The Rotary Junior Community Award is a program aimed at giving young children the opportunity to develop attitudes towards volunteerism by assisting organisations and people in need, to learn about their own community, to develop healthy attitudes towards physical recreation and to develop new skills.

The Award is based on the Duke of Edinburgh Award but with modifications to suit a younger age group and also a different set of aims. The Duke of Edinburgh Award commences with the Bronze Award for children who are 14years of age. The Rotary Junior Community Award is for children in Year 6 in Primary School.

The Award is non-competitive and can be designed to cater for the mental and physical capabilities of all children . The program is readily adaptable to children in small rural schools or the large urban school. It is based on a series of activities that take place during the first three terms of the year. Each participating child has the opportunity to design the activities to suit their own set of skills and opportunities. Adults monitor their progress.

The Award asks children to focus on four main aspects of community life;

• Community Service where children help other people.
• Skills, where children learn a new hobby or interest,
• Physical Recreation with thee accent on participation as well as performance and
• Social Experience where children take part in a range of community activities including a community celebration, a community meeting, a cultural exchange, a religious experience and an arts performance.

The Award is administered by a co-ordinator from the sponsoring Rotary Club and a supervisor ( parent or teacher )from each school. Each child has a special diary for designing their own program and recording their activities. The Awards are presented at a Presentation Night organised by the Rotary Club at the start of term 4.

The cost to the children is $5.00 which provides for the diary. Rotary provides the framed awards for the participants.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Vic ) supports the program. Rotary Clubs can obtain a kit explaining all aspects of the Award including a sample letter to be sent to the school council and the certificate for the participants for $10.00 by contacting:

Your Club should become involved because:

• in today's world there is uncertainty that children are developing the attitudes needed to create a better world.
• this program trains children to develop the same high moral and ethical standards that we as Rotarians follow.
• it is an excellent way to become involved with a younger age group than Rotary Clubs normally do.
• your Club will be able to show the way for schools and families to follow in the training of children for future leadership roles.