GAWLER & District College’s ‘Interact’ club has become just the third of its kind in the state to be recognised by Rotary International.

‘Interact’ is a global community of youth-run service groups connected to the Rotary International organisation.

There are more than 20,000 worldwide with more than 468,000 members, but the Gawler & District College’s club is the first of its kind in the North.

Previously, the club had run community projects such as a sustainability project in the Gawler wetlands and a stationary drive for underprivileged schoolchildren, without official recognition from Rotary International.

Club president Renee Chamberlain thanked the efforts of the Gawler Light Rotary Club for helping it be officially recognised.

“It’s amazing to have the official certificate to say we’re chartered and are officially the Interact Club of Gawler and District College,” she said.

“Gawler Light Rotary Club has helped a lot with that, especially Mr (Rob) Eley and Mr (David) Weatherley, we’re really grateful.

“It’s been amazing to do all this work, I’m so happy it was all able to get off the ground.”

Renee had been involved in Rotary events before she founded the school’s Interact club.

A meeting with Rotary District 9500 Interact chair Rob Eley encouraged Renee to search for other like-minded kids in the school wanting to serve the community.

“Now we’re accredited we hope to gain a lot more people and gain more interest, aim for more than two projects a year and do what we can to help the community,” Renee said.

Mr Eley said the Interact project was about “developing young leaders” and he was proud to see an officially-recognised club in a public school.

“It’s also about fostering a volunteering culture, a good thing about Australia and South Australia is we have a strong volunteering culture,” he said.

“We need to keep developing that, particularly with our high-school students.”