ROTARY CLUB OF KOTA KINABALU, SABAH. Bakat Interact Youth Talent Competition A concert initiated by RC Kota Kinabalu to tap the vibrant energy of youth and channel it positively in their progress towards maturity. This activity encourages youth to express their ideas and display their talents in an effort to develop along with their contemporaries towards adulthood. This Rotary Club supports five Interact clubs and each year invites other Interact Clubs sponsored by local Rotary Clubs to participate in the annual Bakat Interact (Interact Talent Show), staging music, song and dance. A Music, song and dance Contest between Interact Clubs L TO R STUDENTS CHEERING ON ROTARIANS CAPTURING THE MOMENT PERFORMANCES BY STUDENTS Bakat Interact is eagerly looked forward to by Rotarians, Interactors, their family and friends, providing fellowship, communication and interaction under the umbrella of Rotary. Many of the performing groups choose international themes adding to general knowledge and diversity, with the last Bakat Interact featuring acts with themes of Korea, Egypt, South Asia and Papua. Much enthusiasm by school Principals and Teachers is displayed during preliminary competitions, when each school selects its best. Rotarians are usually invited to be judges at the school level competitions, while for Bakat Interact several professional musicians and singers perform as judges. The standard of Bakat Interact is very high, resulting in several professional singers citing the fact that their winning a past competition, became the launching pad of their career. The competition has always been a sold-out event with all 1200 seats in the auditorium filled. Students pack the auditorium each year to give noisy support to their participating schoolmates. Profit from ticket sales is divided equally amongst the participating Interact Clubs, also Bakat Interact serves a second purpose as a fund raiser. Our club believes in nurturing youth, imbuing them with Rotary values and encourages international knowledge and awareness. 80 ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10
ROTARY CLUB OF PANDAN VALLEY Going Green Going Green a community project by the Interact club of Northbrooks is a journey to create an awareness to save the only planet that we call HOME EARTH. On February 20th 2009, RCPV officially installed the new Interact Club of Northbrooks. The Interact club approached RCPV for mentorship and seed money for their Go Green Project. The BOD decided that this was a meaningful project for the Interactors and has committed to support this project for 3 years. An Interact Project with Rotarians as Mentors for a wonderful synergy 4 Rotarians were assigned as mentors Rtn David Chiang & Shiamala, PE Mike Loh and PEN Lim Eng Hai. The initial seed money of $17,000 was provided and mentors met Interactors regularly to provide guidance and support. The Go Green project was an inclusive project it involved the Interactors and other students and teachers in the school, the community they live in (Yishun), the government and Rotarians. It was organized to cover the following goals: Community Awareness and Education with the following activities by the Interactors : 1) Go Green Garage sales selling item donated to raise funds for Green initiatives 2) Interactors reached out to the community by holding Recycle Art workshops at Hot Park, Nee Soon CC & Pathlight School 3) Interactors started a Go Green Campaign door to door visits- passing information about the importance of saving the environment. 4) Recycle Art workshop was held for Rotarians and families 5) A Recycle Art competition was in the school last year to spread the message. 6) Educating old folks in Yishun community to protect the earth by teaching in weekend classes. As a result of their Green Initiative, the school has won two Green Credit Awards by the National environment Agency in 2009 This is perhaps one of the most meaningful school projects one that creates awareness amongst the new generation in one of the most pressing environmental issues. We hope other Interactors will also take up the challenge and join in the Green Movement and build a better home for themselves. ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10 81
ROTARY E CLUB Advanced Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (Advanced RYLA) WHAT DOES ARYLA SEEK TO ACHIEVE? One of our goals is to impart values and ethical standards. The 5 Rotary s core values are Service, Fellowship, Diversity, Integrity, and Leadership. These are reflected in the Object of Rotary, The 4-Way Test, and A Guide to Daily Living, which we, as Rotarians, are expected to use in our daily lives. As we walk the talk, the youth shall have a role model which they can identify. Using the diagram on desired student outcomes, Rotarians have a major role to play to help bring out such qualities in our youth - the leaders of tomorrow! ARYLA is an event of the Youth, by the Youth and for the Youth Advanced RYLA (ARYLA) is a leadership event of youth, and is organized by youth for youth! It came as a natural progression from RYLA where youth goes through a transition on personal development. ARYLA seeks to fulfill an intermediate role. Promising leaders are encouraged, if interested, to become certified service learning facilitators. The latter gives them the opportunity to earn some income, have a holiday and, at the same time, serve the community by leading schoolbased service learning teams to foreign countries to undertake community service projects. CP Chew Ban Seng took the opportunity to share the importance of sustainability and ethical values through the concept of People (co-workers), Planet (environment), Profit(income) all inter-linked so that each part affects the other. For long-term sustainability, illustrations were given to show the important of maintaining this delicate balance. Unlike most RYLAs, the six teams were preselected based on a balance between experienced RYLAians and first time participants. The experienced participants helped to organize, lead, and facilitate all sessions while Rotarians only act as mentors and resource persons. A Rotary volunteer was assigned as mentor to each team and he/she stayed with the team throughout the entire programme. He/she was encouraged, at every opportunity, to share Rotary information with the participants. The mentors and team were briefed on five KPIs (Key Performance Indicators); or simply goals. They were (a) Team completes all tasks and assignments; (b) Active participation by all members of the team; (c) Cooperation and teamwork in your team; (d) Time management and discipline; and, finally, (e) Identify potential leaders. Mentors were provided with general guidelines. They should act as friends, guides... and as resources on Rotary information. Participants were encouraged to explore and learn instead. A spirit of competition, yet co-operation, was encouraged. Each team member went through the team dynamics process of forming, storming, norming and performing. At the end, the six teams were able to come up with their distinctive cheers and uniquely designed flags within the stipulated time. They were Pink Panthers (colour: pink, mentor Fancy Tan), Contenders (colour: purple, mentor Susan Wong), Eureka (colour: blue, mentor Murni Suranti), Bumble Bees (colour: yellow, mentor Susan Lee), Darevills (colour: grey, mentor Leslie Sim) and Ahlamak (colour: green, mentor Corbin Embery). Gogi (Parwinder Singh), an ITE Lecturer on Lifeskills, shared on Dr Gray Chapman s five languages of love Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. A very motivational and encouraging speaker. He involved the participants by asking them to write words of affirmation on a notepad to someone... and giving away chocolate bars to them as his gifts of love. PHOTOS TAKEN AT ARYLA 82 ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10
ROTARY CLUB OF TAWAU Joint Project by 3 Interact Clubs This is a joint project of Interact Clubs of SM St.Patrick s, SMK Tawau and SMK Kuhara which all come under the umbrella of Rotary Club of Tawau. The subject of this years Annual Career guidance talk by RC Tawau, is a career in Plantations. The recent plight of unemployed and homeless Sabahans in Kuala Lumpur made it even more imperative for students to appreciate the job opportunities available locally instead of searching for greener pastures in the City. The trip was organized on the 24th Nov 2009 with 3 Teacher Advisors, 22 Interactors and 6 Rotarians participating in the visit to TSH Integrated Palm Oil Mill. The students were briefed on the various processes of the Mill, job prospects and the required qualifications for the various jobs available in the industry. The students were also given opportunities to query the various aspects of the industry during the visit. The visit ended with a tour of the Palm Oil Mill and the Power Generation Plant. Having seen the plantation and mill operation 1st hand, the students came away with a better understanding and more importantly a positive outlook on the employment prospects in the industry. T TO B INTERACTORS ON SITE OF PALM OIL MILL LAYOUT OF THE PAML OIL MILL Visit of Interactors to Integrated Palm Oil Mill changed the view of Employment ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10 83
The objectives are to share and celebrate the joy of Christmas with the children from the homes; to create public awareness on caring, loving and sharing for children who are in need; and to meet the annual goals of Rotaract Club of Johor Bahru. Bringing festive cheer to 100 special children ROTARACT CLUB OF JOHOR BAHRU Christmas Party for Special Children The Rotaract Club of Johor Bahru brought festive cheer to 100 special children from Berkat home, Ellijah Home and Care Heaven, with a Christmas Party at Danga City Mall on 19th December 2009. The Rotaract Club carried out a Charity Car Wash to raise funds for the Party. Contributions were also received from The Rotary Clubs of Johor Bahru and Johor Centennial and from the public. Altogether, 7 Rotarians, 12 Rotaractors, 15 Interactors and 30 parents participated in the Christmas Party making a total of 180 people at the function with special program such as: Performances by each home; Children of each home demonstrated their talent by singing and dancing; Aerobic dance conducted by trainer from Danga City Mall Gym with participation by the children and guests; Clowning by Befrienders; Santa Claus appearance by Rotaractor Benjamin Wang; Prizes, Gifts and Certificates were given away; and Prizes and gifts were given to the kids by Santa Claus. Each home that participated received a participation certificate. Members of the Rotaract Club of Johor Bahru worked all day to wash over 30 cars in Charity Car Wash 2009 for funding this program. The total collection was RM500.00. The venue was sponsored by Mr Vijay, the owner from KP Auto, Taman Rinting. All funds raised were used to support the Christmas Party for Special Children. T TO B CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR THE CHILDREN. ROTARACTORS DOING A CHARITY CAR WASH 84 ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10
It was been a tough but rewarding trip for all of us with warm welcome and reception by the principal, Pak Gusti, his students and the people of Binong village where life is considerably much simpler with fewer conveniences. We learnt to appreciate what we have at home and learn not to take things for granted. From this trip, we have gained valuable insight not only to the needs of the community, but also their culture and way of life. ROTARACT CLUB OF SINGAPORE CITY International Understanding Project to Karawaci Indonesia The Rotaract Club of Singapore (City) embarked on its International Understanding Project to Lippo Karawaci, Indonesia from 13th to 21st December 2009. The group consists of 31 participants, joined by Rotarian Zahidi and Rotarian Jimmy. This project is the result of a recce trip as part of the Medical, Dental, and Community Project to Karawaci organized by our Sponsor, Rotary Club of Singapore in August 2009. Inspired by the principal s selfless act, we decided to organize an International Understanding Project to Karawaci, aiming to help the school in its vision to provide education to all the children in the village. We were housed at two dormitories in the heart of the village, some 500m away from the school. Over the next 4 days, from 14th to 17th December, we conducted an education camp for the students of the Madrasah, from Primary 1 all the way to Secondary 4 and even a class of Pre-U students in basic English words and conversational English, health and hygiene practices and introduced the students to simple science concepts through experiment demonstrations. With new friendships forged and old ones strengthened, this has definitely been an enriching and rewarding experience for all of us. Understanding leads to better lives for Rotaractors, and the villagers We even set up a temporary Internet connection on the Principal s computer using wireless connection components purchased from the local mall. IT lessons were conducted by a member of the team, teaching secondary students how to log on and use the Internet such as setting up an email account and using search engines like Google. At the end of each camp-day, we fed the students syrup Vitamin C and gave out gift packs. To brighten up the learning environment of the students, we spent half a day whitewashing and a full day painting murals designed by one of our team mates in two of the classrooms as well as the wall next to the staircase. We also bought textbooks and teaching guidebooks for the school, as requested in the school s wishlist. Finally, we rounded off our project with a paediatric medical screening for the Madrasah s students. About 200 students were screened in total. T TO B GROUP PHOTO FULFILLING THEIR WISHLIST SIMPLE SCIENCE CONCEPTS THROUGH EXPERIMENT DEMONSTRATIONS. ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10 85
THE ROTARACT CLUB OF KOTA MELAKA Swing 4 Sight -- A Charity Golf Tournament BENEFITS: This project had been beneficial to the organizers as this helped us to understand the challenges of undertaking such an event. It also helped the group to bond more closely because such an undertaking requires a great deal of coordination. It helped us to develop a give-and-take attitude and focus on the final objective and not our individual problems. The local community was also exposed to the activities of the Rotaract movement and eventually got to know what Rotaract was all about. Finally, the funds raised added to our pool to educate and treat people in our community who suffer from cataracts and to the pool of funds for Rotary s worldwide fight to eradicate polio. Many people in Melaka who develop cataracts are either too poor or uninformed to seek corrective treatment. This condition causes the vision of the sufferer to be blurred but is correctable with proper education and a simple eye surgery process. Sufferers of this condition need to be informed through a public awareness programme followed by making the corrective surgery process available and affordable to them. The eradication of the debilitating disease of polio had, for a long time, been one of the major initiatives of the Rotary movement. A great deal of Rotary s funds and energy had been utilized for this purpose. This debilitating disease while not curable is preventable. Through pubic education and a mass immunization programme, the Rotary movement s aim is to finally eradicate this disease from the face of the earth. The Rotaract Club of Kota Melaka in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Kota Melaka set about raising funds towards the goals of the above two scourges. 15 members of the Rotaract Club of Kota Melaka took 6 months to plan and execute this meaningful project under the advice, guidance and support of members of the Rotary Club of Kota Melaka. The event was graced by Rotary Kota Melaka president David Tan, District Governor Datuk Latip, and honoured guest and sponsor YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Wira Nordin Ahmad, chairman of Melaka s Majlis Datuk-datuk. A total of RM 20,000 was raised of which US$ 1,000 was taken as our contribution to Rotary International s Polio Plus Programme. RM 20,000 was raised for Cataract project in Malaka T TO B PARTICIPANTS OF SWING 4 SIGHT 2010 THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF SWING 4 SIGHT 2010 86 ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10
It is a test of physical and mental resolve in completing this unique challenge NUS ROTARACT CLUB Rotary Walks to End Polio The eradication of polio had, for a long time, been one of the major initiatives of the Rotary movement. Much of Rotary s funds had been utilized for this purpose. The Rotary Walks to End Polio project is one of the many initiatives to raise funds in the fight against polio. This project was organized by the Rotary Club of Pudu (District 3300) with the dual aim of raising awareness and funds for the eradication of polio. The Rotary Club of Singapore West (District 3310) together with the Rotaract Club of the National University of Singapore put up a team of 16 people to join in the big walk. The combined group of walkers started from Penang in the north and walked through many towns in Malaysia, finally ending in Ipoh. The distance covered was about 150km and took the team 7 days from 25th to 31st Dec 2009 to cover which included stops for publicity events and interaction and fellowship with the local Rotary clubs at these destinations. This project had been beneficial to all participants as it provided them an opportunity to test their physical and mental resolve in completing this unique challenge. Most of the participants have not had the experience of a physical challenge of such a scale. Many have pushed themselves to achieve beyond what they thought was their maximum capability. This self discovery and the sense of achievement were extremely satisfying. L TO R ROUTE MAP GROUP PHOTO Besides the individual development, the team also learnt about teamwork and camaraderie. Most started as individuals and ended as friends. What started as an individual effort ended as a team effort. Under the common stress of such a demanding endeavour, both Rotarians and Rotaracters developed a better understanding of each other much better. All participants now better understand the concept of fellowship so repeatedly mentioned in the Objects of Rotary. The interaction with the local Rotary clubs helped the team, especially the Rotaracters, experience the unique bonding of members of the Rotary family. Last but not least, the stops and the publicity events helped raised the needed funds. It also helped the team better understand and appreciate the local people. At the same time, the publicity also helped the locals better know Rotary and what we stand for. ROTARY AWARDS 2009-10 87