Youth Service

The amazing team of workers in the Youth Group this year are – Lynette Beckwith, Catherine Elfick, Tracy Bannister, Tina McInerney (Chair).

 

Let me start by thanking the above team for their amazing efforts. We have had a very successful year, with some good projects on the go, despite the lack of funds in the first 9 months of the Rotary Year, due to the ongoing Covid restrictions. 

 

However, there was much that we were able to do, thanks to the efforts of our fellow Rotarians. Emerald Secondary College and the students in Year 12 asked if we would again provide a care package for the outgoing Year 12’s.  With a lack of funds, we were only able to achieve that through the many donations from so many people, in our community and our club.  It was a pleasure to see these young people opening up their gifts. 

 

Once again, we were able to provide a little something for the Year 6’s, in the community and beyond rather than just in the Emerald District - and that too was well received.  

 

Under the auspices of Brian Hodgson, our AG, and in conjunction with Monbulk and Belgrave Rotary Clubs, we were able to raise enough money to fund a mental health program for the Emerald Secondary College; this encompassed a talk from the wonderful group – SALT – who are well known for working with young people who are experiencing mental health issues.  And with the extra $2000 raised, we were able to provide assisted mental health care for those students unable to afford the gap payment from Medicare.

Once again, a great band of Rotarians – male and female - were able to man the Breakfast Club twice a week. It is an amazing program, which enables us to meet the students, and form a relationship with some of them. That is very important in our community, that our young people get to know that Rotary is there for them, not just locally, but globally.

 

Our major project this year has been the development of a kitchen garden for Emerald Secondary College.  It is an awesome project, where the students, design and work on building a kitchen garden and nursery, and then growing food to cook and learning all about the processes that are involved.  We have been lucky enough to receive a grant from Casey Cardinia Shire and added our own finances to that. It is an ongoing project that will see us into the Rotary Year of 2022/23.  We will be applying for more Grant funding in that year too.

 

As well as that, with finances at last starting to come into the club, we have been able to provide some outdoor furniture – built by the Men’s Shed, for Emerald Primary School and Menzies Creek Primary School.  And we were able to finance the purchase of ukuleles for Gembrook Primary School, and play boxes for Macclesfield’s junior students.

 

We are very proud of our achievements through this difficult year – and as always – it’s all thanks to our Rotary Friends.