Each year, the Rotary Club of Flint sponsors local students to participate in a district-wide youth leadership program called Seminar for Tomorrow's Leaders. The program brings together high school students from different parts of Ontario and Michigan to the campus of Western University in London, Ontario for a jam-packed three-day weekend. They explore what it means to be a leader through hands-on activities, guest speakers, and discussions, covering topics that would be familiar to Rotarians-- service, teamwork, careers, and global perspectives. Seminar for Tomorrow's Leaders was ahead of its time, starting in 1961 and predating the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards that have become a standard for many Rotary Clubs. Students are selected because they have demonstrated leadership qualities.

 

On June 14, the two high school students sponsored by the Rotary Club of Flint visited to share about their experiences. Koen Hernandez and Andrew Kang are both students at Powers Catholic High School in Flint and have leadership roles with their school's Rotoract Club as the incoming President and Treasurer. (Rotoract is a version of Rotary geared to high school students. Flint Powers Catholic has the largest Rotoract club in the district!) They were joined by Joe Reynolds, the Past President of the Genesee Valley Rotary Club and coordinator of the Seminar for Tomorrow's Leaders program from our area. Koen and Andrew reported that they enjoyed their time stepping out of their comfort zone and meeting lots of people from other communities.  They both appreciated the opportunity to attend the conference and encouraged other young people to pursue the opportunity as well.