Narooma Rotary celebrates Narooma Youth
Narooma Rotary’s 2023 year started on a high last Thursday celebrating Narooma’s youth and what some have gained from participating in various Rotary’s youth programmes.
Chair of Narooma Rotary’s Youth Night David McInnes said celebrating our students’ achievements with their families and friends was “a great way to start the year.”
Milaina Cafe was announced as Narooma Rotary’s 2023 Tertiary Scholar with a three-year scholarship. Milaina will study for a double degree at ANU – a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy, Economics (PPE) and a Bachelor of Public Policy – and hopes to eventually work in public policy with the State or Federal Governments “to help make the world a better place”.
The Club also caught up with Narooma High students who took apart in the Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment (RYPEN) and those in the Model United Nation Assembly (MUNA) in Canberra during the last six months.
Phoebe Coxon and Talon Keith both said they gained so much from the RYPEN weekend camp at Wagga Wagga. They went from initially being out of their comfort zone meeting completely new people, to gaining new confidence from working with them. By the end of the weekend they had a bunch of new friends and did not want to leave. It has also helped them think about their future plans.
Two of the students who attended MUNA spoke of the challenging experience debating world issues as a delegation from in their case Iran with “super-prepared” teams from other schools representing other countries having debated other teams just to be there. Narooma students though held their own collaborating extremely well as a team, largely also due to their preparation with teacher Monique Wicks.
“MUNA is a different mind-set having to think in different ways, representing views I don’t necessarily agree with,” said Yeshe Smith Macpherson. “It gave me so much confidence.”
Jack Lenihan felt he gained many skills from the MUNA experience, including people and collaborative skills, as well as “immense confidence”.
The meeting also heard from a very proud Narooma High Principal Fiona Jackson on developments at the school, and from the Club’s other current Tertiary Scholars Raichel Brodie (2022) and Elise Dixon (2021).
Narooma Rotary awards a three-year scholarship to a student from Narooma High School each year, thanks to a bequest by Alexander Birch. Now with additional funding from a greatly appreciated benefactor, the scholarship is now $6,000 a year.
Above: Milaina Cafe was presented with her Narooma Rotary Tertiary Scholarship by Narooma Rotary Treasurer Mike Young, watched by her Club counsellor for the duration of her scholarship David McInnes.
The Club also caught up with Narooma High students who took part in the Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment (RYPEN) and in the Model United Nation Assembly (MUNA) in Canberra during the last six months.
Above: At Narooma Rotary’s 2023 Youth Night, Narooma High Principal Fiona Jackson, left, Raichel Brodie, Milaina Café, Talon Keith, Phoebe Coxon, Yeshe Smith Macpherson, Monique Wicks, Lachie Penglase (potential Rotary Exchange student), Jack Lenihan, Narooma Rotary VP Ange Ulrichsen.
