As Rotary's leadership program for young people, RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, team work, compassionate, and personal growth.
This year we selected three students from Woodbridge High School in Irvine: Melissa May, Natalie Aronson, and Heather Haney. They were all juniors at the time they attended RYLA with 300+ other high school juniors sponsored by Rotary District 5320 clubs. All three RYLA participants are all leaders, both at school and in the community. Natalie (a twin) will be the ASB (Associated Student Body) President in the coming school staring in Sept 2010 and is active in cross county. Melissa (a triplet!) will be Senior Class President, and has been an active member in the National Charity League (NCL), a mother/daughter service organization. Heather is a member of the Rotary Interact Club and will be Captain of the Cheer Squad at Woodbridge again her senior year.
The students provided highlights of their RYLA experience, including:
• Being separated from each other the minute they stepped on the bus
• Joining "families' for the remainder of camp (for which they created names, logos, cheers, etc)
• Being led blindfold into an (unknown) dining room and being fed (building trust)
• The "Boojum Experience" including navigating a rope "spider web" suspended from high trees (overcoming fear, team coordination)
• Excellent speakers, including a Rotarian who came from a troubled life and promotes "being fully present" in everything you do in life
• Fun and fellowship around the bonfire and forming strong friendships in such a short period of time
They all enjoyed the RYLA experience tremendously, increasing their self confidence, learning how to immediately connect with strangers, and gaining practical leadership skills. They all credited RYLA for gaining a deepening understanding of what Rotary International is about and stands for.
They expressed their interest and support in re-initiating the Interact Club at Woodbridge High this year by inviting, including, and educating their school peer of Rotary service projects and activities, initially through word of mouth, later through broadening understanding of Rotary function and impact in our local and global society.
We wish them a wonderful Senior year at Woodbridge, success with their college education and careers - and encourage them to remain in the Rotary family!
For more information about RYLA, please click on the link: http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/YouthPrograms/RotaryYouthLeadershipAwards(RYLA)/Pages/ridefault.aspx
About RYLA
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is Rotary's leadership training program for young people. RYLA participants can be ages 14-30, but most clubs and districts choose to focus on a narrower age range, such as 14-18 or 19-30.
RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and personal growth, and 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
• Recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities
