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Rotary - Humanity in Motion

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Rotary Club of Banbury Cherwell

Rotary is a non-political organisation committed to improving the lives of others

Rotary Club of Banbury Cherwell - Youth Activities Committee

Youth activities are central to our community and we contribute to several activities and services for young people in the Banbury area each year. Some of those are detailed here below:

	RYLA (Rotary Young Leadership Award)
	Youth Speaks
Youth Speaks is a public speaking competition for young people in two age groups – 13 to 15 and 16 to 18, and provides a marvellous opportunity for young people to develop public speaking skills, build confidence and work as a team. Each team consists of 3 people: Chairman, Speaker and Proposer of the Vote of Thanks. Judging takes account of clarity, content and impact as well as general presentation of the team, all against a strict time frame. We organise the local Youth Speaks competition jointly with the Rotary Club of Chipping Norton. Youth Speaks is open to all schools and youth organisations with young people in the appropriate age bands. Here is an account of the recent event held on Wed 21st Nov 2007 at The Warriner School, Banbury, Oxfordshire: 'Wednesday 21st November saw our 7th annual local heat of the Rotary Youth Speaks competition, which we organise jointly with the Chipping Norton School. This year the event was kindly hosted by The Warriner School in Bloxham. Rtn. Keith Disney MC Under the very capable direction of Rotarian Keith Disney, our MC for the evening and beginning with a warm welcome to the Warriner from Head teacher Nick Hindmarsh, a total of seven teams from Chipping Norton School, Bloxham School and the Warriner took part, with lively and well-researched presentations covering a variety of subjects ranging from “Human Experimentation” to “The Downside of Being a Drama Queen” and of course not forgetting “Sos Szczypiorkowy”! We were very fortunate to have a highly qualified panel of guest judges for the evening, and whilst the rest of us enjoyed home made cakes and refreshments during the interval, Panel Chairman Rotarian Ken Mumford, Janet Bishop of Banbury Operatic Society and Peter Mayne, recently retired from Tudor Hall School and former national Youth Speaks final judge, undertook the difficult task of establishing a winner in each category from the uniformly high standard of presentations. The Warriner School swept the board, with a well-deserved win in both Intermediate and Senior categories. Winners - Warriner School Senior Team speaking on 'The Pitfalls of Political Correctness' Rotarian Philip Brodey, Chairperson of our Youth Opportunities committee, then presented the cups and certificates to the winning teams and runners up, concluding the evening with a presentation of a cheque from both clubs for £50 to The Warriner School Trust. Winners - Warriner School Intermediate Team speaking on 'The Downside of being a Drama Queen' All in all, a hugely entertaining evening for all concerned, with great teamwork between Rotary and the school and of course above all, our heartfelt thanks to the teams, who obviously spent so much time and effort in preparing their presentations.' Report written by Rtn. Mike Bonnick, Banbury-Cherwell Rotary Club
In 2007, the club is sponsoring a young person to take part in the RYLA programme, in which young people who are judged to have leadership potential are sent on a week-long course to enhance and develop their leadership skills.
	Mock Interviews for Schools
The club has for several years supported local schools by taking part in the Mock Interview programme, in which students embarking on their first Work Placement are given a taste of the interview process. Many of our members have a wealth of experience in the selection and interviewing of staff and are therefore able to make a very positive contribution to this community service.
	Short & Long Term Youth Exchanges
Rotary provides a range of short and long term youth exchange opportunities, in which suitable young people are offered the chance to make an extended visit to a similar young person abroad, staying with the host family, to study the differences in culture, education and general lifestyle and then hosting the other young person in return, when they visit the UK. These opportunities are subject to the availability of funding and of suitable candidates in the host country.
	Rotary Young Chef of the Year
This year, the club is working with the Banbury club to organise a local heat of this national competition, from which each finalist is required to source ingredients, prepare and cook a three course meal, which will be judged by a celebrity chef. The winner will go on to a district final, then if successful to an area final, and ultimately to the national final early next year.