New Generations - Youthact

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• Objectives           • District Goals           • Contacts

 Youthact is a program of Service Above Self for middle school students ages 11 to 14.

Very similar to Interact (high school) and Rotaract (college, university or community), Youthact is the next level downward in age as it relates to Rotary youth programs.

Although Youthact is not an “official” program of Rotary International, RI officials have encouraged the 100+ clubs already established around the world to "continue doing what they are doing" and to encourage other Rotary clubs to charter new Youthact clubs for the good they are accomplishing.

Youthact is an exciting program that is building momentum in District 6780. In January, 2002, the first Youthact club was established in our district.

The Rotary Club of Cleveland sponsored the Cleveland Middle School Youthact Club with 15 members, and 11 other clubs have taken root and are flourishing:

• Winchester (Huntland School),
• McMinnville Breakfast (Warren County Middle School),
• Pigeon Forge (Pigeon Forge Middle School) ,
• Lafayette (Macon County Junior High),
• Seymour Breakfast (Boyd’s Creek Elementary),
• Seymour (Seymour Middle School),
• Cookeville (Avery Trace Middle School)
• Hamilton Place (Chattanooga) (Silverdale Academy)
• Sparta (White County Middle School)
• Rockwood (Rockwood Middle School)
• Oak Ridge Breakfast (Robertsville Middle School)

Youthact has been present in numerous district conferences, at Interact conferences, at the Zone Institute in Chattanooga and as a special program at Grundy County, Bradley Sunrise, Livingston, Maryville, Oak Ridge and Etowah clubs. Oak Ridge Breakfast plans to launch a club at Robertsville Middle School in August 2008.

The program was also shared with 2003-2004 Rotary International President Jonathan Majiyabe when he came to Pigeon Forge. In attendance at that multi-district gathering were presidents and leaders from as far away as Wisconsin, and more than two dozen requested and received information about starting Youthact in their clubs and districts.

Youthact is a regular participant in the annual spring Interact conference.

Objectives of Youthact:

1. Develop leadership and personal integrity.
   
2. Practice thoughtfulness and service to others.
   
3. Increase awareness of the importance of home and family.
   
4. Recognize the worth of each individual.
   
5. Emphasize acceptance of individual responsibility for success.
   
6. Recognize the dignity and value of all useful occupations.
   
7. Provide opportunities for increased knowledge and understanding of community, national and world affairs.
   
8. Open avenues of personal and group action leading to the advancement of international understanding and goodwill towards all people.
   

2008-09 District 6780 Goals:

1. Strengthen the network between existing and developing Youthact clubs in the district.
   
2. Start the process of increasing the number of Youthact clubs in the district to 12.
   
3. Hold a Youthact Conference separate from Interact.
   
4. Increase awareness of Youthact among all Rotary clubs in the district.
   
5. Lobby for permanent adoption of Youthact as an official program of Rotary International.
   

If your club has an interest in Youthact, would like to schedule a program about Youthact, or would like more information, please contact Cameron Fisher at cameronfis@aol.com.

If you would like to contact any of the current school or club sponsors about their experiences with Youthact, please feel free to do so.

YOUTHACT CLUB CONTACT	ROTARY CLUB CONTACT
Cleveland Middle School Mike Chai mchai@clevelandschools.org	Cleveland  Mike Chai mchai@clevelandschools.org
Huntland School Cindy Garrett ggarrett@cafes.net	Winchester Thomas Simmons 931-967-4586
Macon County Jr. High School School Contact Jolissa Reeves rreeves@nctc.com	Lafayette Brenda Hiett bhiett@nctc.com
Pigeon Forge Middle April Daniel aprildaniel@sevier.org	Pigeon Forge Jerry Wear jerrywear@sevier.org
Warren County Middle Kevin Dunlap Dunlapk1@k12tn.net	McMinnville Breakfast Susan Barrett Sbarrett1145@hotmail.com
Boyd's Creek Elementary Hans Ballew hansballew@sevier.org	Seymour Larry Finchum larry@finchumsportsfloors.com
Avery Trace Middle Jodi Dennis dennisj@k12tn.net	Cookeville Jim Reed jreed@tntech.edu
Seymour Middle Faye Nelson fayenelson@charter.net	Seymour Amanda Jerviss amandajerviss@yahoo.com
Silverdale Academy Ed Rawlston edrawlston@gmail.com	Hamilton Place
White County Middle	Sparta Don Randolph Donald.randolph@charter.net
Rockwood Middle Andrea Nickols a.nickols-rves2teach@comcast.net	Rockwood Maurice Greif mgreif8189@aol.com
Robertsville Middle Norma James njames@ortn.edu	Oak Ridge Breakfast Cathy Toth cathytoth@bellsouth.net