Youth Service Update

Immediate Past President Stan and Neville travelled to Brisbane International Airport on Saturday 16 January to see outbound exchange student Alana Berghofer depart for her twelve month exchange in Italy.

The Club needs one additional host family for the inbound exchange student arriving in July 2016. Host families do not have to be Rotarians. Students are happy with a variety of host families with the four families they have during their exchange year including host grandparents.

The Sunshine Coast Technical Trade Training Centre (SCTTTC) 2016 Rotary Club of Caloundra Pacific Scholarship has been awarded to Monish Sharma, a year 11 student from Meridan State College. Monish is undertaking the Integrated Learning in Engineering Studies.

The RYDA Caloundra Committee have been successful in obtaining a grant of $25,350 under the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) Community Road Safety Grants program to conduct eight RYDA programs at Corbould Park for a total of approximately 1400 year 11 students from eleven schools in 2016. This is the second grant obtained through TMR, total $48,630.

TMR have contacted Neville as Rotary District 9600 RYDA Chair to discuss the possibility of funding D9600 RYDA venues at Caloundra, Nambour, Noosa, Gympie and Kingaroy for a further three years. A TMR funding workshop has been arranged for all RYDA venues at the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce board room on Tuesday 16 February. The DG and DGE have been invited.

It is intended to establish two new D9600 RYDA venues at Lakeside and Eagle Farm and a further meeting will be organised with TMR to discuss the possibility of funding these venues.

The RYDA Caloundra Committee have also been advised that they have been successful in obtaining a grant of $7,066 under the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development Stronger Communities Program (SCP). This is a dollar for dollar grant to purchase equipment for the RYDA Caloundra program including two enclosed steel lockable 7 x 4 trailers, one for RYDA and one for Calpac. Trailers will be fitted out by the Caloundra Men's Shed.

The RYDA Caloundra Committee have been successful in obtaining funding from all three levels of government and is also in partnership with the University of the Sunshine Coast. Funding from the Sunshine Coast Council totals $9,500 from a Major Grant and the discretionary funds of four Councillors and the Mayor for 2016.

A meeting of the RYDA Caloundra Committee will be held at 9.00 am at the Naked Turtle at Kings Beach on Tuesday 9 February. Interested Rotarians are welcome to attend, please advise Neville.

The students recently returned from NYSF in Canberra, Conocophillips Science Experience in Brisbane and the 2016 Caloundra State High School and Meridan State College REAP students and the SCTTTC Scholarship student will attend Rotary meetings in the near future.