SCHOOLS ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Youngsters have their say in Rotary public speaking competitionAre animal rights as important as human rights? and is artificial intelligence a universal benefit? were just two of the thought-provoking questions explored by young people taking part in a Rotary public speaking competition.
The Youth Speaks event was organised by the Rotary club of Maidenhead and held at Newlands Girls’ School in Farm Road, on Thursday, January 18 2024. There were two age groups: intermediate for those aged 11-13, and senior for 14-18-year-olds. Each team of three was made up of a chairman who opened and summarised the debate, a proposer who spoke in favour of a motion, and an opposer who spoke against it. They had to speak for exactly 15 minutes on their chosen subject, then had up to two more minutes to answer a question from the floor. The teams could debate a topic of their choice and the interesting subjects also included whether we should eat meat, should prosecutors be allowed to plea bargain, and whether the War on Terror was justifiable. Taking part were pupils from Newlands and Cox Green Schools and the hosts triumphed in both age groups – the intermediate team debating the merits of animal rights and the seniors the benefits of AI. The debates were strictly timed and assessed by a panel of three independent judges, who were all experienced in public speaking. Rotarian Tony Hill, who organised the event, said: “Youth Speaks is run to support and encourage the development of effective communication skills. It offers young people experience in speaking in public as a member of a team, and gives them the chance to formulate ideas on topical subjects and to put these forward while being in opposition to another speaker. “The judges were very impressed with the sheer organisation of arguments, the ability of the contestants to use evidence and examples to support their cases. The amount of preparation and research shone through. “They noted the extraordinary ability of the senior winners to engage the audience. They emphasised the compelling arguments used by both winning teams, for and opposing the proposals with |
Newlands senior winners Natania Bhati, Srilakshmi Seshadri and Zahra Choudary, with Maidenhead Rotary Club vice president Matthew Burdett.
Newlands intermediate winners Amy Cheeseman, Elena Clark and Hannah Short.
equal conviction, and remarked on the fact that all the young competitors taking part had prepared and spoken in public so convincingly.”
He added: “We are very grateful to Newlands Girls’ school for providing the venue, refreshments and a warm welcome.” The two Newlands teams will now go through to the next stage of the competition on March 29, in Woodley, Reading. |
Rotarians provide vital interview experience
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About 60 sixth-formers have been given invaluable interview experience as part of Maidenhead Rotary Club’s ongoing Schools Engagement programme.
Over two days, Rotarians took part in online one-to-one ‘mock’ interviews with students from Claires Court and Altwood Schools, who were about to begin applying to university or for their first job. Each interview took about 20 minutes and included immediate feedback. The programme also included presentations from Rotarian Malcolm Falconer, a former HR director, on creating a memorable interview and what to expect when starting your first job. Key learning points were ‘Don’t turn down an invitation to lunch on your first day’ and ‘You only get one opportunity to make a first impression - don’t waste it’. |
Malcolm said: “This is another example of where our Schools Engagement Programme supports local schools in preparing their students for the real world. I have seen many students turn up for interview with absolutely no idea and woefully under prepared, so hopefully we have done something to give them a better than average chance.”
Originally planned as face-to-face interviews, the sessions were moved online due to Covid-19 restrictions. 
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Gary Hope from Claires Court Sixth Form said: “It would’ve been so very easy to cancel during these times but instead your tenacity shone through and our students truly valued your time and experience. A massive thank-you from us all.”
A spokesman for Altwood School added: “Our students really benefited from the one-to-one mock interviews helping them to prepare for the world beyond school. It was an extremely successful event.” Alongside Malcolm the Rotarians taking part were Eddie Clarke, Sean Egan, Tony Hill, Martin Trepte, Mary Spinks, Gurdial Singh and Maria Scavetta. Eddie Clarke, the club’s schools liaison with Altwood, said: “This is a great way of helping our secondary schools.” |
Students given expert interview advice
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Expert advice on applying for jobs and how to stand out in interviews was given to more than 100 students at Holyport College in June as part of Maidenhead Rotary Club’s Schools Engagement Programme.
In online sessions presented by Rotarian Malcolm Falconer, the sixth-formers learned the importance of having a strong CV, being able to write email applications, preparing for and coming across well in interviews, and asking relevant questions. 
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“Being able to create a memory and being able to do this well certainly improves your chances when applying for a job or university. Applicants have to make themselves memorable and you do this by being able to give powerful examples and tell interesting stories,” said Malcolm, a former HR director and regular speaker at Slough Job Club.
The sessions were initially intended to be live but there was a Covid outbreak and students were sent home. Nina Matharu, the college’s sixth form welfare officer who organised the event, said: “Malcolm gave a very insightful presentation. It was great. Thank you so much.” |
Malcolm, who leads the club’s Schools Engagement Programme, added: “For many of the students this is perhaps the first time that people other than their parents, friends or teachers see how they write and come across - in the real world spelling is important, as are sentences, paragraphs and using capital letters.”
This was Maidenhead Rotary Club’s first engagement with Holyport College after much good preparatory work by Rotarian Tony Hill. Similar sessions have been held with BCA and are due to take place with Altwood and Claire’s Court schools as the club continues to build and develop its links with local schools. |
Presenting yourself in today’s job market
Being able to effectively compete into today’s ever changing jobs market is a real challenge and our ‘Presenting yourself in today’s job market’ presentation, part of the Schools Engagement Programme (SEP), is aimed at those about to leave school to make them more competitive and confident when they make job applications. It covers writing an effective CV, writing a letter or email of application, how to prepare for an interview, how to be effective in the interview, what questions you are likely to be asked as as student, what questions you should consider asking of your potential employer etc.
Rotarian Malcolm Falconer, a former senior HR director and leader of the SEP, said "It is impossible to make everybody an expert when it comes to applying for work but it is entirely possible to give an idea of best practice that will give students an edge. Our programme is about doing the basics really well and it is all good practical stuff especially when we can support the learning by conducting individual interviews and giving feedback."
Rotarian Malcolm Falconer, a former senior HR director and leader of the SEP, said "It is impossible to make everybody an expert when it comes to applying for work but it is entirely possible to give an idea of best practice that will give students an edge. Our programme is about doing the basics really well and it is all good practical stuff especially when we can support the learning by conducting individual interviews and giving feedback."
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We work with 8 schools in the area with each school having a Rotarian as a nominated School Liaison Executive (SLE). The SLE works closely with and meets regularly with a school contact to understand the school’s requirement and how best we can help them. We believe that building a strong and effective relationship is essential in being able to make a real and valuable contribution.
To learn more about what the programme offers and what both the schools and students say about the programme please download file below. 
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Schools Technology Tournament
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Young technology wizards from three Maidenhead secondary schools showed off their skills at a special Rotary event.
Students from Newlands and Altwood schools joined hosts from Desborough College at the school’s specialist STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) unit for a technology tournament organised by the Rotary Club of Maidenhead.
A dozen pupils from each school took part in the event. They were split into teams of four and given a technology challenge in the form of a scenario - to design and build a model crane on rails to move hazardous materials following a fire. Organiser Rotarian Pat Lattimer said: “It’s exciting for the students. They do not know what they will have to do until they are given the challenge and materials. The aim is for the students to all achieve more than they thought they could, enjoy the experience and encourage an interest in design and technology. It’s about the chance to put skills into practice and work together.”
Judges from Rotary and STEM ambassadors – who encourage interest in technology in schools – were on hand to provide support and assess the students as they built their creations with hacksaws and glue guns using wood and pulley systems.
“They all managed to meet the challenge but it’s surprising how many different ideas and designs there were,” said Pat.
One of the home teams from Desborough was the winner. It was the second time the event has been run and Rotary hopes to make it an annual event attracting even more schools.
The technology tournament is also supported by the Spoor, Merry and Rixman Foundation, which had previously helped to fund the STEM unit at Desborough.
Students from Newlands and Altwood schools joined hosts from Desborough College at the school’s specialist STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) unit for a technology tournament organised by the Rotary Club of Maidenhead.
A dozen pupils from each school took part in the event. They were split into teams of four and given a technology challenge in the form of a scenario - to design and build a model crane on rails to move hazardous materials following a fire. Organiser Rotarian Pat Lattimer said: “It’s exciting for the students. They do not know what they will have to do until they are given the challenge and materials. The aim is for the students to all achieve more than they thought they could, enjoy the experience and encourage an interest in design and technology. It’s about the chance to put skills into practice and work together.”
Judges from Rotary and STEM ambassadors – who encourage interest in technology in schools – were on hand to provide support and assess the students as they built their creations with hacksaws and glue guns using wood and pulley systems.
“They all managed to meet the challenge but it’s surprising how many different ideas and designs there were,” said Pat.
One of the home teams from Desborough was the winner. It was the second time the event has been run and Rotary hopes to make it an annual event attracting even more schools.
The technology tournament is also supported by the Spoor, Merry and Rixman Foundation, which had previously helped to fund the STEM unit at Desborough.
