Rotary Junior Community Awards

The program began in Bairnsdale in 1997 and was introduced by the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove at Ocean Grove Primary School in 1999. It later expanded to Our Lady Star of the Sea, Surfside and Wallington Primary Schools. Before the pandemic, about 50 students completed the program each year.

 

Students complete 30 hours of activities: 10 hours each of Community Service, Physical Recreation and Skills Development. They also take part in six community and cultural experiences covering commemoration, community meetings, culture, spirituality, the arts and the environment.

 

Rotary volunteers visit participating schools throughout the year to meet with students, check their progress and help them complete the program. Students record their activities and experiences in a Junior Community Award Diary.

 

Those who successfully complete the program receive a certificate during Term 4. Representatives from each school are also invited to speak at the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove’s annual Graham Bath Junior Community Awards Presentation Night and share some of what they learned and achieved.

 

Top photo: Student representatives from Ocean Grove Primary School, Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School, Surfside Primary School and Wallington Primary School.

 

Bottom photo: Rotarians Tony Haines, Jenny Wright, Judy Greer, Xenia Williamson and Lyndy Stagg.