SEPTEMBER - NEW GENERATION MONTH
Work with the district chairs for Interact, Rotaract, and Youth Exchange
to bring youth issues to the forefront.
Recognize outstanding club projects benefiting youth.
Interact.
Interact is
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.
Rotaract.
Rotaract is a service club for students ages 18-30. Rotaractors can meet either
at a community establishment or at a school. Rotaract clubs are able to take on
more ambitious projects and work more independently. They generally focus on
professional development, public speaking, and career development.
RYLA.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (better known as RYLA) usually operates as
a camp and is sponsored by multiple districts. Rotarians and young people from
all over the region meet and exchange ideas. Rotarians run the seminars and
incorporate recreational and cultural activities.
Youth Exchange.
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. The student is often immersed in a new language, new religion, new
political system, new currency, and new traditions. The student will find
friends in the host country and create a friendship that will last forever.