Youth Projects
STRIVE
STRIVE is a mentoring program for high school seniors in Rockford Public schools. With help from counselors at the high school, we identify students at risk of not graduating and find mentors for those students. The mentors are usually Rotarians but can also be caring individuals from the Rockford community. Almost all of the students in the program end up graduating and many continue on to pursue either associate, trades or four year degrees after high school. We award participants for most improved grades, highest GPA, perfect attendance and a scholarship to continue their education. If you are interested in being a mentor to a high school senior in need, please contact us using our contact form. (LINK)
Youth Leadership Conference
We sponsor young leaders grades 10-11 from Rockford High School to attend the Youth Leadership Conference presented by Rotary District 6290 each year. The program is always outstanding and very impactful for the future leaders of our country. The Conference is held in June each year.
Interact
With almost 200,000 young people involved worldwide, Interact is Rotary’s premiere service club for youth, ages twelve to eighteen. The Rockford High School Interact Club members actively raise awareness and participate in service projects around the world that improves the health and education of the communities served. In recent years they have built several wells in Nigeria and provided clean water, sanitation, and school buildings in the Dominican Republic. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of: Developing leadership skills and personal integrity; Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others; Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work; and Advancing international understanding and goodwill. These passionate high school students embody the Rotary motto of Service Above Self!
To see these incredible students working in the Dominican Republic please watch the following segment from WOODTV. (LINK)
Reading Rocks
Reading Rocks in Rockford is reading festival that was co-founded in 2009 by the Rockford Rotary, Rockford Public Schools, and the Kent District Library - Krause Memorial Library branch. This annual event takes place the first weekend of June rain or shine. The focus of the festival is setting a foundation for a love of reading that carries through a youngster’s life to make them highly successful adults. It is all about time spent broadening horizons and learning from the written word. Children can learn the joy of reading through many activities, including meeting authors from throughout Michigan. The festival earned the International Rotary/International Reading Association Pearson Foundation Award in 2012 for improving literacy in the community. Each year over 225 Rockin’ Readers awards are given out to students that improved or excelled in their reading though out the school year and we give out over hundreds of new books to the students through fun activities, which is the highlight of the festival. It is always fun to see the excitement by the kids of all ages receive their books.
Youth Exchange
Rotary Youth Exchange is an incredible opportunity for more than 8,000 high school students from throughout the world that participate each year. By sharing your own culture and embracing a new one, you help foster global understanding – and learn more about yourself and both your home and host countries in the process. In the past few years we have hosted students from Brazil, Sweden and Thailand. The students from Rockford High School that have spent a year abroad have gone to Thailand, Denmark, Germany, Taiwan, and Chile. Applications for going abroad are due by September 1st of each year and if accepted will travel the following August through June of the following year. Opportunities to host a student from another country are typically 3-6 months and could be the entire school year if desired. Please contact us with any questions about this program
For information about becoming an exchange student follow this LINK.
For information about hosting an exchange student follow this LINK.
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