Interact
Interact clubs, sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, are clubs for
12-18 year olds. Every year, Interactors complete at least two projects in
their communities, one of which is overseas, helping them build friendships and
a better understanding with young people in other countries.
Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be drawn from the student body
of a single school or from two or more schools in the same community and can be
either single gender or mixed.
Take a look at the fantastic work of the Woodmill
Interact Club which was highlighted in a BBC report.
Through their efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with
local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of:
- Developing
leadership skills and personal integrity
- Demonstrating helfullness and respect for others
- Understanding
the value of individual responsibility
- Advancing
international understanding and good will
As one of the most significant and fast-growing programmes of Rotary
service, with more than 14,000 clubs in 139 countries and geographical areas,
Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 330,000 young people are now
involved in Interact.
Knights Templar School Interact Club 2017/18
Baldock Rotary
sponsors the Interact Club which has been running since 2011. It currently has
around 16 members and meetings are short and succinct. Interact caters for
the 12- 18 age range but at KTS the members are all years 12 and 13
The Club has its:
- President - Ellie Redfearn
- Secretary - Charlotte Turner
- Treasurer - Gurjeevan Dhesi
- Vice President - TBA
Some members link
their Interact membership with their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme – most
at Gold Level as Interact can provide a means for some of their community
service for D of E. Activities include Seniors Citizens Party, Film Nights
for fundraising and Assistance to Weston Way Nursery. Current plans are for an
international project “Lend with Care” which will be a rolling project on
a year to year basis for Interact and the school.
Interact and
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards
In 2015, Rotary became an Approved Activity Provider (AAP). This
status applies to the volunteer placement element of the badges.
This
means that Rotary, through Interact clubs, provides volunteer placements for
people doing their award badges. Interactors can now work towards their badges
and their Interact challenges by doing just one activity which counts for both.
Non-Interactors are welcomed along to join in and earn their badges through
Interact volunteer activities.
There
are three badge awards to be aware of Bronze for people aged 14 and
over, Silver for people aged 15 and over and Gold for people aged 16
and over.
The
volunteering activity must take up only one hour per week. The overall duration
will vary depending on the badge being worked towards:
Bronze
– One hour a week for three months.
Silver
– One hour a week for six months.
Gold
– One hour a week for twelve months.
Note: Occasionally some placements
may last longer if the participant is required to do additional hours to
achieve their award. Although you should be alerted to this by the participant,
it is advisable to ask how long the placement needs to be. More
information regarding timescales is available on this Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award webpage.
Competitions
We believe it is important to encourage and develop creativity in young
people and that includes creativity in the kitchen. Cooking amongst young
people is a growing interest and a valuable life skill. Schools seem to agree
and the Rotary Young Chef competition goes from strength to strength each year
producing some superb quality cooking from young people aged 11 to
17. Sponsored by Filippo Berio, contestants prepare and present a three
course meal within a pre-set budget and time limit, which is judged by an
expert panel.
- Cook
a healthy meal
- Develop
food presentation skills
- Consider
food hygene issues
- Develop
organisational and planning skills
- Develop
ability to cope in a demanding situation
The competition is open to all students in full time education between
the ages of 11 – 17.
This
year we have had an entrant, Ethan Robins of Knights Templar School, who cooked
along with 14 other contestants in the District 1260 Young Chef Competition for
which the standard of cuisine of all contestants was very high.
Creative writing is
a talent to be celebrated and to be able to write is a special gift. In Great
Britain and Ireland there are young people who have, or have the ability to
develop this talent and we wish to promote writing through the Rotary Young
Writer competition. Starting with club level competitions, winners progress to
district events and ultimately, a national final with the winning work
subsequently published in Rotary magazines and on this website. The quality of
work submitted in previous years has been outstanding.
There
are two competitions this year, the current theme being “A Different Perspective”
and a one-off special Young Writer competition for poems or tributes to present
in a Rotary book to Prince Harry and Meghan Merkle on the occasion of their
wedding in May.
This three stage
national competition aims to encourage development of writing skills. If offers
young people the chance to;
- Practice their writing skills
- Write with imagination and creativity
The competition is
open to students in full time education in three age groups;
Junior
7 – 10 years
(by the 31 August each year)
Intermediate
11 – 13 years (by the 31 August each
year)
Senior
14 – 17 years
(by the 31 August each year)
An amanuensis can
be used for entrants with motor control difficulties to record their work to
paper.
Through this
competition, we encourage the development of creativity and presentation skills
essential to the art of public speaking, and this is shown through the
enthusiasm of the students from the many schools which take part. The Rotary GB&I
Youth Speaks competition, as a result, continues to go from strength to
strength each year, producing some superb quality speakers in our young people
aged from 11 to 18.
This four stage
national competition aims to encourage development of effective communication
skills. It offers young people:
Experience of
speaking on a public platform as a member of a team
- An incentive to formulate ideas on topical
subjects
- Discipline in dealing with a topic in a
limited time
- The opportunity of learning and practicing
high standards of expression, presentation and appearance
- Impartial feedback of performance by
experienced adjudicators
The competition is
open to teams of three, in full time education, in two ages groups:
Intermediate
11 – 13 years
Senior
14 – 17 years
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a training programme for
leaders and potential leaders and is one of the most successful Rotary
programmes run by Rotary clubs around the world.
RYLAs are designed for young adults who have potential leadership
ability. Whether you are a secondary school student, university student or
young professional, RYLA will help you discover your potential and develop the
skills needed to be a leader in your community, career and everyday life.
During a RYLA programme, participants will;
- Develop
leadership skills and character
- Gain
exposure to leadership issues and exchange ideas with like-minded people
- Explore
problem solving strategies as part of a group
- Learn
how to arrange youth activities and community service projects in the
community
- Discuss
and apply creative approaches to leadership scenarios
- Get
to know about Rotary in the community and find out more about Rotary
programmes for young people
RotaKids at Etonbury Academy
As citizenship is part of the school curriculum this is an
opportunity for Rotary to support and expand the work already happening in school.
The decisions made always involve the RotaKids. RotaKids are the youngest
members of the Rotary family and they provide a unique opportunity for
Rotarians schools and young people to work together.
Rotakids
believe that peace and fun go hand in hand.
The
Baldock Rotary Club are delighted with the progress with Etonbury Academy. It
is great to know that the Academy supports the Club alongside Rotarians.
The
club has had guest speakers on a variety of topics, have raised funds with cake
sales and managed projects to build bird boxes for local woods and guinea pig
huts for the school farm. The Club meets weekly under the supervision of a
teacher and with mentoring by members of Rotary.
Rotakids
believe that peace and fun go hand in hand.
The picture below is showing the bird boxes and the children
that made them
A Shelter Box talk and demonstration is planned for 4th May.
RotaKids take the following pledge to demonstrate their commitment to
being good citizens:
As a RotaKid I endeavour to: to be fair to all, to serve my community
and to show respect for others.
RotaKids could:
- work
on an environmental project by cleaning up a park or planting trees.
- raise
funds for a local cause by doing a sponsored event or even putting on a
show
- help
the elderly by holding coffee morning and playing board games
- support
children in another country by sending unused bikes so they can get to
school
The sky is the limit!
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) (RYLA(
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a training programme for
leaders and potential leaders and is one of the most successful Rotary
programmes run by Rotary clubs around the world.
RYLAs are designed for young adults who have potential leadership
ability. Whether you are a secondary school student, university student or
young professional, RYLA will help you discover your potential and develop the
skills needed to be a leader in your community, career and everyday life.
During a RYLA programme, participants will;
- Develop
leadership skills and character
- Gain
exposure to leadership issues and exchange ideas with like-minded people
- Explore
problem solving strategies as part of a group
- Learn
how to arrange youth activities and community service projects in the
community
- Discuss
and apply creative approaches to leadership scenarios
- Get
to know about Rotary in the community and find out more about Rotary
programmes for young people
Baldock Rotary Support for Young People
Each year Rotarians
give their time to help students at Knights Templar prepare themselves for life
after school. The support is provided in two ways:
- Mock Interviews are held which help the student prepare for
job/university applications
- Enterprise Day - this day is run by the school to
challenge the students with a technology project. Our Rotarians give their
time to assist with the facilitation of the day
- SATs support at Etonbury Academy, Stotfold Rotarians from Baldock and
Biggleswade and Biggleswade Ivel Clubs regularly assist with SATS
invigilation, a service that Etonbury Academy value highly.
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