Rotary
Youth Leadership Awards
RYLA in ACTION
by Don Schiller, Vice Chairman RYLA International CommitteeIndia Style - District 3190 - A district level initiative was desired to motivate and encourage individual clubs to conduct 100 RYLA’s or more in Rotary’s centennial year. Download article about inspiring RYLA event in India. View pictures of the event.
Arizona Style - From the snow covered 6,500 ft. elevations of Prescott, Arizona come the shouts of excitement as the District 5490 RYLArians experience what it means to “Exceed Your Dreams”. Centennial RYLA 2005 consisted of 110 delegates from the northwest portion of the state joined by 15 Youth exchange delegates from around the world plus 12 returning RYLArian JC’s (assistant Counselors) along with 24 Rotarian facilitators, another 20 plus Rotarians, guests and visitors for a total of over 225 people at 5490’s RYLA 2005.
Perhaps the best summary of this event was by a student from Estrella Foothills High School in Goodyear, AZ. “RYLA was awesome!! It really changed my perspective on a variety of things. I think I left RYLA with a more positive outlook on life. I definitely feel more in-touch with myself and with God. RYLA has helped me in ways that cannot be expressed in words. Everything about RYLA was revolutionary and exciting. I had a great time learning about leadership and teamwork, and I feel as if I am a better person because of RYLA. Thanks for the life-changing experience of a lifetime. I hope to see you next year. PS. the Interact presentations encouraged me and my attending schoolmates to start a club of our own. Thanks!”
Action, interaction, experiential events, activity, non-classroom presentations and special guests set this RYLA in a unique direction. The program schedule is full of varied experiences. High ropes is an activity where physical skills are put to the test as team members provide encouragement. Low ropes combines mental and physical team leadership and cooperation skills. Other programs provide leadership insight into public speaking, self assessment, life goals, living skills and a variety of exciting topics.
RYLA 5490’s program includes relationships with other Rotary programs. Youth Exchange students are an integral part of the RYLA experience. Delegates go home asking to participate in the YE program. RYLA is where most of the district’s outbounds come from. Interact is boosted due to a special interactive Interact presentation. Plus many of the delegates are Interactors and share their experiences.
Rotary District 5490 has stated they have implemented and adopted the Rotary International Youth Abuse Prevention Guidelines. In addition they are working with the Boy Scouts of America to provide a screening program for the Rotarians and others involved in RYLA. Immediate adoption of the BSA "Two Deep Leadership" was put into effect.
RYLA 5490 shares its experiences with other RYLA’s as it hosts guests from other districts. This year Rotarian RYLA leaders came this year from the Tucson, AZ area and from Vancouver BC. Mutual sharing occurred with everyone gaining new ideas. \
RYLA changes lives! We see that in just about every RYLA around the world. It happens different ways in different cultures with the results being very similar. RYLA brings out the best in our youth to assist them in becoming stronger leaders for the future.
- Download 2005 Zone Flyer -
Pictures from 2005 RYLA in D3190, India
Pictures from 2005 RYLA in D3190, India
Above & Right: pictures from D3190, India's RYLA
Above: a group presenting their skit; Right: Trim The Facilitator, a get-acquainted experience which helps the individual groups work together as a team
Above: a group shot of the full event participants;Left: the High Ropes, an event called The Leap Of Faith.
RYLA's Beginnings in Brisbane
Brisbane, Australia, was the birthplace of RYLA more than 40 years ago. In 1959, the state government of Queensland, Australia, invited local Rotarians to help plan a festival celebrating Queensland's upcoming centenary. Learning that Queen Elizabeth II was sending her cousin Princess Alexandra, who was in her early 20s, to the celebration, Rotarians planned activities specifically for the princess' age group.
The gundoo, an aboriginal word meaning "festival" or "fun together," was a rousing success. More than 300 men and women between the ages of 17 and 23 attended. Encouraged by the event's popularity with the young attendees, Rotarians saw potential to create a similar annual youth program. With little hesitation, Governor Art Brand of then-District 260 approved the project, and on 2 May 1960, RYLA was born.
Australian districts 258 and 260 shared in establishing a committee that developed the official framework of RYLA: to train youth (ages 14-30) in character, leadership, personal development, and good citizenship.
These guidelines helped RYLA expand to all Rotary districts in Australia and led to RYLA's approval as an international program by the RI board at the 1971 RI Convention in Sydney, Australia.By 1998, RYLA had become an established program in more than half of the 521 Rotary districts worldwide. Also in 1998, then-RI President James Lacy, emphasizing his concern for children, appointed an international RYLA committee, dedicated to improving and expanding this special Rotary program to the entire world. Rotarians with different RYLA experiences were invited to RI headquarters to exchange information and ideas. Participants agreed that RYLA could be improved through regional training workshops.
After District 5520's first RYLA camp 20 years ago, a camper summed up his RYLA experience in one word, "Camelot." He wrote the RYLA chairman, "If you know the story of King Arthur, you may recall that as King Arthur was dying in a young man's arms, he turned to the youth and said, 'If you learn of anyone that has not heard of Camelot, tell them loudly and clearly that there really was that one wisp of glory called Camelot.'"
"Gundoo" or "Camelot?" RYLA is both and aren't we fortunate? Dedication, passion and love describe the heart of RYLA, a most remarkable investment that assures Rotary's future. Every Rotarian should take the opportunity to enjoy this exciting program and life-changing experience.
Preparing for Rotary's Future
by Abraham I. Gordon - featured in The September 2002 RotarianRotary International may be the largest service organization in the world, but some of its most far-reaching initiatives still begin at a grassroots level. PolioPlus began when individual Rotarians saw an opportunity to end polio worldwide. The Rotary Gift of Life project was introduced because one Rotarian couldn't bear to see children in deeloping nations die due to lack of medical facilities. And Rotary International itself started because a single lawyer in Chicago wanted to improve his community and build fellowship.
It's not surprising, then, that RYLA developed from an idea proposed by just one Rotarian in Australia who saw an opportunity to prepare young people for future leadership roles. Since Rotarian Alec Symons inaugurated the program in 1959, RYLA has expanded, due to the input and efforts of other individual Rotarians, such as 1999-2000 RYLA Chairman Irving "Sonny" Brown.
When Brown finished his term, he left an important legacy by proposing an international RYLA gathering. His suggestion led to the first RYLA Convention, a meeting that brought together more than 100 participants from 23 different countries. Conference participants followed through on Brown's initiative on a sweltering June day in San Antonio, where they gathered before the 2001 RI Convention. The four-day event fetured exercises to help attendees polish leadership skills they had developed at previous district and local RYLA events. RI leaders provided inspiration and guidance through lectures and meetings, and professional leadership trainers worked closely with participants to enhance their understanding of what it takes to succeed as community leaders.
Rotarians who observed this initial RYLA convention witnessed impressive growth among participants, who left with a better understanding of their roles as world citizens and leaders. Lucy Mayes, a participant from Melbourne, Australia, addressed Rotarians on behalf of all RYLA participants at the RI Convention in San Antonio. "The first RYLA Convention gave life to a powerful network of exceptional young people, young people who thank you and who promise to spread the Rotary message with passion, friendship, growth, and service," said Mayes. Rotarians recognize that bright minds with fresh ideas will soon replace today's leaders, and RYLA programs provide an opportunity to pass on the Rotary ideals of service. RYLA curriculum guidelines focus on effective, ethical leadership and the development of communication, problem-solving, and conflict management skills. The program also introduces young people to the responsibilities of community service and global citizenship.
"International RYLA did for us in four days what the world has tried to do for hundreds of years. It erased borders and things that separate us, like race, gender, color, creed, nationality," says Kevin "Scooter" Ward, a RYLA participant from Dallas who also spoke at the San Antonio RI Convention. Armed with a sense of community responsibility and the tools to provide successful leadership, many RYLA participants go on to become active in the Rotary world. And so the future of RYLA is inextricably intertwined with the future of Rotary. As Paul Harris said in 194: "The future of Rotary is shrouded in expectant mystery. It is for you, my new Rotarian friends, to aid in the unfurling of the Rotary destiny." (Applications may be downloaded here.)
