Interact Clubs – making a difference
A service club operating at two southern metropolitan schools is providing students with a range of opportunities to have their work accredited by the Curriculum Council, at the same time as giving back to the community.
Ursula Frayne Catholic College Interact members Jonathan Tukimin and Anita Diep with a collection of aluminium can 'ring pulls' that will be sent overseas and used in prosthetic limb joints.
Fundraising by Como Secondary College's Interact Club meant educational supplies could be provided to Balinese school children.
Como Secondary College and Ursula Frayne Catholic College have Interact Clubs, which is Rotary International’s school-based service club for young people aged between 14 and 18.
Interact Clubs are expected to be recognised as a Curriculum Council endorsed program next year as well as being eligible to count towards the community service requirement for graduation with a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).
Principal of Como Secondary College, Ross Sweeney, said the Interact program builds on the values of serving others.
Mr Sweeney, who first started an Interact Club at Katanning Senior High School in 1999, said it was great that the value of service clubs had been recognised by the Curriculum Council and embedded in the school curriculum.
“The community service program is about responding to local need; in some cases it involves responding to international need,” Mr Sweeney said.
“I think it’s commendable that Interact work is undertaken in students’ own time.
“As well as the volunteer work undertaken for the wider community, Como students have also helped increase the shaded area within the school grounds.”
Fifteen year-old Como Secondary College Year 10 student Jessica Sherman said the school’s Interact Club was started in April 2006. The club currently has 10 regular members and the members are marketing the club to Year 9 students in an effort to increase membership for next year.
To date, the club has raised more than $5,500 to support its chosen projects. It has assisted Rotary Clubs with charity events such as community fiestas and the Million Paws Walk and undertaken fundraising for the Red Cross and Princess Margaret Hospital.
“Our main fundraising event is an annual quiz night and this year we raised more than $2,500. This year our community project is to support a teenage suicide and depression prevention organisation and our international project is a water project in East Timor,” Jessica said.“It makes me feel good to know that we can make a difference.”
Jessica has also spoken to students at Kent St Senior High School, which is interested in starting an Interact Club.
Ursula Frayne Catholic College’s Interact Club has been active at the Victoria Park school since 2001 and is supported by the Rotary Club of Ascot. It has 15 members and a number of observers who are too young to officially join.
Ursula Frayne’s Interact Club divides its activities into local and international projects. Local projects have included making blankets for refugee families in the local community, visiting a nursing home in Carlisle and providing support for Ascot Rotary’s quiz night and its stall at the Belmont Fair.
International projects have included raising funds for World Vision to provide seeds, tools and training for people in Zambia, funding an orphanage in Bosnia and collecting and sending textbooks to underprivileged schools in the Philippines.
An ongoing project is the collection of aluminium ‘can pulls’ which are sent overseas to be melted down for use in prosthetic limb joints.
President of Ursula Frayne’s Interact Club, Anita Diep, said it was empowering to be part of the decision-making process when the club was planning and undertaking fundraising activities. On a personal level, Anita said her role as president offered good experience at public speaking.
Club treasurer, Jonathan Tukimin, said there were very few boys in the club at the time he joined. He was proud that several of his friends had followed his lead and joined up, too.
“I also get a lot of satisfaction that we are helping other people,” Jonathan said.
“Another highlight was hosting the annual meeting Ascot Rotary has at our school.”
Curriculum Council endorsed programs coordinator, Leanne Meldrum, said participation in an Interact Club will be even more attractive to students once it becomes widely known that they will be able to use it towards the community service requirement. Once endorsed, it will also enable students to be awarded unit equivalence towards the WACE.
Interact Clubs involve Rotarians mentoring and guiding students to achieve their nominated projects. Along the way, students acquire skills such as project management, managing meetings, setting goals, formulating budgets and fundraising.
