May celebrates Youth Services in Rotary. Youth Services, has been officially recognized as one of the Avenues of Service by Rotary International. District 6330 has a long tradition of outstanding service in the area of youth services with great support and forward thinking from District leaders, and Rotarians who demonstrate their excitement and enthusiasm by working with young people to change the world.  Bill and I have seen firsthand your dedication to our youth. If your Club is not currently involved with an Interact Club, Rotaract Club or a Youth Exchange student, I would ask you to consider it as part of your planning for the next Rotary year.

In District 6330, Youth Service programs include all our Rotary service programs for young people up to the age of 30. These include the RI Programs of Rotaract, Interact, RYE, and RYLA, along with a large number of other projects done at the club level. Some Clubs are awarding scholarships, recognizing “students of the month or the year” for demonstrating Rotary’s ideals. Some Clubs are supporting “homeless youth” with hygiene kits and access to support services. Youth all over our District are enjoying play equipment, splash pads, bike paths, parks, pools and other community services thanks to you.

Youth Protection is another important Youth Service resource available to Rotarians, clubs and youth programs at the District level.

So, why are Youth Service programs so important?  We often hear that youth are our future. This is certainly true and one of the reasons that we focus on literacy, leadership training, and expanding training in ethics for young people. These are the people who will be running our country and our world within the next 20-30 years. Rotarians have always taken a sincere interest in helping to prepare the next generation -with programs and projects that help with health and education, and lead the way to world peace and understanding. Beyond this fact, young people are also the future of our organization if we choose for Rotary to survive and thrive beyond our lifetime. Through our Rotary youth programs, we have the opportunity to not only provide service that is the cornerstone of our organization, but also to develop relationships and provide exposure to our wonderful organization and the ideals of "service above self" to the next generation.