YOUTH SERVICE

Youth Services

By nurturing youth, Rotarians can provide the skills young people need to succeed as future community leaders. Youth Programs provide Rotarians the opportunity to develop their own leadership and communication skills and also provides for many incredible moments!

"What guides us is children's response, their joy in learning to dance, to sing, to live together. It should be a guide to the whole world." ~ Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999), American violinist and conductor

Get involved and become a part of the Youth Services Team today!

"One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child." ~ Forest E. Witcraft, American Scholar, Teacher and Scout Leader, 1894-1967

Rotaract

is an organization of young adults (between the age of 18 and 30) of different professional and educational backgrounds that is defined neither by religious nor political motives.

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Interact

is a service club for young people. Made up of members ages 14-18 or secondary-school age, Interact gives young people an opportunity to participate in fun, meaningful service projects.

R YLA

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is a leadership program for young people ages 13–30. Participants are chosen for their leadership potential.

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Do you want to be part of a global community of young adults taking action for positive change? Are you looking for the chance to share your ideas and look at the world’s challenges in a new way? Join a Rotaract club and find all this and more, including:

Hands-on service projects
Fun networking and social activities
Professional development opportunities
An international network of young leaders

WHAT IS ROTARACT?

Rotaract is a club for adults ages 18-30 that meets twice a month to exchange ideas, plan activities and projects, and socialize. While Rotary clubs serve as sponsors, Rotaract clubs decide how to organize and run their club and what projects and activities to carry out.

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Interact is a club for young people ages 12-18 who want to join together to tackle the issues in their community that they care most about. Through Interact, you can:

Carry out hands-on service projects
Make international connections
Develop leadership skills
Have fun!

HOW DOES AN INTERACT CLUB CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE?

Every Interact club carries out two service projects a year: one that helps your school or community and one that promotes international understanding. Service projects are an effective way for you to take action at home and abroad, connect with other young leaders, and get members excited about your club.

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) provides 15 to 18 year olds the opportunity to discover another culture by spending time overseas. In the long term exchange program, the students live for a full year in another country hosted by Rotarians. They experience a new culture, learn a new language and make lifelong friends. The short term program gives students the opportunity to spend 3 months during the summer overseas. RYE is a life changing experience for the students and their hosts!

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Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership development program run by Rotary. While participants can be any age, most events focus on secondary school students, university students, or young professionals. RYLA events are typically 3–10 days long and include presentations, activities, and workshops that cover a variety of topics, including:

Leadership fundamentals and ethics
Communication skills
Problem-solving and conflict management
Community and global citizenship

Learn more at www.ryla5280.org.

Pageant of the Arts:

High school students, on the brink of adulthood, have so many talents! The Pageant of the Arts is a competition that encourages them to develop, hone, and display these talents for all to appreciate.

The 5 Arts that comprise the Pageant are Music-Instrumental; Music-Vocal; Art (2-dimensional or 3-dimensional); Dance, and Speech. Each contest is judged by experts in their fields. The First Place in each contest receives a $1,000 cash prize; Second Place $500; and Third Place $250.

Each Rotary club in District 5280 may send one contestant for each Art. These may be the winners of contests at the club, or simply nominated. For more details on the program, including recruitment material and how-to advice, please see the Pageant of the Arts webpage.

Rotary District 5280 Scholarship:

Our District 5280 Foundation is once again funding matching awards for our graduating high school seniors. Thanks to our own Rotarians for funding this. The District will match up to $1,000, so that our outstanding students will have another boost to their education as they go forward. This Future Leaders Scholarship Application is not automatic. Clubs must complete their own award procedure first, and then complete the District online application to be considered.

The committee will distribute equally among applying clubs until the available funds are utilized. If you submit more than one application, please rank your submissions numerically. We strive to be governed by the Four Way Test.

Stay tuned for information on the 2024-25 Future Leaders Scholarship.