Youth Committee

The Youth Committee creates awareness of Rotary by providing young people with opportunities to attend Rotary sponsored programs where they work together, enhance their knowledge and skills and personal development.

Youth programs allow participants to discover more about themselves and the world by participating in community projects, leadership training, or cultural exchanges. Young people also learn about the principles of ethics, service, and fellowship that Rotarians exemplify.

Rotary's programs for students and youth can change the lives of those who participate. Through these programs, young people can earn scholarships, travel on cultural exchanges, or help a community through a service project.

Thousands of people age 30 and younger participate in Rotary programs to learn skills that will help them become future leaders.

Funding for youth is allocated from the Restricted Funds earnings and any other fundraising revenue allocated to the committee.        2008-2009 Budget Request $13,400.

Meeting Date and Time:       4 meetings per year, 1 planning meeting

The Youth Committee has 9 Programs – 7 Active, 2 Inactive:

Active

  • Interact (high schools) - ages 14 – 18
  • Rotaract (universities and communities) - ages 18 – 30
  • Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) - ages 14-15, 16 – 18 and 18 – 25
  • Rotary Overseas Exchange (ROSE) - ages 15 - 19
  • Youth Exchange - ages 15 – 19
  • Group Study Exchange (GSE) - ages of 25 and 40
  • Adventures in Citizenship - senior high school students

Inactive

  • Ambassadorial Scholarships
  • Adventures in Technology – pending further development by Phil Webber

 

Interact
Interact

 

Goals:

  • By the year 2010, to work with the Board of Directors and club members to streamline club support to one of two main schools in the City of Vancouver, thus supporting one Interact Club.
  • To support current Interact Clubs giving them the opportunity to participate in RCV sponsored activities including RYLA and Rotaract mentorship programs.
  • To present Interactors to club membership annually
  • To ensure club recognizes and celebrates Interact week.
  • To guide potential Interact & RCV participation in 2010.

Ages 14 – 18 in the high schools

Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 14 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, providing support and guidance, however, each club is self-governing and self-supporting.

Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can draw from the student body of a single school or from two or more schools in the same community.

Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of

  • Developing leadership skills and personal integrity
  • Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others
  • Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work
  • Advancing international understanding and goodwill

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries and geographical areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 200,000 young people are involved in Interact.

Opportunities: District –            Interactors Conference             May
                                                RCV – RYLA                          July (Age 14-15) / Spring Break (Age 16-18)
                                                RCV – Bike-a-thon                  June
                                                RCV – Soccer camp                June
                                                RCV – Strawberry Sales          May - June
                                                RCV –Attend 2 RCV meetings, 4 students 2 school officials
                                                RCV – Gathering of Interactors and Rotaractors – date tbd

Interact day November 5th.

RCV Interact Advisor:        Lornell Ridley               604-591-7947             lornell.ridley@telus.net
District 5040 Chair:            Georgina Patko            778-995-5690             georginap@shaw.ca
                                          Claire Huang

Club Contacts List
Gladstone             Thursday @ Noon
Faculty Advisor:     Annette Vey-Chilton, VP          604-713-8288             aveychilto@vsb.bc.ca
President:               2007 – 2008    Audrey Chow

Inactive:
Killarney:              Mondays @ Noon – Inactive 2008 - 2009
Faculty Advisor:     Eleanor Epp, Teacher               604-713-8950        eleanor_epp@yahoo.com
President:               n/a

 

Rotaract
Rotaract

 

Goals:

  • To support the UBC Rotaract Club and encourage them to participate in RCV sponsored activities and fundraising efforts as deemed appropriate.
  • To encourage participation in RYLA and RYLA International and Interact mentorship programs.
  • To encourage the mentorship of Interact students applying to UBC.
  • To encourage participation in Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships or Group Study Exchanges team members.
  • To present Rotaractors to club membership annually
  • To ensure club recognizes and celebrates Rotaract week.
  • To guide potential Rotaract & RCV participation in 2010

Ages 18 – 30 based in universities and communities
Sponsored by a local Rotary club, Rotaract is a service club for young men and women, making them true "partners in service" and key members of the Rotary family.

Through the Rotaract program, young adults not only augment their knowledge and skills, but they also address the physical and social needs of their communities while promoting international understanding and peace through a framework of friendship and service.

Rotaract clubs also focus on professional development, public speaking, and career development.

All Rotaract efforts begin at the local grassroots level and Rotaract clubs have access to many of the resources of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 8,000 Rotaract clubs in some 155 countries and geographic areas, Rotaract has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Rotaractors also often spearhead the formation of Interact clubs and participate in Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. Rotaractors also can go on to become Ambassadorial Scholars or Group Study Exchange team members.

UBC Rotaract Club 2008 – 2009 – Chartered in 2002 has more than 35 members.
Meets every second Friday, UBC Student Union Building Room 211, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

President                                              Xiao Yuan        xyandfc@hotmail.com  (604) 721-9858
Vice President                                      Erica Tsang      er.tsang@gmail.com                 (604) 789-9189
Secretary                                              Alaine Pereira
Treasurer                                              Sasa Ivanovic
Director of Community Affairs  Lindsay Kufta
Director of International Affairs Jin Chien
Director of Fundraising             Jamie Woo       wjamie@interchange.ubc.ca
                                                            Antin Fok
Director of Professional Development   Crystal Chung
Social Coordinator                               Suzanne Soneff
Past President                                       Ricardo Le

Rotaract Day:   March 13
Rotaract Week honours the chartering of the first club in North Carolina on March 13, 1968.

RCV Rotaract Advisor:                        Terry Gunderson          604. 714. 3680        terry@manningelliott.com
District 5040 Chair:                  Bill Sauer
District 5040 Representative:    Eiston Lo

 

RYLA

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)

 

Goals:
To support seven young people between the ages of 14 – 25 in RYLA
To have at least one student from each age group present to the RCV

Ages 14-15, 16 – 18 and 18 – 25
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive 4 day leadership training seminar in a camp format for community youth leaders. Young people chosen for their leadership potential attend an all-expenses-paid seminar to discuss leadership skills and to hone those skills through practice.

RYLA's Purpose

  • Demonstrate Rotary's respect and concern for youth
  • Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders
  • Encourage leadership of youth by youth
  • Recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities

The Value of RYLA

  • Enables every Rotary Club to acknowledge service to the community of two or more young people annually
  • enthuses young leaders and provides them with enhanced leadership techniques
  • Exposes a large number of young people, their families and their peer groups, to Rotary ideals of Service
  • Is a complimentary program to other Rotary youth activities and has been instrumental in the formation of Rotaract clubs

Currently District 5040 has three RYLA's

  • RYLA Lakelse for 14 to 15 year olds – Including Interact members and prospective members.  Usually held at Lakelse Lake between Terrace and Kitamat beginning of July. Cost $375.  District Contact is Rob Eby
    Attendee: 2007 – 2008:  Sean Crean
  • RYLA South for 16 to 18 year-olds – Including inbound Youth Exchange students, Interact members and ROSE participants. Usually held in March during Spring Break week at Camp Jubilee near Deep Cove in North Vancouver.  Cost $375 Contact is Angi De Stefanis
    Attendees 2007 – 2008: 6 – 8 people
    Sebastian Hayto
  • RYLA North for 19 to 25 year olds – Including Rotaract members and prospective members. Usually held in August in Prince George.  Cost $475, Contact Kathi Travers, Morgan Evans
    Attendees 2007 – 2008: Erica Tsang
  • RYLA International
    Attendee June 21 – 24, 2009: Erica Tsang, UBC Rotaractor

RCV RYLA Chair:       Doug Bevan 604-688-2381 dbevan@heritageoffice.com
District 5040 Chairs:     see above

 

Youth Exchange

Youth Exchange

 

Goals:
To support Olivier Herter from Belgium during his 2008-2009 stay and ask him to make a presentation about his experience prior to his departure.

Ages 15 - 19
Engages youth in study for one academic year.
Youth Exchange is the most popular program, which allows students ages 15-19 to experience another way of life by living abroad with a host family. He or she is often immersed in a new language, new religion, new political system, new currency, and new traditions. But most important, he or she will find friends in the host country and create a friendship that will last forever. Youth Exchange students will learn to resolve differences peaceably, not through war. You could not build a better foundation for understanding and peace, because it begins at someone's home.

Administered by Rotary clubs, districts and multidistrict groups, the program today involves more than 82 countries and over 8,000 students each year.

The first documented exchanges date back to 1927, when the Rotary Club of Nice, France, initiated exchanges with European students. Exchanges between clubs in California, USA, and Latin American countries began in 1939, and exchange activities spread to the eastern United States in 1958.

RCV Youth Exchange Chair:                Don Kavanagh
District 5040 Chair:                              Mary Watson

Participants:                                          Olivier Herter, arrived August 24, 2008, from Brussels, Belgium and departs July, 2009.  Catherine Deny, the outgoing student was in Horens and is now in Hornsyld, Denmark.

Final Report by May 31 to District Governor.

 

Rotary Overseas Exchange (ROSE)
Goals:
To sponsor two students.
Have student(s) make a presentation to the club membership on their experience

Part of the Youth Exchange program, short term program from 3 to6 weeks.

The Rotary Overseas Summer Exchange (ROSE) program provides the opportunity for students age 15 to 19 to participate in an international exchange during their summer holidays. Past exchanges have included France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Mexico, Japan and Brazil.

Since ROSE is a direct "family to family" exchange the costs are covered entirely by the participants and the sponsoring Rotary Clubs have just a small obligation but provide a very large benefit to the students and their families.

A sponsoring Rotary Club has only three basic responsibilities:

  • Find good candidates that are outgoing, friendly, adaptable, adventurous and reasonably good students. They need to be good ambassadors for Rotary and for Canada.
  • Interview the student and the family in their home to ensure it is a suitable environment for the incoming student and that the club is completely comfortable recommending the student and the family to the ROSE program.
  • Complete the application forms and send them to James Martin, the District ROSE Chair. (and invite the students to at least one Rotary meeting , of course)
  • Applications due early January

Applicants list their top 3 preferences for countries and Mr. Martin works through the Youth Exchange network to try and find matching students in those countries. Once a match is found the students and their families basically take over and start corresponding to make mutually agreeable travel arrangements and plans.

Students spend 3 to 5 weeks together in each country being hosted by their respective families and attending at least on club meeting in each country.

Participant in 2008:       Justin Hayto
Applicant for 2009:       Sean Crean

RCV ROSE Chair:                   Don Kavanagh
District 5040 Chair:                  Bill Jaffe

Final report to District Governor by May 31.

 

Group Study Exchange (GSE)

Goals:

  • To support a GSE team exchange to March 12 – April 10 to Cambridge, England.
  • To have participants speak to the club membership

The Group Study Exchange Program (GSE) of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40. For four weeks, team members study the host country's institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships and exchange ideas.

Individuals who participate in this valuable, once-in-a-lifetime experience will return home, not only with new perspectives and an enlarged vision, but with fresh ideas and an understanding of a nation's culture, commerce and government that can be invaluable to a company's future. GSE offers the most unique and rewarding skills-building opportunity and personal growth experience to young professionals as humanity steps forward to face the challenges of the 21st century.

A GSE Team consists of four non-Rotarian business or professional people and a Rotarian team leader.

Non Rotarian Team Members must:

  • Be between the ages of 25 and 40;
  • Be committed to remaining in the work force well after the exchange;
  • Be in the early stages of their career;
  • Reside in or be employed in the sending Rotary district;
  • Be a Canadian Citizen

A GSE Team member is required to:

  • Participate in orientation sessions and obtain the necessary documents for travel;
  • Fulfill any requirements to speak at host district gatherings;
  • Remain with the group throughout the study tour;
  • Maintain standards of behavior which reflect positively on Rotary and Canada;
  • Prepare and submit final reports of the tour as required by the Rotary Foundation;
  • Speak about your study tour experience to local Rotary clubs.

RCV Chair:      Don Kavanagh
2007 Taiwan Exchange, contact Garry Sheare
2008 Tanzania Exchange Student: Shannon Thompson

 

Adventures in Citizenship – Gaming Funded
Goals:

  • To encourage two participants from our Interact Clubs and membership to attend the 2009 forum.

The Rotary Adventure in Citizenship program, is an investment in Canadian Youth by the Rotary Club of Ottawa.  Now in its 54th consecutive year, the program was instituted by the Rotary Club of Ottawa in 1951. In the spring of 2004, 220 outstanding senior high school students from across Canada will spend four days in the National Capital in a program designed to develop their potential as leaders in their communities and in Canadian society.
The program is an exceptional opportunity for the Adventurers to explore our identity, shared values, the implications of the freedoms we all enjoy, and our history of tolerance and the search for compromises to bridge our differences. The obligation to be ethical and fair in all relationships is considered. Also examined are the implications of the fact that most of us are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants to this land.
While the program is focussed on governmental processes and institutions at the federal level, it is founded on the premise that the most important attributes of citizenship are determined by Canadians individually and collectively.
To date, over 10,000 students have participated in the program including Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the Right Honourable Joe Clark and the Honourable Edward Broadbent.

Applications should be received by our club end of November.

 

RCV Chair: none
Host Ottawa Club

 

Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships
The Youth Committee does not have a goal and budget to support this program this year.

The Foundation sponsors one of the largest international scholarship programs in the world. Scholars study in a different country, where they serve as unofficial ambassadors of goodwill. Since 1947, more than 47,000 scholars from 110 countries have received scholarships of more than $476 million through The Rotary Foundation.
District 5040 present plans are to offer one Ambassadorial Cultural Scholarship and one University Teacher Grant. We are now accepting applications for the following:
Ambassadorial Cultural Scholarship - 6 months; Fall 2009.

      • Application deadline: 5th September, 2008
      • RI Deadline: 1st October, 2008

University Teaching Grant - 3 to 5 Months

      • Fall 2009 Application deadline: 5th September, 2008
      • RI Deadline: 1st October, 2008

Please ensure you inform your community, especially those in Higher Education circles, of these.
Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships District Scholarship Coordinator - Jacci TcTavish

Note that any applications must first be approved and sponsored (at no cost to the club!) by a Club and approved by the Club President.

 

 

Adventures in Technology

Goals:
To meet with Dan Gallant to discuss the program concept, required steps and review outcomes of the former program with the purpose of attracting young professionals into the RCV membership.
People to meet with Dan are Lornell Ridley and Phil Webber.

RCV Chair: none

 

Goals 2008 – 2009

  1. Under the guidance of the RCV, bring Youth Committee programs under one school such as Gladstone.
  2. Create awareness of the Youth Committee through club announcements and presentations.

 

  1. Expand committee membership by inviting all new members to participate in the committee.
  2. Establish annual goals and take them to the board.

 

  1. Ensure a Board liaison is established annually.
  2. Hold meetings as required.

 

  1. Ensure Interact, Rotaract, RYLA, Youth Exchange and ROSE programs are promoted to the club membership and beneficiaries present to the membership once per year.
  2. Ask each Interact and Rotaract club to provide a report annually listing their activities, incoming executive and sponsors.

 

  1. Ensure club celebrates Interact and Rotaract Days.
  2. Facilitate greater interaction of various sub-committees such as Interact & Rotoract Clubs with RCV activities and events as appropriate and organize RCV luncheon information sessions once per year.

 

  1. Formalize Kayo’s connection with two sister clubs in Japan (potential youth exchange)
  2. Guide the Interact and Rotoract clubs into 2010 participation.

 

  1. Ask each RYLA, Youth and ROSE student to provide a letter outlining how they benefited from the program.
  2. Establish connections with RWA and Vancouver – Arbutus to fund prospective RYLA participants.

 

Funding for youth is allocated from the Restricted Funds earnings and any other fundraising revenue allocated to the committee.

Meeting Date and Time:       4 meetings per year, 1 planning meeting