Our Youth Services Committee oversees four programs: Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA), Interact clubs, and annual scholarships for graduating seniors.

 

Rotary Youth Exchange is a study abroad program for high school students. Through Mountain and Plains District 5470 Rotary Youth Exchange, we work with local high schools to accept applications for students wishing to spend a year attending school and serving as a youth ambassador in one of our exchange partner countries. Applicants are interviewed at the club and district level before being selected to participate in this program. In exchange, a foreign student will spend a year in Carbondale attending Roaring Fork High School. We are always looking for host families, if you're interested. For more information, visit mountainandplainsrye.com, or contact our club's Youth Exchange Officer, Tami Stroud, at jtstroud75@gmail.com.

 

RYLA is a youth leadership program, and includes our annual RYLA camp that's held each June and hosted in one of our District 5470 communities. Each year, we recruit local high school students to apply and will award one scholarship for a student to attend this camp. Our hope is that they can learn valuable leadership skills and bring that knowledge back home to their schools and the community. For more information, contact Youth Services Chair John Stroud at stroudjohn064@gmail.com. 

 

Interact is Rotary for youth ages 12-18. Though currently inactive, our local Rotary club is willing to sponsor an Interact club based at Carbondale Middle School or Roaring Fork High School. Like Rotary clubs, Interact is an international service organization where students can organize fundraisers to support school or community projects and partner with Interact clubs around the world on global projects, often focused on youth. For more information, contact Youth ServicesChair John Stroud at stroudjohn064@gmail.com. 

 

Scholarships: Each spring, our club accepts applications for college and trade school scholarships from graduating seniors at Roaring Fork, Bridges and Basalt high schools. For more information, visit our Scholarships page.