Youth Development Programme

“Rotary Great Britain and Northern Ireland is committed to offering young people opportunities to unlock their potential, develop their skills and broaden their horizons.”

Cirencester Rotary Club has a strong community service ethos, an integral part of which is our annual and extensive Youth Development Programme. We are committed to offering young people opportunities to unlock their potential, develop their skills and broaden their horizons. To achieve this, we organise a number of activities each year consisting of the following elements (please click the title links for more information):

1. Activius
A day when our local community, including children of all ages and those from all backgrounds, can access free positive experiences provided by local sports clubs and organisations.

2. Schools Public Speaking Showcase
Participating students select a topic that is important to them, thereby allowing them to delve deep into research, formulate ideas and expand their knowledge. Taking part builds confidence, develops public speaking & audience engagement skills. Our public speaking showcase is held in June each year with local schools putting forward a year group representative for each of Years 8, 9 and 10. The Fred Perkin Cup is awarded for the most ‘ear and eye catching’ speech based on content, clarity and charisma.

3. Young Photographer Competition
Photography has the power to capture special places, moments and memories whether using traditional cameras or those on a phone. Our photography competition gives participants the chance to express themselves through photography, whilst interpreting the competition’s annual theme.

4. Technology Tournament
This popular 1-day annual event is a challenging way to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists and put their STEM skills to the test. Supported by Cirencester College who host it the school teams must solve an interactive technology-based task and involving designing, modelling and building a solution with the basic materials supplied. (for more information see Rotary GB & I’s page Technology Tournament – Our Projects – Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland and/or our Technology tournament page for more details – link)

5. The Rotary Youth Leader Award (RYLA)
‘Release the Potential of the leader within’. A programme run by Rotary to help young people discover their potential and develop the skills needed to become a leader in the community, career and everyday life. Being a leader is more than speaking out and knowing what to say, it is knowing when to listen to and understand others. Cirencester Rotary works with Local Secondary Schools to identify young people who would most benefit from this week-long experience. We then sponsor them to participate. (see Rotary GB & I’s page Rotary Youth Leadership Awards – Our Projects – Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland and/or our RYLA page, by clicking the title link above for more details.

Cirencester Rotary also support the following:

1. Mock Interviews for Year 11 students
Several Rotary members participate as ‘interviewers’ each year in local school(s) simulating real-world job or college scenarios enabling students to build confidence, refine communication skills and receive constructive personalised feedback. These sessions act as a bridge between education and their next steps helping students feel prepared, confident and knowledgeable about their future aspirations.

2. Mock Trials (Cirencester Primary Schools)
Cirencester Rotary Club co-sponsor this event, run by Gloucestershire Magistrates Association, which takes place annually in March. Year 6 students have the opportunity to explore and experience the judicial system first hand by acting as magistrates, prosecutors, witnesses and defendants in a ‘mock trail’ in a mocked-up courtroom setting. They develop many skills. As one school said: ‘Our children immersed themselves in the case, learning lines, exploring their characters and- most impressively – developing the ability to think on their feet’. ‘Without knowing what questions might come up, they practiced analysing their evidence and responding with confidence & clarity’ (schools interested in participating should contact Ian Palmer, the Magistrate’s Association Representative, via email: ian.palmer.jp@ejudiciary.net)