Youth Leadership Development Competition
Backing the next generation — the All-Ireland competition that takes young leaders to Strasbourg.
Rotary is committed to offering young people the opportunity to unlock their potential, develop their skills, and broaden their horizons.
The Rotary Ireland Youth Leadership Development Competition is run annually by Rotary Ireland (District 1160) in conjunction with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Dublin. Rotary Ireland has been organising this competition for over 25 years.
Participants build confidence, sharpen their communication, and develop teamwork and public speaking skills. Every year, lasting friendships are formed along the way.
How the competition works
Stage One — School round
Rotary clubs across the district invite local schools to put forward students. Students complete an application form and attend an interview with members of their local Rotary club. Questions cover leadership, Rotary, the European Union, community involvement, and current affairs. A winner is selected from each participating school.
Stage Two — Club round
School winners attend a further interview to determine the Rotary club winner. The format is similar, but students are expected to show a deeper grasp of the topics. Club members again form the interview panel.
Stage One and Stage Two interviews take place during September and October each year.
Stage Three — Zone final
Club winners progress to their Zone Final. The district is divided into 11 Rotary zones, each comprising 4 to 8 clubs. At this stage, the interview panel is drawn from outside Rotary — specialists in leadership, youth development, and adjudication. One to three Zone winners are selected from each zone.
Stage Three interviews are held in November each year.
The prize
Zone winners travel to the European Parliament in Strasbourg to take part in Euroscola, where they become an MEP for a day. The Euroscola programme brings together students from across Europe for a hands-on experience of parliamentary democracy.
Ahead of the trip, students are given the debate topics in advance so they can research and prepare. At the Parliament, they join young people from other European countries to debate those topics together. The visit takes place in January or February each year.
In their own words
This competition provides a truly outstanding opportunity to young students. You learn so much about politics in your local area, but also across the EU. I would definitely recommend taking part — it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you make lifelong friendships.
The interviews push you to learn about EU democracy and the work of Rotary. All students should learn about politics.
I have learned interview skills and have made progress in my endeavour to fine-tune my speaking skills.
The Youth Leadership Development Competition taught me the importance of upholding a presence in a room of people.
Information for schools
- Age — all entrants must be over 16 years of age on 1 January and under 18 years of age on 31 March of the competition year.
- Passports:
- Students in Northern Ireland may enter holding either a UK or an EU passport.
- Students living in the Republic of Ireland must hold an EU passport.
- As Ukraine holds EU candidate status, students from Ukraine are eligible to enter.
- Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of travel.
- Applications — application forms are available each September from your local Rotary club. We hope you will consider including the competition as part of your extra-curricular programme.
Ready to take part?
Every Rotary youth programme is run with support from a local Rotary club. The fastest way to take part — or to bring a programme into your school — is to find the club nearest you and get in touch.