Jaclyn Donovan, RYLA Co-Chair
Summertime in District 6900 mean it’s time for the Rotary
Youth Leadership Awards, better known as RYLA!!
RYLA is designed for young adults with proven leadership ability and a commitment
to community service. The District 6900
RYLA camp was hosted by the Rotary Club of Americus and held June 8-12 on the
campus of Georgia Southwestern State University and included 95 students
sponsored by over 30 clubs.
RYLA brings together these young people from different
backgrounds - home, educational, religious, and lifestyle – for the opportunity
to challenge themselves through small team activities, large group activities,
and candid, round-table discussions. RYLA programming includes individual
personality profiles, conflict resolution styles, and ropes course activities in
a schedule designed to encourage each student’s growth in the areas of teamwork,
communication, and trust.
Included once again was the opportunity to participate in a
service project which allows the students to experience the Rotary motto of “Service
Above Self” firsthand – and this year it was actually two service projects! The
first was to help the Meriwether Rotary Club by packing their “It’s a Girl
Thing” kits for them. The second was graciously funded by the Americus Rotary
Club and allowed RYLA to partner with Rise Against Hunger in order to package
10,152 meals that will be sent overseas to less fortunate countries with
inadequate food supplies. Most all students were thrilled to give back in such
a small way and this activity received the highest ratings on our survey.
One of the recurring themes of RYLA is the student who
accomplishes a feat he/she would have never dared to imagine before coming to
camp. The most memorable of these
culminating events are always the board break, which allows students to break
through their fears to reach their goals, and the Trust Fall from a 5-foot
platform into the waiting arms of teammates.
And just as always, most of the students who were very hesitant to spend
the weekend with over 100 strangers became the friends who did not want to part
ways at the end. This speaks volumes to
the benefit of RYLA and the positive changes it can create in young lives.
Even more telling of the long-lasting influence of RYLA is
the fact that 90% of the counselors were once RYLA participants themselves –
they believe in it enough to commit the time and energy to make RYLA the best
experience possible. Over 70 Rotary
members assisted with RYLA in some capacity, with most contributing on the club
level with the nomination and selection of student participants while others provided
transportation to and from RYLA, and the brave few who agreed to serve as
chaperones in the dorms. Special shout
out to new chaperones Once again this
year we had the honor of welcoming many district leaders, among them DG Andre
Marria, DGE Gordon Owens, DGN Steve Ivory, DGND Cynthia Edwards, PDG Raymond Ray, PDG George
Granade who joined us for several days volunteering as Chaperones and spending
time with the student teams. DGE Gordon Owens even volunteered the whole week
as a counselor and survived – maybe he’ll do it again next year!
If you want to change the life of a young student, send them
to RYLA. They will discover their potential and develop the skills needed to be
leaders in their communities, careers, and everyday lives. And they achieve these goals while having
fun, building friendships, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.