Inaugural 2018 Rotary Youth Symposium

 
On Sunday 16th September 2018, the Rotary Club of Saint Lucia held its Inaugural Youth Symposium, under the theme “Inspiring our Youth to Serve “, hosting 200 young Leaders. 
 
The symposium was a Rotary exposition for their sponsored Youth Service Clubs, Interact and Rotaract, exposing the young members to Rotary’s Guiding Principles and its ideal of service through its six selected Areas of Focus – Peace and Conflict Resolution; Disease Prevention and Treatment; Water and Sanitation; Maternal and Child Health; Basic Education and Literacy and Economic and Community Development.
 
Through its youth programs, Rotary encourages responsible citizenship and understands the importance of ensuring that its young citizens grasp the concept of humanitarianism from an early age, as they are the future and the next generation of Rotary Leaders. They are the change Agents in the schools and in the communities.  Rotary’s motto “Service above Self” is engrained in all of its members. With a strong emphasis on Service, the Symposium therefore provided the opportunity for Rotary’s young members to collaborate and explore bold and audacious ideas for serving and improving their various Communities and School environments. 
 
The Rotary Club of Saint Lucia and the Rotary Club of Gros Islet collectively have three sponsored Community based Rotaract Clubs and five sponsored School based Interact Clubs, namely Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, St Joseph’s Convent, Saint Mary’s College, Castries Comprehensive Secondary School and the Babonneau Secondary School with an aggregate membership of over 200 students.  Interact Clubs are designed for young persons aged 12 to 18, while Rotaract caters to the age group 18 to 30. Both cubs encourage a focus on service, leadership development and the promotion of international understanding.
 
This is effectively a Rotary Family and the Rotary Club of Saint Lucia is particularly proud of its Early Act Club at the Dame Pearlette Louisy Primary School.  Early Act is Rotary’s service club for children between the ages of 5 and 12, and was created in 2016. It is currently the only Primary School based Club on the island.
 
In an On-Camera interview at the Symposium, the Youth Services Director of the Rotary Club of Saint Lucia, Kurt Augustin had this to say” The youth symposium was designed to bring our youth clubs together using exciting and interactive presentations, videos and ideation. The youth clubs as well as the parent club took part in various ice breaker and breakout sessions which surely intensified the passion for service to our communities amongst our members”. 
The President of the Rotary Club of Saint Lucia, Soraya Warner-Gustave, further noted that “The symposium was a huge success. It was well received by the young members who demonstrated an uninhibited passion for service that was heartwarming.  They have a real understanding of the social issues plaguing our societies and want to help, they want to serve in a meaningful and impactful way.  Our Rotary theme this year is - Be the Inspiration - and our young members truly are an inspiration!”.
 
This Inaugural Rotary Youth Symposium was graciously sponsored in part by the Finance Administrative Centre, Lucelec Trust, Peter & Company Distribution, Massy Stores and Blue Waters (St Lucia) Ltd. The Rotary Club of Saint Lucia extends its gratitude for this magnanimous show of support.