Rotary District model discussed
Drouin Secondary College students Isabel Watson and Molly Winters recently attended Drouin Rotary Club’s meeting to discuss the Rotary District Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) at Forest Edge camp at Neerim East in May.
Having been nominated by Rotary, they passed through the interview process conducted by Rotarian Anita Coonan, and joined about 50 other students from across the Rotary District.
Isabel and Molly said that the “assembly” was based on the United Nations General Assembly, and the students represented a range of countries, dressed in appropriate attire, with Isabel and Molly taking the part of the Costa Rican delegates.
Six resolutions on a range of subjects were debated, with a resolution at the end expressing “no-confidence” in the “secretary-general”! The students had been given advance notice of the topics to be debated to allow research on the subjects before the “assembly”, and to acquaint themselves with the country they were to represent. The program included a lecture on effective public speaking presented by Drouin Rotary president Sharryn Marshall.
Isabel and Molly said the “assembly” had been a remarkable experience, very inspiring and enjoyable. They thanked Rotary for nominating them and for the opportunity to gain a valuable experience.
Over another weekend in May, two year-9 students of Drouin Secondary College attended the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN) – also held at Forest Edge. Nominated by the Drouin Rotary Club, Georgia Clayton and Hannah Foenander attended the same Rotary meeting to report on their experiences.
Georgia and Hannah outlined the content of the camp program, which included guest speakers and group work based around the development of life skills, communication with others, the treatment of disabled people, perseverance and accomplishment, and confidence-building. An enjoyable feature of the weekend was the range of recreational activities offered, including rock-climbing, the flying fox, and “wheelchair basketball” which was designed to give participants some appreciation of what it might be like to be a paraplegic. They both said that they found the weekend beneficial and thanked the club for the opportunity to participate.
Chairman of the meeting was Anita Coonan, who presented each of the four girls with a club banner. In closing the meeting Ms Marshall congratulated the girls on the confidence they displayed in delivering their presentations, and thanked Anita for her work in preparing the girls for the event.