30 to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service. Interact: for young people ages 12-18. Interactors develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Rotary’s motto - ‘Service Above Self’. Members organise at least two projects every year, one that helps their school or community and one that promotes international understanding. Our Club is in the process of establishing an Interact Club at Bribie Island State High School.EarlyAct: a school-wide service club for primary students sponsored by a local Rotary club. The mission and operation are closely linked to the ideals of Rotary. Projects benefit their school, local and global communities. EarlyAct has been successfully running at Bribie Island State School since 2012.Rotary Youth Leadership Awards – RYLA: a leadership development program for young people aged 18-27 who want to learn new skills, build their confidence, develop leadership, communication and problem solving skills and have fun. Our Rotary District runs a seven day camp at Luther Heights each May. Rotary Youth Exchange: a program providing an opportunity for students to learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. The 12 month exchange is for students aged 15-19 and is sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries.Rotary Australia and New Zealand Student Exchange – RANZSE: where Australian and New Zealand students aged 14 to 16, are matched in a 3 month family-to-family exchange between the two countries.·Rotary Peace Fellowships: an annual selection of up to 100 professionals from around the world, to receive fully funded academic fellowships at our Rotary Peace Centres. Our Club has two Peace Fellows studying at the University of Queensland.Rotary Youth Driver Awareness – RYDA: a one day program, for students in Year 11. The program targets the attitude and awareness of young drivers and passengers. Thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Caboolture this program is now available at Bribie Island State High School.National Youth Science Forum – NYSF: for Year 11 students passionate about science. NYSF gives an opportunity to visit a variety of Australia’s leading scientific facilities and talk to many of our top scientists thus allowing for informed career choices. This year our Club sent two local students to Canberra. We have one candidate for 2020 and are looking for another.Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment - RYPEN: providing a group of young people aged 14-17 an opportunity to develop valuable leadership skills. This weekend-long program will see them engage with like-minded people, while having fun and learning new skills in areas such as problem solving and public speaking. Model United Nations Assembly - MUNA: an annual, weekend event, that is part of an International Rotary project to educate Year 11 and 12 students on the United Nations and its commitment to world peace, health, education and living standards around the world. Our Club has previously taken Bribie Island High School students to Canberra to compete in the National competition and will do so again this August.The Science Experience: designed for youth who have an interest in science. The program provides information for Year 9 and 10 students about further studies in science, technology and engineering, highlighting the wide range of careers. So, you can see that Rotary is working to prove that the great Socrates may have got it wrong. If you are interested in any of Rotary’s Youth programs, please contact our Youth Director, June Sturges on 3410 8817 or email: warwickandjune@bigpond.com