Moraga Rotary's mission is to "help make children better citizens of the world,
through peace and understanding." Toward that goal, we invest our
time, energy and finances in the many youth programs offered by Rotary
International. Below are all the current programs we sponsor.
Contact us if you are interested in these programs for your children.
Rotary Youth Exchange
Imagine stepping off the airplane into the arms of strangers-and
then going home with them. Imagine the stress of coping with an unfamiliar
language, alien customs, and a totally different way of life. Within a few
weeks, you begin to feel slightly more comfortable; within a few months, you
even feel at home. And by the end of a year, you have a new dilemma-how to say
good-bye to friends that you will remember and cherish for a lifetime. Such is
the magic of Rotary's Youth Exchange program.
Youth Exchange starts at the most
basic and intimate level - the family. Many students feel that they have gained
the love and devotion of a second family. In the same way, the host
parents feel they have "adopted" a new son or daughter. As one U.S.
Rotarian said, "Our Youth Exchange student was not a daughter for four months -
she will be a daughter forever." These are the loving bonds that will
endure the passage of time.
Started officially in 1974, Youth
Exchange continues to be one of Rotary's most popular forms of international
service. This year, more than 8,000 young people will experience the joys and
the challenges of living abroad.
Types of exchanges:
1. Long term exchanges: These are the most
usual exchanges, lasting an academic year in the host country, during which the
student lives with one or more host families and attends high school.
2. Short term exchanges: These usually last
for 3 months, and they often take place when school is not in session and
usually do not include an academic program, and involve a home stay experience
with a family in the host country.
Student
Eligibility:
Rotary's Youth Exchange program is open to all
qualified students ages 15-19. Participants may, but do not have to be
children of Rotarians. Qualified applicants are frequently above average
academically, articulate, and demonstrate community leadership skills.
Host Family
Opportunities
Hosting a Rotary Youth
exchange student from another country is a challenge - and an opportunity.
Involvement with an exchange student challenges a host family to become familiar
with another culture, while providing the opportunity to share a young student's
hopes and ambitions. These challenges and opportunities promise to enrich the
lives of every member of your family. Included in the application process
to be a host family is a background check for all family members over 18 years
of age. Hosting a student usually is a commitment of three to four months.
Families do not need to be affiliated with Rotary to participate. Come
join the Rotary Youth Exchange family around the world!
For more information, contact us, or
visit the
Students & Youth section at the Rotary International website, at the
link below.
Interact
Clubs
Interact
is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 14 to 18. Interact
clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and
guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. Most are high
school based. Today there are more than 11,600 clubs in 109 countries and
geographical areas, with over 268,000 young people involved in Interact.
Each
year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of
which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts,
Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and
learn the importance of
-
Developing leadership skills and personal integrity
-
Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others
-
Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work
-
Advancing international understanding and goodwill
Moraga Rotary is the sponsor of both the Campolindo
Interact Club as well as Miramonte Interact Club.
For more
information, contact us, or visit the
Students & Youth section at the Rotary
International website, at the link below.
Rotaract
Clubs
Rotaract
is
Rotary
International’s service club for young people ages 18 to 30.
Rotaract
clubs are either community or university based, and since they’re sponsored by a
local Rotary club, this makes them true "partners in service" and key members of
the family of Rotary.
As one of Rotary’s most significant and fastest-growing service programs, with
more than 7,000 clubs in about 163 countries and geographical areas, Rotaract
has become a worldwide phenomenon.
Moraga Rotary is the sponsor of the St. Mary's
College Rotaract Club.
All Rotaract efforts begin at the local, grassroots level, with members
addressing their communities’ physical and social needs while promoting
international understanding and peace through a framework of friendship and
service.
Rotaractors may also:
For more
information, contact us, or visit the
Students & Youth section at the Rotary
International website, at the link below.
Camp Royal
Leadership Camp
Camp
Royal is a leadership training program for high school juniors, funded and run
by Rotary District 5160. Founded in 1979, Camp Royal has become one of the top
leadership camps for incoming high school seniors in the country.
Student leaders from throughout the district attend to develop advanced skills
with help from Rotarians, professional counselors, educators and keynote
speakers. And a day in the "Ropes Course" lets students experience team
building and successful cooperation.
The
program is held mid-June in the Trinity Alps, and is a concentrated, energy packed week of information, ideas and
strategies that will help the camper return to his/her school and be a more
affective leader.
The Camp's goals are:
-
To offer advanced leadership skills to young
men and women who have had experience in leadership positions.
-
To emphasize cooperation, team building, excellent ethics and
creativity in leadership.
-
To broaden their knowledge of various
vocations through interaction with Rotarians of District 5160.
-
To assist the campers to realize their great
potentials, and break through the barriers to success.
-
To actively apply their new leadership skills
when they return to school.
Moraga Rotary provides two
scholarships to Campolindo High School juniors to attend Camp Royal every June.
For more information, contact us, or visit the
Camp Royal section at the Rotary
District 5160 website, at the link below.
Camp Venture for Business Entrepreneurs
Camp Venture is
now a five day training and motivational camp for students who have
finished their junior year and are interested in pursuing a career
in business, particularly as entrepreneurs. It is held in late
June at the Maritime Academy California State University in Vallejo.
Students, sponsored by
their local Rotary Clubs, have the opportunity to interact with
experienced business people and meet with other students in District
5160 who have similar interests.
Moraga Rotary
provides two scholarships to Campolindo High School juniors to
attend Camp Venture every June. For more information, contact
us, or visit the
Camp Venture
section at the Rotary District 5160
website, at the link below.
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the
Mind is an international educational program that provides
creative problem-solving opportunities for students from
kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to
solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to
presenting their own interpretation of literary classics.
They then
bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World
level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25
other countries participate in the program.
Moraga Rotary sponsors
all the Moraga Odyssey teams, providing financial support for
registration, team shirts, and transportation to the World
Championships. For more information, visit the
Odyssey of the
Mind website, or Contact Us.
