Does your Rotary Club want better engagement with your local High School? Do you want to some Young Leaders in your club? Do you want to create a new generation of future Rotarians? If you have answered yes to any of the above, The Rotary Club of Waimate has a plan for you.

For around 10 years our club has been inviting two of the Senior leaders from Waimate High school to become honorary members of our club for their final school year. No subscription to pay, the club pays for their meals, and we expose them to the world of Rotary and make an investment in their future. 

The students engage with us, keep us up to speed with the school, take part in our projects and voluntary activities, and when they move on to Tertiary study, many of them have become involved with Rotaract. From time to time we get return visits from these young people as they move through life. We are sure that this exposure to Rotary has given them all an insight, not only into Rotary, but also into serving their communities. The growth we see in them every year is remarkable.

Student benefits include:

• establishing vocational contacts & networks within the club
• holiday jobs extra material and references (focusing on volunteering with Rotary) for job applications, scholarship applications and tertiary accommodation applications....these kids have achieved a heck of a lot!
• RYLA
• leadership development
• public speaking development
• some students or their siblings have gone overseas with RYE.

Rotary benefits include:

• strengthened the relationship and partnership with the school.
• young energetic volunteers with friends who like to partner with our club in completing local projects or supporting local events.
• Rotaract at Massey University was started by Zara, one of our students and she was their President for at least the first 2 years.
• Rotaract at Dunedin University has had many of our students in their club, often in important roles.
• they support the RYE students our club sponsors.

If you are looking to get some great young leaders involved in your club, connect with your local school, and introduce a new vibrant dynamic into your club then this is a very simple way to achieve all of the above. We commend this idea to all clubs in D9999.

If you want any further information contact Rotary Club of Waimate President Rebecca Murray via rebecca.aitchison@icloud.com.