Education and Youth

                  CLUB ASSEMBLY - 21 JUNE 2022 - PLANNING FOR THE NEW ROTARY YEAR AHEAD

Due to the COVID pandemic the majority of 2020/21 competitions were cancelled including unfortunately   the 2020 Rotary Youth Leadership Award. Regular meetings of the sub-committee have also not taken place due to COVID restrictions. The competitions that were possible took place with social distancing rules in place. Young Writer/Photographer/Artist went ahead, however contact with the local schools proved to be extremely difficult. E-mails to allschool contactswent outbut there were no responses. In retrospectfollow up phone calls could have been made butbut was felt that adding increased pressure could be counterproductive. Schools were already under pressure to recover lost teaching opportunities, young people coping with home schooling and the focus on helping students to catch up.

looking forward it is hoped that we will return to more normality for 2022/23. However with young peoplestill working hard to catch upon missed work any participation in events or competitions could well be low.

I intend to focus on visiting each of the 4 schools in our area (Horsforth, benton park, guiselely and St. Mary's, Menston) as well as the one out of our area(Brigshawe) that we picked upfollowing the closure of their local Rotary Club. I will aim to do this before the end of the school year to highlight what we can offer and identify if there are any ways we may be able to help going frward. i also intend to make an effort to visit the Primary Schools in our area to see if there are any avenues for Rotary involvement.

                                    REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE A.G.M. ON 19 APRIL 2022

Due to the COVID pandemic the majority of 2020/21 competitions and events were cancelled including unfortunately the 2020 Rotary Youth Leadership Award scheme. Regular meetings of the sub-committee have also not taken place because of COVID restrictions. The competitions that were possible within the social distancing framework, Young Writer/Photographer and Artist went ahead although contacting the schools proved extremely difficult. Emails to all schools contacts were sent but received no reponse. In retrospect follow-up phone calls could have been made, but were seen to be adding further pressures and considered counterproductive in the longer term with young people and teachers having to cope with additonal activities like home schooling. 

Looking forward it is hoped we will return to some normality but with young people still striving to catch up on missed work, participation in both competitions and events is likely to be low. Whenever restrictions are relaxed enough for us to re-start our original schedule it is envisaged that a great deal of hard work will be necessary to ensure eventual success in returning to previous levels.

                        REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE A.G.M. ON 27 APRIL 2021

As with other areas of Rotary, Education and Youth has been badly affected by the COVID pandemic. As the year began we were already suffering cancellations with the finals of the 2019/20 youth competions as well as the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. The 2020/21 competitions were cancelled before any local heats could be held and finally this year's RYLA was cancelled. Regular meetings of the Club sub-committee have also not taken place due to COVID restrictions.

The competitions that were possible with the social distancing rules in place Young Writer, Photographer and Artist went ahead. However contacting the local schools proved to be extremely difficult. I sent a number of e-mails to my usual contacts but received no responses. I could have followed it up with phone calls but felt that adding further pressures could be counterproductive in the longer term with schools under increased pressure and young people were already having to cope with home schooling.

At the turn of the year I was given details regarding an online Young Musician competition which I hope to be able to run in the very near future. As we approach the final term of the year, schools are finally managing to get back to some normality. However they are all working hard to ensure that their pupils have covered all the work expected of them and we hope that next year will allow us to run all the usual competitions and events. 

John Kitching - Chair

ANNUAL REPORT FOR AIREBOROUGH ROTARY CLUB

YOUTH/EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The programme for the next twelve months was agreed at a committee meeting held after lunch on Tuesday 1^st  May 2018.

Schools involved – St. Mary’s

                                     Horsforth

                                     Guiseley

                                   Benton Park 

There will be no major changes in activities this next year, although there may be minor tweaks of timings etc. 

MAJOR ACTIVITIES:- 

1)            RYLA – Information regarding the Rotary Young Leaders Awards will be sent to schools between May and Christmas 2018, with interviews of interested students taking place in January 2019. For the benefit of new members who are not familiar with the scheme further information can be found at https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/rotary-youth-leadership-awards 

It was mooted by a couple of committee members that we may perhaps consider changing the way in which students are chosen. With only one place to offer, and a total of twelve students interviewed, disappointment was inevitable, and to disappoint eleven to pick one participant seems unfair. It was suggested that maybe schools should be asked to nominate a maximum of two students, thus cutting the number of interviewees to a maximum of eight, and possibly fewer. 

2)            YOUNG MUSICIAN – This scheme was very successful this year and it is intended to continue with it, but altering the timings slightly. Information will be sent to schools this term – from July 1^st - and the heats will be held at The Grove Methodist Church in November 2018.

Peter Nuttall reported to the committee that at the Youth Meeting held during the gathering at York a message had come down from on high that the Young Musician competition was considered to be elitist, and practically everyone in the meeting agreed that this was the case. PN was surprised by this, as were the committee members – bearing in mind the parlous state of music teaching in schools these days it was felt that the competition was an important way for young people to get used to performing in public, and with their peers. It was decided that whatever decision was made regionally/nationally this club would continue with the competition. 

3)            TECHNOLOGY DAY – This is open to all schools – with junior, intermediate and senior bands – and will be held on 13^thMarch 2019. Unfortunately it was felt that local schools hadn’t supported the venture, but we will stick at it! 

4)            YOUNG CHEF – The heat for this will be held in September – date to be confirmed – and hopefully at Trinity University kitchens. The finals will be held at Betty’s in York – date to be confirmed. 

The committee felt that generally speaking the last twelve months had gone relatively well, although the big disappointment was the cancellation, through nobody’s fault except that of the weather, of Youth Speaks. 

The committee did wonder whether or not it might be worthwhile adding a series of generic, skills based mock interviews for schools, which generally find such exercises valuable, using those of our members who might be interested as interviewers. The committee would be interested in the views of club members on this idea. 

The budget has been agreed by the board and it is worth mentioning that book tokens rather than cheques, used as prizes, went down well with the winners of our various activities. 

Peter Nuttall and other members of the committee will be visiting schools during July, to introduce themselves, renew contacts and inform schools of what is on offer. 

Peter would also like to thank the committee members, and especially Brian, for their help in making a new boy feel that he not totally adrift!!

Peter Nuttall Chairman