Students who successfully completed the challenge were presented their Rotary Junior Community Award for 2010 at the Benalla Rotary Club meeting by President Ian Davies.
Rotarians John Ellis, President Ian Davies & Ray O'Shannesy
Charlie Boyd, Lily Butterfield, Michael Challis, Gracie Davon, Bryn Goudie, Harry Grace, Hanna Humphries,
Phoebe Loughman, Alicia O'Halloran, James Ridgwell, Caitlyn Sinclair and Brad Taurins.
The Junior Community Award started as a need seen by teachers and parents led by Rotarian David Hawkey of the Rotary Club of Mitchell River Bairnsdale Victoria and was trialed with four Primary Schools in 1997. By about half way through the year it became very obvious that the Award was achieving everything that was hoped for by the original design team. A total of 45 students successfully completed all aspects of the Award.
Due to these positive results the Rotary Club of Mitchell River developed the Award as a Rotary project, thus the Rotary Junior Community Award was born. Since its inception in 1997 some thousands of young people in Gippsland, elsewhere in Victoria interstate and overseas have gained the Award. It is now been used as a qualification on young person's resumes in preparation for their first job.
The Rotary Junior Community Award Scheme encourages students in Year 6 to become involved in their local community.
Students are required to complete eight sections to be eligible for the award over a ten week duration:
Community Service
Physical Recreation
Community Celebration
Cultural Exchange
Religious or Spiritual Experience
Arts
New Skill
Community Meeting.
To support the students through the award, they choose a sponsor who, along with their parents, encourages students. The student organises to complete all sections of the award, finding time to fit it all into their already busy schedules. The students received support from a supervisor at the school and support from Rotary through the liaison person.
Mr. John Ellis coordinated the program at St Joseph's Primary School Benalla and Mr. Ray O'Shannessy Rotary Club of Benalla worked with students at St Josephs for Term 3.
Through the Award students gain an insight into how their local community operates, it provides them with an opportunity to gain leadership skills. Mr. O'Shannessy was impressed with the hard work and commitments students made.
For further enquires contact:
Darren Best
Public Relations Officer
Rotary Club of Benalla
Business 03 5762 5177
Mobile 0428 428 578
