It is always refreshing to have young and confident students attending our meetings. Tonight, we hosted two year twelve students as our guest speakers. They shared their experiences on the two Rotary programs we sponsored them to attend.
Fletcher Lochhead attended the Brave Thinkers program in April. In July, Katherine Coutts travelled to the Hutt Valley for the Innovative Young Minds (IYM) program. Both students recounted their experiences and gave us some insights into how the courses had opened their eyes to new opportunities. Their responses to questions from our members afterwards showed some real maturity around their attitudes to work-life balance.
The Students demonstrated remarkable maturity in their perspectives on work-life balance during the Q&A session.
Brave Thinkers Program: As a refresher, this was the New Zealand Business Week program. In 2016-17, this program was updated, restructured and renamed the Brave Thinkers Program. Many of our members have been and still are involved as mentors and organisers in this worthwhile program.
The Brave Thinkers Program was held at PNBHS over six days. It included identifying personal goals, inspirational speakers, workshops, a team challenge, business coaches and fun activities. Completing the week was a Dragons Den where each team had the opportunity to sell their business idea.
Fletcher enjoyed the 28 speakers and noted several that stood out to him. Sophie Pascoe, para-Olympian swimmer; Rodney Wong – how he used networking to sell his vision of getting Wildbase built; Aaron Jay – vineyard operator who spoke on the value of training & looking after your staff; Stu Bradbury- entrepreneur and business acceleration enthusiast.
The innovative Young Minds (IYM) program was started by Hutt City RC in 2017. It is a week-long residential programme based in Silverstream, Hutt Valley. It is designed to inspire young women in science, technology, engineering & mathematics.
Kate was undoubtedly inspired and gave us an exciting breakdown of her busy and varied week. The 40 young women on the course visited local Wellington businesses, Crown Research Institutes, Tertiary Institutes, Technical Institutes and Parliament.
Milson Rotary's unwavering commitment to supporting youth programs for the next generation of business and community leaders remains stronger than ever. The enlightening experiences shared by our recent guests, Fletcher Lochhead and Katherine Coutts, showcased the profound impact of the Brave Thinkers and Innovative Young Minds programs. Their remarkable maturity in discussing work-life balance during the Q&A session reflects the depth of their growth. As we continue to invest in these programs, we eagerly anticipate hearing from more ambitious students seeking sponsorship, fostering a brighter future for our emerging leaders.