Two founding members of the Sandys Rotaract Club of Bermuda are calling on aspiring professionals to join their ranks.

Layona Millett and Jessica Tannock are also encouraging speakers to get in touch with the club that aims to create a platform for the island’s youth to bring about positive change.

“Rotaract Club is a service-orientated club,” Ms Millett, the president of Sandys Rotaract, said. “We cater to ages 18 to 30. It’s a younger version of Rotary.

“It’s all about professional development, personal development, leadership skills, socialising and coming together to try and create a change for Bermuda and internationally.”

Ms Tannock, vice-president, added: “Right now we are focusing on planning and recruitment. Members must be aspiring professionals and professionals of all sorts.

“The ages of 18 to 30 are a little bit of a difficult age group to reach because many of the students at that age go away to college and we have to continuously recruit.”

Ms Millett, 21, added that integrity, as well as a desire or passion to create change or to serve, is also important in potential members.

“Although Rotaract is fun, it’s all about creating a standard for Bermuda’s youth,” she said.

Ms Millett added that the club is also inviting guest speakers who are willing to share their knowledge to get in touch.

“We want to open up our meetings to professionals or people that can impart their knowledge on us,” she said. “We want to bring people in that can help us develop as an individual.”

Founded last year, Sandys Rotaract became an official club that is registered by Rotary International in April. It is now part of a global network of hundreds of clubs.

“It’s great because we can also connect with them and do partnerships with them and projects that they might be doing,” Ms Millett said.

Ms Tannock, 20, and Ms Millett spoke about the formation of the Sandys Rotaract Club of Bermuda, past and future events, as well as their mission and vision, at the Hamilton Rotary Club on Tuesday.

“We definitely want to create a platform for all the young Bermudians that want to stand out and make a change,” Ms Millett told The Royal Gazette. “Anyone that wants to do that is welcome.

“And even if it’s someone that is stuck in a rut or they don’t know where they want to go, Rotaract is a perfect place to be because there’s a broad range of members. You have professionals, you have people that have already graduated from school that have been working for years and then you have people that are still at the college, you have people that are away at school.”

Ms Tannock added: “It’s a great opportunity to build a local and international network. Our plan for the future includes many events for the community, fundraising and socials for the club.”

The club meets every second Thursday, with the next meeting today in the Blue Room at the Bermuda College starting at 5.45pm.

For more information about Sandys Rotaract or to become a member, visit www.rotaractbda.wix.com/rotaractbda, e-mail rotaract.bda@outlook.com or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rotaract.bda