Vocational Service - The Second Avenue of Service

...by maintaining high ethical standards in your business or profession, sharing Rotary’s ideal within trade organizations.  Find ways to contribute to the ethical dialogue within the workplace and share your professional or business expertise in practical ways through mentoring or job-training programs.  In particular, share your expertise and give guidance to young people so that they can build their own future through useful work.

Some of New London Rotary Vocational Service Committees

Youth-in-Government
The Youth-in-Government Committee arranges for the recognition of the New
London High School Students who participate in the Youth in Government program
at a Rotary meeting during November or December.

Exemplary Workers' Recognition
The Exemplary Workers' Recognition Committee invites New London employers
to recognition their outstanding employees at a Rotary Club meeting each
spring. This involves recruiting New London businesses/organizations to participate,
arranging for certificates of recognition/appreciation and coordinating
luncheon arrangements with club program chair.

Literacy in the Workplace
The Literacy in the Workplace Committee promotes activities that seek to eliminate
illiteracy, with emphasis on the workplace. Currently, this is done through
participation in the Business Breakfast organized by Literacy Volunteers. This
participation involves assisting the local Literacy Volunteers in organizing the
Breakfast, promoting the Breakfast and getting members to attend the Breakfast.

Interact
The Interact Committee is responsible for organizing and sponsoring a Interact
club among the local youth people. This involves supporting the Interact's
organizing activities and engaging New London Rotary Club members in the
support of the fledging Interact.

High School Awards & Initiatives
The NLHS Awards & Initiatives Committee coordinates the following:

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)is Rotary's leadership training program for young people. RYLA participants can be ages 14-30, but most clubs and districts choose to focus on a narrower age range, such as 14-18 or 19-30.

RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and personal growth, and aims to

• Demonstrate Rotary's respect and concern for youth
• Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders
• Encourage leadership of youth by youth
• Recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities

The New Generations Conference is a one day assembly of CT based high school students from diverse backgrounds that have open discussions of relevant issues important to them under the guidance of carefully selected Rotarians. We work with the New London
High School and Williams School to identify students willing to participate.

The committee also organizes the selection and presentation of
the following awards: Benjamin Levinson Community Service Awards, Harry
Birenbaum Music Award, the Robert Groebel Scholarship Award and for Rotary
Scholars Awards. The committee helps arrange for RYLA students to attend
the training seminar usually held in November and ensures the acquisition
of the appropriate gifts and plaques for recognition of the other awardees
in the late spring at the High School awards program and at a regular Rotary
meeting.