What We Do
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)
The camp for this year's Rotary Youth Leadership Awards was held at Nethybridge, near Aviemore, in early July. Young people were selected by Rotary Clubs throughout District 1010, which incorporates all Clubs north of a line drawn from the River Forth across to Skye.
RYLA is a programme for young people which was officially adopted by Rotary International in 1971. The Awards are designed to develop the leadership skills of young people with potential. The camp nurtures the skills of future leaders in our communities and helps those who may need some further encouragement to exploit their leadership skills.
The week comprises various physical activities and competitions, together with daily speakers on leadership. Activities can include hill walking, swimming, gorge walking, rock climbing, abseiling, mountain biking and orienteering. Evening activities include debates, problem solving activities, business games and a quiz.
The objective of the RYLA project is expressed by 6Cs - commitment, communication, character, competition, confidence and courage - all of which are basic requirements for strong, imaginative, involved laedership.
The Rotary Club of Kintore selected Andy MacKay of Kemnay Academy to attend this year's RYLA camp. The photograph shows Andy, together with Past President Kenny Thomson, just prior to leaving for Nethybridge. Andy will attend one of the Club's future weekly meetings to tell members about his experiences at the camp.
Melkbos Care Centre
The Melkbos Care Centre is a registered non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the care and educational opportunities of vulnerable and underprivileged children in Melkbosstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The Centre believes that a good education is key to a person's overall success and it's vision is therefore to ensure that children receive a quality education and thus secure themselves a better future.
The centre was founded in 2005 by local residents and improves the social and educational circumstances of disadvantaged children living in the Rietvlei Bush informal settlement. Due to the high level of illiteracy and unemployement, parents are rarely able to afford to pay for their children's schooling needs and provide the necessary support structure for homework and projects. As a result children drop out of education and the poverty cycle continues.
The Centre provides a support structure for children to attend good local schools. The following services are provided free of charge:
- transport to and from school
- uniforms and stationary
- a packed school lunch
- help with homework and projects
- extra lessons and reading
- computer lessons
- extramural activities (surfing, swimming etc)
- a warm nutritious meal and vitamins
- a bath and clean school clothes
- medical assistance
- educational and fun outings
The Rotary Club of Kintore has close links with the Melkbos Care Centre and currently, through the Ubunye Sponsor a Child Programme, sponsors two young boys, who live in the informal settlement, to attend school. Ralph, an underpriveliged eight year old with special needs attends a school partly sponsored by the South African Governement and Marco attends a local school that combines classroom work with learning more practical skills. The Club is also in discussions to determine what other support it may be able to provide in order to further enhance the work of the Care Centre.
For more information on the work of the Melkbos Care Centre visit the website via the links page.
Ralph on his first day at school.
Marco.
Howieslap Football Pitch Project
Some time ago, in discussion with local youth Football Club Chairmen, Rotarian Kenny Thomson was made aware of the fact there is a severe lack of Football Pitches available within Kintore, to cope with the growing number of teams, in ages ranging from 8 to 16. Having lived in Kintore for over 30 years, Kenny was aware of a dilapidated and seldom used Football Pitch at Howieslap, in the East Park Housing Estate and set about exploring the possibility of regenerating it.
The two main issues were the need to replace the goals, which were at least 35 years old, rusty and misshapen and secondly, to address the problem of the open aspect of the site, which has routinely resulted in indiscriminate dog fouling of the playing surface, which would clearly be a disincentive to anyone using the facility.
The Rotary Club membership decided to support this youth initiative and the idea of a multi agency approach, involving Local Councillor Fergus Hood, Aberdeenshire Council, Kintore Youth Forum, the Community Police Officer and Kintore Rotary Club, was born.
Councillor Hood was able to secure funding from Aberdeenshire Council Landscape Services Department for the supply and erection of a perimeter fence for the Pitch and the initial marking out of the playing area. Through the efforts of Constable Darren Cochrane, a sum of £1000 was found from a Police ‘Community’ fund, to pay for balls, nets and other ancillary items, while the Rotary Club undertook to meet the cost of goalposts. The project is nearing completion and the Youth Forum will be involved in erecting goalposts and securing the nets. This initiative has been a triumph of multi agency working.
Constable Cochrane intends the first competitive football match on the Howieslap Football Pitch be between teams comprised Youth Forum members and Area Police Officers…….see local press for this eagerly awaited fixture!!
Donations to other Charities and Organisations
In the year ended June 2008, the Rotary Club of Kintore, gave donations to the following organisations:
- Kintore Boys Club
- Instant Neighbour Trust
- Kintore Youth Forum
- Kintore Scout Group
- Rotary Foundation
- Marie Curie Cancer Care
- Kintore Golf Club
- Kintore PTA
- Nyumbani Project, Kenya
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