Youth Service

 With nearly 60% of donations in the 2025-2026 year being channelled to support local young people, the Club demonstrates its strong commitment to Youth Service.  We recognise the importance of empowering our young people, whatever their stage in life, to assist them to realise their potential.

The Youth Service Team, led by Neil Stitt, also includes Jo McPherson, Libby Wilson, Mandy Clarke and Claire Burns. 

Currently, our club supports the projects below: 

The BEAM Mentoring Program (Belong, Engagement and Meaning) is a major project for Rotary Rosebud-Rye - an investment over the 2023/2024 year of $79,000 and continuing into the 2025/2026 year. 

BECOME a MENTOR with a LOCAL YOUNG PERSON from ROSEBUD SECONDARY COLLEGE

Just 1 hour per week

The program develops trusting, supportive relationships between carefully selected and trained community volunteers with at-risk junior secondary students. 

The volunteers have a 1:1 hour-long session every week, with volunteers passing on life skills, building self-esteem and personal development. 

What would you need to do? Just chat with students, play cards, share cooking, art, music - or whatever the mentee student chooses .... as well as regular group sessions that focus on issues pertinent to the students. 

And the impact? 

       - Student independence to turn up to the weekly mentor sessions

       - Excellent attendance at session

       - Positive student engagement and classroom teachers have noticed positive                                     engagement transferring to class in many instances

       - And the mentors expressed a sense of purpose and appreciate being involved 

 Find out more - BEAMcoordinator@rsc .vic.edu.au - 5986 8595

Supporting Students' Education

Tootgarook PS - Amplify on Class Assessment to assist in reading skills - $2,000 in 2024-25 and 2025-26; funding for new benches for playground - $3,000

Eastbourne PS - sound system grant - $1,000 in 2024-25

Rye PS - Awards for Year 6 graduating students to assist in education fees annually

Boneo PS - Awards for Year 6 graduating students annually

Rosebud PS - Awards for Year 6 graduating students annually

Rosebud SC - Science excursion - $1,800; 'Hardship' scholarships for students suffering financial hardship

Also:

Funding to support local students attending the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Schools Program (in collaboration with Rotary Club of Sorrento) - 2024-25 and 2025-26

Rotary's Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) is all about building bridges of goodwill for world peace and understanding in the minds of our youth and is open to students in Years 10, 11 and 12.

The purpose of MUNA is to encourage young people to learn about other nations and to understand and appreciate the workings of the United Nations while they develop debating skills and gain self confidence in public speaking.

The resolutions to be debated are based on some actually debated by the UN as well as some proposed by the teams. The debates reproduce genuine UN debates often with a fine flow of rhetoric, points of order, motions of dissent and bloc walkouts! 

MUNA challenges our young people to respect and tolerate differences of race, religion and nationalism whilst retaining their own individualism and the best of their national traditions.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) offers a memorable opportunity for young people between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Participants have included university students, trades people, firemen and teachers. This outstanding personal development program enables access to professional guidance and a personal development program which incorporates

* Leadership/Management,

* Citizenship,

* Team Building/Motivation,

* Communications/Public Speaking, and

* Personal Confidence.

Those who complete the RYLA program are generally better able to successfully manage their own lives and careers.

Rotary Youth Program of Enrichmend (RYPEN) is a specialised program for young people 14 - 17 years, designed to cultivate and develop the inherent strengths of young people, hence the motto, “The cultivation of youth”.

The program was inpired by an idea of Rotarian David Southern who wanted young people to have the opportunity to experience a weekend camp promoting self-confidence, communication skills and for them to develop an understanding and tolerance of others. Key speakers, activities, workshops and team building exercises assist participants to foster a design to be decision makers and future leaders. This experience is ideally for young people who would benefit from being able to develop their personal qualities and skills in an off-campus social atmosphere.

National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) is a residential 12-day residential forum, encourages identified young people in careers in science. During the forum, the students visit laboratories and other science-related worksites, and participate in seminars and workshops where they meet some of our leading scientists.  Said by students to be 'life changing', by supporting this program, our Rotary Club assists local students interested in pursuing a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.).  NYSF also exposes participants to a whole new world beyond their school opportunities and potential career opportunities.

Science Experience. Years 9 and 10 Students from Rosebud Secondary College participate in a 'Science Experience' at Swinburne University each September. It is aimed at introducing students to university life, enhance engagement through the year levels and encourage more students to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)  in the senior secondary years and in future years.