The Rotary Junior Community Award is now completing its 22nd year.

The Bairnsdale Junior Community Award started as an identified need through the establishment of a pilot program in Bairnsdale of the Community Relations Education Project (CREP). An organisation of local people, schools, police, welfare organisations, Koorie and other youth groups whose aim was to lower the incidence of violence, discrimination and racism in our community.  The BJCA was introduced to involve young people in a direct positive way to benefit themselves and our local community.

 

Designed by the late Rotarian and Principal David Hawkey, the JCA was trialled in the four Bairnsdale schools in 1997 and carefully monitored before promoting it to other schools and Rotary Clubs. It became very obvious that the Award was achieving everything that was hoped for and a great deal more by the end of the first year and the Rotary Club of Mitchell River became the major sponsor

 

 

In 20 years more than 3000 Grade 6 students in the Bairnsdale area alone have completed the Award. About 15000 diaries are sent around Australia each year now and the number of schools still taking up the program is increasing.

 

A report from the UK in 2016 has indicated that since the program was taken there by past D G , John Hayes, in 1999, Birmingham, Lichfield, Ludlow, Stourbridge, Coventry, Dronefield in Derbyshire, Abergele in North Wales (translated into Welsh!) Ormskirk and Dundee have many schools are undertaking the Program. The RC of Dunbar, Scotland, started its first school last year.

 

The  program engages Grade 6 students in five main areas of endeavour to be completed over the school year – Community Service, Social Experience, Physical Recreation, Skill Development and Environmental Awareness (added during this past year). The students with the aid of parents and teachers design a program they feel they can achieve and keep a diary of their progress. At the end of the year they are presented with a certificate at a ceremony organized by the Rotary Club of Mitchell River together with family, friends and supporters. The success of the program is indicated by the variety of activities the students choose to complete their Award and the confidence and  effort they put in; together with of the enthusiasm and diligence of the people who are involved as supervisors, instructors, assessors, mentors and supporters.