Sandys Rotary Club was certain there were young Bermudians who wanted to develop their professional and leadership skills.

The group was equally certain they had the mentors in place to guide them. From there, Rotaract Bermuda was born.

“My feeling was that we needed to introduce younger people to Rotary,” said Sandys member Malcolm Griffiths.

“It started by my approaching Dr [Duranda] Greene at [Bermuda College], asking if there was any interest in having students come and give a talk on the subject of their choice.

“She put it to Janea Mallory, a counsellor, and Jessica Tannock came to give us a talk on the decline of the bee population and the effect on food.”

Discussion after that meeting showed there was sufficient interest to move forward with Mr Griffiths’s idea.

Fifteen students showed up at a Rotaract information session that followed.

“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to learn more,” said Layona Millett, Rotaract’s president.

“I thought it was really interesting seeing Malcolm so passionate and hearing from us and our perspective. It really opened my eyes and I thought, maybe I could be a part of this.”

Rotaract Bermuda is part of a global network of professionals aged 18-30. It gives them the tools for personal development and encourages them to work together to improve their communities. The hope is they will eventually become Rotary members.

“It’s a service-oriented club, part of the world wide organisation called Rotary International,” explained 21-year-old Ms Millett.

“It brings young adults together for professional development, community service activities and international networking. There are about 7,000 clubs in 150 countries and thousands of members. I thought it was great that small Bermuda is part of this big picture.

“Rotarians are high-esteem people. On a regular basis I wouldn’t speak with John Swan or John Cooper. The fact they’re so interested in getting involved with little people like us is very exciting. They’re willing to speak to us, give us guidance. It’s really nice.”

Rotaract Bermuda now has 21 members who meet “twice a month to exchange ideas, plan activities and projects, and socialise”.

They organised a soup kitchen last November. Around 30 people turned up for soup, drinks, clothing and shoes.

“The response was amazing,” Ms Millett said.

“So many people came through our doors. It really showed, seeing the amount of people in need, that even though we are privileged as Bermudians you just never know how many people are in need.

“About 30 people came in and then we went out on the streets. It was definitely inspiring to feel like I’d made a difference.

“It got me really excited to put Bermuda on the map; to take a stand for Bermuda’s youth.”

Ms Mallory, who is an advisor to the student government council, said it was impressive to see future leaders at work.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “Oftentimes young adults are better known for doing bad things in Bermuda so it’s great that they’re able to show that not every one is like that, that there are good people out there who are passionate about doing good things for the island. I’m always looking for leadership opportunities for students. Students always have a vision, but a lot of things die off. With this, the students really took the initiative and ran with it.

“College is the hub of education but it’s more than what you learn in the classroom, it’s about providing opportunities.”

Ms Millett said she was hoping to grow the group’s membership before she leaves for university.

“I will graduate in May with an associate’s in business administration and I’ve been accepted at Georgia State into its business economics programme. When I first started I hated saying that [I was president] because it’s a lot of pressure coming from little me to a big role which demands accountability, where people look to you for guidance but it excites me as I know these are skills I will need in the future.”

•For more information visit Rotaract Bermuda on Facebook or e-mail roteract.bda@outlook.com.