Youth Service

The following is from :

Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar
Past President, Rotary International

Dear fellow Rotarians,

September is New Generations Month. We could just as well call September “the month of our future” because investing in our youth is our future. We can take pride in the fact that we have youth programs for just about every age group with Rotarians serving as active, caring sponsors.

One of our first contacts with youth begins with Interact, a program for students ages 14-18. Interact clubs can be based in the community or in schools. The school does not “take over” entirely, but works closely with the sponsoring Rotary club to implement meetings and projects. Interact clubs support many of the same causes that Rotary clubs do. For example, Interactors have helped raise funds for tsunami victims, organize outings for poor children, and renovate homes in developing countries.

Interact serves as a natural lead-in to Rotaract, a service club for students ages 18-30. Like Interact, Rotaractors can meet either at a community establishment or at a school, usually a college or university. Rotaract clubs are able to take on more ambitious projects and work more independently. In addition to their service agenda, Rotaract clubs also focus on professional development, public speaking, and career development. One concern is that there can be a “drop off” point after members turn 30. If a club has primarily older members, the sponsor Rotary club should encourage the invitation of younger members to maintain the club’s vitality and flow. Rotaractors are a connecting bridge to Rotary because they understand Rotary values and often help participate in joint projects.

While Interact and Rotaract help to develop leadership skills, there is another program devoted exclusively to this purpose: Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (better known as RYLA). This training seminar is the third flower in our bouquet of youth programs. RYLA usually operates as a camp and is sponsored by multiple districts. This allows Rotarians and young people from all over the region to meet and exchange ideas. Rotarians run the seminars and incorporate recreational and cultural activities.

Perhaps the most popular program of all is Youth Exchange, 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.

Interact, Rotaract, Youth Exchange, and RYLA all build upon the goals of personal growth and leadership of youth by youth. In short, these programs build character. They also represent a wonderful source of future Rotarians, already acquainted with the ideals of Rotary International.

The old Rotary slogan “Every Rotarian an Example to Youth” is as relevant today as it was more than a half-century ago. Rotarians can help young people reach their full potential. We can instill our motto of Service Above Self at a young age – and let it continue to guide Rotary through the next century.

Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar
Past President, Rotary International