Youth Programs
One of Rotary’s focus of service is youth. Why? Because, we believe in developing the next generation of leaders. Our programs help young people build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service — a benefit that will last a lifetime!
Interact Clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of “Service Above Self,” Rotary’s motto. Interact Clubs have fun while carrying out at least two service projects per year. Generally, one project serves the local community and another project promotes international understanding. There are more than 342,000 Interact members in 14,000 clubs in 145 countries.
Interact clubs are sponsored by Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. Club membership varies greatly. They can draw from the student body of a single school or from two or more schools in the same community.
Rotaract Clubs are for people ages 18-30 where members develop leadership and professional skills, build relationships and have fun while serving the community. Rotaract Clubs are formed at colleges and universities around the world or are organized around a local community. Rotaract is sponsored by local Rotary Clubs for guidance but are self-governing and self-supporting. There are more than 162,000 Rotaract members in 10,000 clubs in 183 countries.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards weekend is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs where youth develop leadership skills while having fun and making connections.
Our Southeastern Pennsylvania Area’s program is primarily focused on high school students in their sophomore year. The program, which is held annually at the Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, runs from Friday to Sunday and includes presentations, activities, and workshops that cover a variety of topics, including: leadership fundamentals and ethics; communication skills; problem-solving and conflict management; and community and global citizenship.
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One of the most successful youth programs of Rotary is the exchange student program. Rotary Youth Exchange offers summer and school year international experiences to high school students between the ages of 15-19. Youth Exchange makes a significant impact on the lives of approximately 8,000 high school students worldwide each year.
During a Rotary Youth Exchange, students have the opportunity to: live with local host families, be totally immersed in a new culture; learn a new language; meet other exchange students from around the world, and create lifelong friendships.
Our Southeastern Pennsylvania area helps advise and coordinate exchanges that are sponsored by area club members. Each year, up to 10 students go abroad for a school year and up to 10 students come live in the Rotary District with various host families. Participating in the program as a host family or student is not dependent upon being a member of Rotary. But members and their local clubs assist in the arrangements and details.
Recently, a young woman from Brazil came to Delaware County and completed her senior year. She loved the United States so much, she is now studying at Temple University. She is now involved with Youth Exchange and has talked to many students about how life changing the program is.
Exchange students from around the world meet each other for the first time at orientation weekend and become fast friends.
The Rotary Speech Contest is a competition for high schoolers to illustrate the Rotary Four-Way Test. Students prepare and delivery a five to seven minute speech. The test is to ask the question when making decisions: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? The speech contest helps students by nurturing ethical decision making, developing writing and public speaking skills, and empowering advocacy for causes they care about. It is free for students to enter and the top winners receive cash prizes.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania District annually works with the local clubs to select and advance students for the competition, named the Roger Taylor Rotary Speech Contest. Roger Taylor, who died in 2022, worked tirelessly to encourage students to apply to the competition. Recent winners of the contests spoke about diverse topics as gun violence, discrimination, and climate change. The finalists of the competition present their speech at the annual Rotary District Conference before hundreds of people.
