Youth & Community

Our Vocational Youth and Community Services Committee provides a focal point and coordinates activities involving the club and the local community.

Our current youth activities include:

• Assistance to local sick children with a variety of life threating and terminal illnesses, providing items such as additional occupational therapy and such items as essential equipment for home and education.
• Taking groups of Children from local schools to the Youlgrave Pantomime.
• Annually we award a Rotary prize to two students at Highfields School that have excelled in the community.  The winners of this prize are selected by their peers.
• We are currently aiming to improve our links with and support to Highfields School in Matlock, to encourage entries to the Rotary Young Chef competition and Speaking Competitions.  Matlock club members provide support for mock interviews at the Schools Industry Day.
• We regularly provide ad-hoc assistance to students to help support their own specific charitable and personal development activities and actively encourage written requests in this area.
• We aim to give more assistance to local charities and are always to happy welcome visitors and speakers at our meetings who are keen to inform us of local issues and needs.  

In the local community:

• We have introduced a 'Community Grant' programme whereby good causes can apply to Matlock Rotary for a grant (usually up to £500).
  
• We have developed links to and have provided ad-hoc support to the local Citizens Advice Bureau and have supplied necessary equipment. 
• We have also provided ad-hoc financial assistance to the local branch of Help The Aged. 
• Members of the club regularly help with their time supporting the Matlock Talking Newspaper for the blind.  We have helped to purchase of new digital recording and playback equipment.
• We have strong links to the Greenaway workshop in Darley Dale.  Greenaway Workshop is a small non-profit making charity, running a workshop which provides disabled adults with work suited to their individual needs and capabilities. The workshop has been carrying out repairs to chairs to a very high standard since October 1981, serving many small and large local businesses in the Matlock area.