Youth Services Committee Projects & Programs

Mandate

The role of the Youth Service committee is to provide programs and resources related to the educational and leadership development of youth and young adults.
 
Within the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) we discharge this mandate by the following projects and programs:
 

Education Grants

Every year the Rotary Clubs in Oakville provide bursaries to deserving Oakville high school students. There is a formal process to select up to 30 students who are notified of the bursaries which are awarded by approximately mid-May with an Awards Celebration held later in the year to celebrate the bursary winners.  For the 2025-26 Rotary year we are providing a total of $120,000 to 24 students.
 
To read more CLICK HERE
 
The Application Process
Students must apply directly on the Awards Hub as directed below.  Oakville High School Guidance Departments are notified so please work with your Guidance departments if you need assistance.
  • All applications should be submitted through www.awardshub.ca hosted by the Oakville Community Foundation. Submissions must be made by late April (deadline is posted on the site every year).
  • Please note that money awarded to the recipient will be sent directly to the institution the student has chosen to attend. 
 
 
 

Interact Clubs - Abbey Park & Oakville Trafalgar High School Interact Clubs

Interact Clubs is a Rotary youth program that was launched by Rotary International in 1962. They provide opportunities for young people of secondary school age to work together in a world fellowship of service.  The name derives from "International" and "Action". 
 
Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self and find out how serious leadership can be seriously fun. They must be sponsored by a Rotary Club and students must have a teacher advisor who will guide and supervise the activities of the Interact Club.
 
Interactors connect with leaders in their community and elsewhere to take action to make a difference in their school and community.  By doing so they become leaders in their school and community while having fun and make new friends. This provides them an association with the world-wide Interact Clubs as part of Rotary International.
 
The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar sponsors two Interact clubs: Oakville Trafalgar High School and Abbey Park high School. Both clubs are very active organizing fundraisers, visits to Seniors in residences, volunteering at Global Medic and participating in the Grant Writing Initiative in 2025 and 2026.
 

Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) – 2024 District 7080 Participants

RYLA is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts to help develop skills as a leader while having fun and making connections.
 
The program is typically between 3 to 4 days long and is designed to connect young people, ages 18-30, with leaders in their community.  It helps participants build communication and problem-solving skills and discover strategies to become dynamic leaders. They learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors and unlock their potential to turn motivation into action while having fun and forming lasting friendships
 
The Rotary club of Oakville Trafalgar routinely sponsors local youths to attend RYLA.  To view a video of the 2024 RYLA CLICK HERE
 

Adventure In Citizenship

In 1951, the Rotary Club of Ottawa established its annual "Adventure in Citizenship" Program in which over 150 senior high school students from across Canada spend four days in Ottawa experiencing tours, lectures, discussions and social events designed to enhance their understanding and appreciation of Canadian citizenship.
 
Public figures including former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the Right Hon. Joe Clark, and the Hon. Ed Broadbent participated in the program as students. 
 
This annual event provides a unique opportunity for a select group of young Canadians to come together and gain a better understanding of our country. Through meetings with political leaders, senior officials, and others, they learn a great deal about the workings of our democratic institutions. Through meeting one another and having discussions among themselves, they learn to appreciate the diversity of Canada and privileges and responsibilities of citizenship.
 
A consistently positive response to this program is the value attached to the opportunity to meet their peers from across Canada. The discovery that Canadians hold much more in common than the matters that divide us.
 
Our club is sponsoring two students (Presidents of the Interact clubs of OTHS and Abbey Park) to attend Adventure in Citizenship 2026.