Rotary District 7430 Youth Programming

Our program featured Gwenn Carr who serves as Youth Services Chair for Rotary District 7430. Also on hand were Rotarians Gary Englehart and Rolf Schlake. The crowd featured Administrative Officers from the Easton and Wilson Area School Districts. Gwenn used our District website to highlight the many youth-oriented aspects of Rotary. Interact Clubs give high school students a chance to experience Rotary. Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time by offering students ages 15-19 the opportunity to learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Supported by Rotary Clubs in over 100 countries, this program helps exchange students unlock their true potential. Participants develop lifelong leadership skills, build lasting friendships with peers from around the world, and gain a deeper understanding of global citizenship. Many Easton Rotarians have had wonderful experience with the Youth Exchange program. The 4-Way Speech Contest gives students a chance to show off their public speaking skills. The contest is highly competitive and offers cash prizes. The Camp Neidig Leadership program is a 4 day/3 night experience for students who have just finished their junior year of high school. This immersive camp allows students to develop their leadership skills while enjoying fun activities and forming lasting connections. The most unique Rotary youth offering is also the newest. The District 7430 STEM YEA Youth Explorer Academy is heading into its fifth year. This 4 day - 3 night STEM based immersive learning experience. provides an educational enrichment experience for students to explore, experiment, learn, and engage in new exciting subject areas igniting their imaginations and their enthusiasm to learn. This year's program is titled "Astrobiology, The Search for Life on Mars." It is held at Kutztown University and was developed by District 7430 Rotarians and people from the SERTI Institute. The program features state of the art labs & equipment, a planetarium, observatory, dorms & cafeteria for the students. STEM-based education delivers more than science and mathematics concepts. The STEM curriculum focuses on hands-on learning with real-world applications to help develop a variety of skill sets upon which our modern world depends. 21st -century skills include: media and technology literacy, productivity, social skills, communication, flexibility, and initiative. The participants are middle school students between 7th and 8th grades. For many of them, this is their first time being away from home. The cost to sponsor a student is $400 and the Academy has room for 60 students.