ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS
DISTRICT 5320
April 25-27, 2008

 

To See Pictures & View Video of Last Years Camp Click Here

What is RYLA?
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is all about Rotarians working with youth in leadership development.  It is an intensive training/experiential program for 180 high school students in their pivotal junior year, who are chosen for their proven or potential leadership abilities.  Students participate in an all-expense paid camp, held in Idyllwild Pines, California, for three days.  Camp is organized by Rotarians and facilitated by RYLA student Alumni.  The RYLA event is sponsored by District 5320 and the 49 local Rotary Clubs.  Students are joined by talented young people from communities throughout the district.  RYLA provides a memorable opportunity to learn, grow, have fun, make new friends, and gain a new and improved focus.

 

RYLA 2007 Idyllwild Pines, California

What Does RYLA Offer?
The core curriculum for RYLA includes the following:

• What Rotary is and what it does for the local and international community 
• Importance of communication skills in effective leadership
• Fundamentals of leadership
• Ethics of positive leadership
• Building self-confidence and self-esteem
• Problem-solving and conflict-management
• Elements of Community and Global Citizenship
  

What Should I Expect?

Camp RYLA combines speaker programs, and team problem-solving sessions, with cooperative games, and competitions in a diverse environment of young people across the 5320 district.  All camp activities are designed with the objective of providing an atmosphere where campers will experience learning situations to help develop their own unique strengths and abilities to become future leaders. This is one of the most challenging and purest inspired environments for high school students today.

Each camper is assigned to a “Family”, group of 10 kids with 2 Rotarian leaders (l male and l female) “Parents”.  These groups are the vehicles used to process the day’s events, build teamwork, and integrate the positive examples of leadership, ethical behavior and constructive group dynamics.

What is the Boojum Institute?

Camp RYLA 5320 has the extreme honor of hosting the impressive multi-element high ropes and low ropes Boojum Institute.
	Complete with a huge expert staff, the individual families, through experiential learning, learn the importance of planning, perspectives, and trust in problem solving and accomplishing goals.

The Alumni Experience!

“It’s the most positive, comprehensive, energetic weekend experience of a student’s high school career. It infuses all the Rotary ideologies of the eldest Rotarians into a high school compatible atmosphere. This is accomplished in major part due to the two great advantages: The “Family”/TA Advantage and the Alumni Advantage.”

“The camp is entirely planned and presented by role model/peer mentors.  The Alumni (campers from the last year camp, who work for 9 months planning) are the most awesomely talented and inspiring students you will ever meet and instigate the feeling of excitement and allegorical Rotarian philosophy at the camp

 The Family Experience!

“The 'family' atmosphere, which Mr. Knights (2005 Alumni Advisor) concluded, was most unique part of the camp.  It teaches young people constructive group dynamics. Campers are put into groups of 10, with a pair of Rotarian TA’s (Team Assistants or better knows as “mother” and “father”).  The relationships and family pride that these 10 former strangers build in one weekend and the personal transformations each camper goes through individually in the guided activities and discussions cannot be done to justice in a written explanation.”

 “At RLYA I learned to be a great leader and a great team member simultaneously.”
 

What is the Rotarians Role at Camp?

Who Sponsors RYLA Students? The Rotary Clubs give scholarships to the students from their local high schools.  A representative from each club will coordinate with school administrators in order to interview and select the students.  The cost of each scholarship is $300.

Rotarians play a pivotal role at camp as Team Assistants (TA's/Parents).  The mission of Rotary International states, “The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal service.”  Rotarians, and local members of the communities represented, get a chance to facilitate this mission as mentors at RYLA.

 

The RYLA Advantages!

A Student Run Camp (Alumni)  Alumni Run Group Activities The “Family” Atmosphere High/Low Ropes Courses A Wide Array of Camp Activities The Diversity of the Students The Greatest Speakers Around (i.e. Wes Beavis) The Beautiful Idyllwild Pines Location The Incredible Logistic and Media Staff Never Ending Smiles Continued Communication to Maintain Life Long Friendships Video and Website Yearbooks

 

A Message from the Committee!
By investing in our youth today, the RYLA committee believes that we have an insurance policy for our future. Enthusiastic students return to their schools and their communities with an increased sense of self confidence and self esteem and better equipped to implement the fundamentals of leadership in their every day lives.

 

District Chairman Mike Darnold   
Please Join Us for Camp RYLA!