District 9710

The Rotary Club of Woden

Rotary Adventure in Citizenship

The Rotary Adventure in Citizenship Program (RAIC) is a joint program initiated by the Rotary Club of Woden Inc. and the Rotary Club of Canberra Inc. RAIC is run jointly by the two clubs with outstanding support from the Parliamentary Education Office. This year, the RAIC program will run from 5 - 12 September 2009. A letter explaining the program to Rotary Clubs can be viewed by clicking here. The program for the week will be posted shortly. Application forms can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

RAIC aims to improve awareness of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship, by providing an opportunity for selected Year 11 students from all over Australia to gather in Canberra to gain a first hand understanding of how our country is governed at the national level.

In 2007, RAIC was held from 11-18 August. The photograph below show the whole Group in front of Parliament House. Some of the student activities undertaken during the program in 2007 can be viewed by clicking here.

RAIC aims to:
introduce the delegates to our national institutions;
assist the delegates to become more aware of their responsibilities and privileges as citizens of Australia;
stimulate consideration of Australia as a whole, including its political, judicial, administrative and economic systems;
expose each of the delegates to the views and attitudes of their peers from the other States and Territories of Australia;
provide the opportunity to discuss at a national level contemporary issues likely to affect their future;
engender an awareness of the role of Canberra as the national capital; and
encourage delegates to share within their schools and communities their experiences gained during the program.

Guidelines for the Selection of Delegates

The Adventure in Citizenship Committee recognises the choice of nominees is a matter for the sponsoring Rotary club to decide, in most cases after a personal interview with the applicant.

The following guidelines are offered to assist Rotary clubs in the selection process. The applicant:

will be a Year 11 student during the running of the Adventure in Citizenship program;
should be sufficiently mature to cope with a week-long, demanding program, away from home;
should be capable of absorbing the basic content of the program;
should have a basic understanding of the way Australia is governed;
should ideally have demonstrated some special interest or involvement in the school or broader community; and
will ideally have good oral communication skills, and should present well as a representative of their school and sponsoring Rotary club. An ability and willingness to participate in open debate would be an advantage.

The application should be supported by a recommendation from the applicant's school principal.

The Adventure in Citizenship Committee wishes to emphasise that this program is not directed towards an elite academic group. The main criteria are maturity and interest in citizenship. It is hoped that selected delegates will reflect the diverse ethnic background of our Australian nation.

2008 Program

For an application form in Word format (preferred option): click here

For an application form in PDF format: click here