RCOK Works Closely with Interact and Rotaract Clubs
Rotary International and by extension the Rotary Club of Kingston place great emphasis on developing the kindness and social responsibility of young people in the society. The Rotary Club of Kingston is the sponsor of several Rotaract and Interact Clubs and its members continue to invest quality time and significant resources to help guide and mentor the young ones.
Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the ideal of Service Above Self. The Rotary Club of Kingston focuses on corporate area high schools. The participating students are required to complete a school, community, country or international project. They are also encouraged to interact with students from other clubs. By so doing, the young ones learn to act to make a difference. For those who commit and dedicate themselves to the movement, they eventually become the leaders in their schools and communities. Given the international connectivity of Interact Clubs, the youngsters can learn about new cultures and develop a better understanding of local and international issues affecting humanity, like the fight against polio and the necessity to care for the environment. Through the Interact Clubs, the young people can also have fun and make new friends from around the world.
The Rotary Club of Kingston sponsors eight (8) Interact Clubs - the Wolmers Girls School, Wolmers Boys School, Ardenne High School, Excelsior High School, Holy Childhood High School, Jamaica College, Kingston College and St Hughes High School for Girls. The genuine interest and positive energy of the students are contagious and have a positive influence on their peers in the respective schools. In the Rotary year just ended, several projects were executed including the Holy Childhood Interact Club’s visit to the Walkers Home of Safety, the St Hughes Interact Club’s staging of the Annual Christmas Treat at Albert Street Basic School and the Wolmers Girls Interact Club’s program to feed street people in Kingston.
During the 2017/18 Rotary Year, the Rotary Club of Kingston inducted approximately three hundred (300) new Interact members, which by itself was a very rewarding development.
Rotaract Clubs consist of young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 years, who are dedicated to making a difference in their communities. The clubs have been active in assisting with many socially uplifting programs, inclusive of outreach to the old and indigent, care for the environment as well as working with children in need. Rotaractors often work side by side with Rotarians and are required to carry out projects and conduct their affairs like that of a Rotary Club. The sponsored Rotaract Clubs’ members assist to execute functions of the Rotary Club of Kingston as these events provide invaluable training. This was evident at the Rotary Club’s Annual Senior Citizen Christmas Treat in December 2017.
During the 2017-2018, the Rotary Club of Kingston also inducted several new Rotaract members. Many Rotaractors continue to become exemplary Rotarians after they have aged-out of their clubs.
One of the highlight for the youngsters was the holding of the 2017-2018 Interact President-elect Training Seminar (familiarly called PETS), at which leadership skills, family relationships, character values and ideas which make a club successful are expressed. The 2017/18 event was held at the Wolmers Girls School Auditorium and was well supported by Interactors from all the associated clubs. This was followed by the 2017/18 Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) held at the PCJ Building and which was also enthusiastically attended by both Interactors and Rotaractors.
The dedicated members of the Rotary Club of Kingston, lead by Past President Don Reynolds continue to coach and guide the youngsters of the Interact and Rotaract Clubs. The youngsters contribute positively and are making a difference to their schools, community and country.