Lifting the lid on Rotary’s work
In this second article on raising awareness of what Rotary does in our community I will focus on what we do for youth and young adults.
Perhaps the most wellknown of the programmes we run for youth is the Rotary student exchange. This programme has been running since 1929 and you may remember having a Rotary exchange student in your class at school, have hosted one or noted that student who was away for a year and returned speaking Spanish.
This programme is for students from secondary schools in New Zealand and more than 80 other counties around the world. It is sometimes called the “matched twin exchange” because students from secondary schools in New Zealand are matched with those from another country and the New Zealand student gets to spend a year in that country while their twin from that country is hosted in New Zealand for a year.
However, there are a number of other programmes Rotary runs to help young people become the next generation of leaders, visionaries and peacemakers. ■ RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) — Rotary clubs nominate and fund young people up to the age of 30 to attend week-long camps building leadership through
activities, presentations, workshops and mentors.
■ RYPEN (Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment) — Rotary clubs nominate students in Year 11 and 12 for a weekend camp designed at developing potential through lectures and adventure-based learning.
■ Brave Thinkers — This used to be called New Zealand Business Week and is an intensive one-week programme run in the school holidays where youth learn about business models from business people and learn how to set up a virtual company and grow a successful business.
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— Schools submit applications for their top science and technology
Science and Technology Forum
students in Year 12 who are then interviewed by a panel from the local Rotary club. If successful, they are sponsored to attend a week-long forum at Auckland University in January.
If you would like to know more about any of these programmes there is extensive information on the Rotary Oceania website rotaryoceania. zone or on any of the web pages of our five local clubs: Awapuni awapunirotary.co.nz; Milson milsonrotary.co. nz; Palmerston North pnrotary.co.nz; Takaro takarorotary.co.nz; Terrace End terotary. co.nz