Zac Franklin, Leala Harris, Melissa Li, Ava Emdin, Laura Clyne, Alice Hill-Butler, John Manners.
 
The importance of Rotary engaging with youth
Story by Ava Emdin
 
What concerns today’s young people? Where do they go for information and what do they do with that information? What do they want from local Rotarians....The best way to find out is to ask them.
 
Invite local high school students to a meeting and you will be impressed with what you hear, their passion and how articulate they are in sharing their views.
 
Last week, Central Blue hosted four students from Blue Mountains Grammar School, and Abottsleigh High student, Melissa Li to our meeting, where they shared their concerns about our world and country and their hopes for the future as well as going some way to express what they would like to see happen in their communities and in the community at large. They also told us how little they know about Rotary other than sausage sizzles!
 
Marginally disadvantaged and isolated youth, Indigenous rights, LGBTI issues, racial and religious tension and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers are among the concerns of socially aware young people.
But, being aware is only the beginning; empathy and action are what they would like to encourage for any change to happen. All five students agreed that the only way to make a difference is for multi generations to work together.
 
“Rotary can be such a powerful platform upon which to amplify the voices of my generation, because we need more avenues through which to vocalise our concerns and work towards solving them.”
 
Guest speaker Melissa Li said: “It’s so incredibly important for Rotary to engage with my generation. Rotary does great things and has made huge changes through its service programs. It can be such a good platform for youth action.
 
“My generation is the generation with the biggest capacity, and arguably the most responsibility to effect social change in an increasingly turbulent world. It’s our future that we have to anticipate.
“We’re aware. We recognise that it is time for change. But we need ways to create change, and a potential way to do that is to open a larger youth sector of Rotary so that we can pair up with an already established organisation.
 
“Rotary can be such a powerful platform upon which to amplify the voices of my generation, because we need more avenues through which to vocalise our concerns and work towards solving them,” Melissa Li concluded.
Today’s millennials are extremely aware and have a great deal to offer but as young people, as students, they are limited in what they can do in any practical way.
 
Working together with people who are in a position to help move awareness to empathy and action, engaging with people of faiths other than their own, and not being afraid to talk openly about religion and politics are important to them.
 
Social media is the go to for their information. Newspapers, radio and television cannot compete with the currency of social media and this medium is how young people communicate with their peers and their community.
 
What did we as Rotarians take away from the meeting? Engage with the students in our schools in ways that are meaningful to them. Don’t limit that engagement only to Rotary International programs. Find these young people and together find the ways of helping them achieve their goals.