Youth Team updates
July 17th 2025, Youth Opps Update. For info and to highlight need for volunteers.
Dictionaries
We have been part of the Rotary Dictionary project since 2007/2008 and from modest beginnings with three schools to sixteen this year. The team, especially Amir, has done a great job over the last 9/10 years. Rotarian Colin Bryant who led the Rotary Dictionary project virtually from inception early in the 2000s with his wife Zoe has sadly passed away. At the moment it is doubtful if RIBI can find another leader, but Amir has some ideas that will be explored at a forthcoming Youth team Zoom meeting.
Vicky works her socks off on this one and has secured a candidate for this year’s trip to Rhos Y Gwaliau. However, more candidates with economically and educationally diverse backgrounds are needed to benefit them from this Outward Bound type leadership course.
See https://rygoutdoor.co.uk/
YMCA
In the 90s and early 2000s we were very close to Reading YMCA, but it faded. In January 2020 we made an approach to reopen the relationship which was hampered immediately by Covid. In 2021 we helped with a grant of £4,800 to purchase kit for the IT training and Jack’s son in law Terry Pollard produced 20 used but good condition laptops from US IT company Veritas where he was a director. Later in 2023 Council and members approved a £20,000 grant primarily to help train young residents in IT matters and the training room would be renamed “Mikes Room” in his honour. We visited “Mike’s Room” in January 2024 and were received by General Manager Jayne Evanson who said she would report progress to us. Janet is currently organising a slot for Jayne to visit us as Guest Speaker.
We also commissioned the YM’s carpentry workshop to refurbish Caversham Rotary Club’s park bench on Christchurch Meadow which they presented to Reading Borough to mark Rotary’s Centenary in 2008. The Club no longer exists so led by Roger we paid for the job carried out by YM trainees.
Finally, great hot news is that Terry became a new Assoc member on Tuesday 15th July and has already joined the Youth Opps team and will liaise with Jayne to see where we might help with contacts, ideas, professional advice etc.
Shoeboxes
Last year we had great help from a wholesaler in Leeds who supplied most of the 900 items on a pallet direct to Tim and Vicky’s with a smaller number coming via Amazon. The latter route has been a challenge as it has meant multiple deliveries because of offer limits etc. The wholesaler is being unresponsive in spite of calls and emails.
Whitley Wood Playgroup - Mothers and toddlers reading group. See - https://reading.hubbub.net/p/WhitleyWoodPlaygroup/
In March 2024 the group was helped financially to reach its budget for April 2024/2025 and Elie Walker the Community leader came to speak to the Club last year. It was a project initiated by Reading Uni but intended to be run locally so not sure how long their involvement will last. Basically, the aim is to help young local mothers, in this poorest area of Reading, to encourage babies and toddlers to become interested in real books (pop up books for example) which should lead to stories and hopefully an interest in reading. Amir and Jack recently attended a seminar at Reading Uni that was devoted to this and similar initiatives. The reports were very positive and again underline evidence that children who engage early with books and reading are advantaged educationally and maintain that advantage at Primary School and at 11.
They are just about Ok for funding at the moment but might use RRC for advice, contacts, ideas etc.
Life Education
Life Education Wessex is part of Coram, one of the World’s oldest children’s charities. The next time you visit The British Museum do look into The Foundling Hospital which is just around the corner. Our Club has been involved since 2007 and has encouraged some 15 local primary schools, mostly in central Reading and Tilehurst, to participate. This often involved contributing to the cost of the visits.
There is some information on our website but basically the project provides specialist educators who visit primary schools and run proactive lessons on the basic skills of life. – health, hygiene, friendships, loneliness, bullying and the benefits and dangers of the internet. Covid put paid to such visits, but recent discussions confirm there is still an important role for Rotary in promoting the project.
We have arranged for Life Education’s Caroline Payne to visit the Club and Janet has fixed a slot in October so that Caroline can bring us up to date and to see how we might help further.
See www.lifeeducationwessex.org.uk
If you would like to learn more about the Yoth team or our club in general then please do get in touch with our membership secretary