Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
/On August 28th, several members of our club (eClub of District 1070), including District Governor, Steve Howe, travelled to Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire to meet the young people who were taking part in this year’s RYLA programme. We were particularly keen to meet up with Luton Stonier who was being sponsored by our club.
This year our district was unable to secure an event of our own due to an insufficient number of candidates. However, we were grateful to be invited by District 1080 to join in with their programme this summer.
We were all hugely impressed by the warm reception of the staff. We were able to go down to the lake to see the participants in some of the water activities which were going on that day. After a presentation by the programme leader, we met with Luton who told us about a night walk, canoeing and sailing - all new activities to him. He said that he had thoroughly enjoyed those activities, but we knew that there was so much more to come.
When Luton returned after finishing his week on RYLA, he was full of stories and tales and said that, even though he had never been quite so tired in his life, he was so grateful to have been selected to take part in something that he felt was lifechanging in so many ways. It’s given him confidence and direction and a desire to follow up on activities that he took part in and continue the friendships he had made.
We look forward to hearing from him in the next few weeks as he presents to our club.
In past years, several of our members have introduced young people to RYLA. For each of them, the difference it made, both in their personal and professional lives, is remarkable and has set them on a positive path for future development. It gave them the tools to become leaders and the confidence to flourish as they continue their journey into adulthood.
Our club is fully behind the programme and strongly recommend other clubs to sponsor as many young adults as possible into the RYLA programme.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership program coordinated by Rotary Clubs around the globe. Each year, thousands of young people are chosen to participate in this highly selective program. Young people aged 18 to 26 are sponsored by Rotary Clubs to attend the event run by the club's district committee. Participants are chosen for their leadership potential. Rotary Clubs and the Rotary District cover all expenses for the participants. The format of the event varies from District to District, but commonly take the form of a seminar, camp, or workshop to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. Rotary clubs and districts select participants and facilitate the event's curriculum.
RYLA aims to:
Demonstrate Rotary's respect and concern for youth.
Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders.
Encourage leadership of youth by youth.
Recognise publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities.
Every RYLA program covers the following core topics:
Fundamentals of leadership
Ethics of positive leadership
Importance of communication skills in effective leadership
Problem-solving and conflict management
Rotary's purpose and service to the community
Building self-confidence and self-esteem
Elements of community and global citizenship