High School Ethics Symposium
The Rotary
Club of Madison has sponsored an annual Rotary Ethics Symposium
for high school juniors since 2000.
Why an Ethics Symposium? In 1996,
a committee explored the possibility of a large project for the club.
They developed the following criteria to be
 used for
consideration of possible projects: they must be of a benefit to the wider community, not be a
duplication, have enduring consequences, enhance the visibility of our Rotary club and
meet the criteria developed from the club's
1995 survey of members. This survey recommended targeting youth,
neighborhoods, learning, civic improvement and basic human needs with
the basic provison that they embody Rotary values. It was determined
that a large project should challenge the club, give synergy to other
organizations, be unique and appropriate to Rotary and be manageable.
The survey results ranked an ethics symposium a close second behind the
selected project to grow our foundation's scholarship fund, this project is ongoing with a planned giving campaign.
The club president
established an ad hoc study committee to investigate a model for such a
project developed by the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh. The committee did
an excellent and thorough job and presented its report to the Rotary
club board. It was unanimously approved, giving the go-ahead for the
project to move forward.
The club's
Ethics Symposium Committee organizes the annual symposium. The
committee's
statement of purpose is: To foster a reflective community with concern
for the ethical dimensions of every day activities. And the mission: To
conduct an annual experience focused primarily on juniors in high school
that engages them in personal decision-making designed to foster
life-long reflection on the ethical dimensions of their living.
Click Here to Access Our Ethics Symposium Participant Booklet
Click Here to Access Article on 2010 Ethics Symposium
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