Twilight - Speaker Ben Aldus

ROTARIANS HEAR ABOUT YOUTH LEADERSHIP COURSE

Henley Rotary Club members held their weekly meeting in their permanent new venue, the Red Lion Hotel, on Tuesday evening, with a good attendance to listen to an account of a recent Rotary-sponsored youth leadership outdoor course.

Eighteen-year-old Ben Aldous, a former member of Henley Sea Cadets where he now volunteers as an instructor, had been the club’s sponsored candidate on the week-long course held at the outdoor education centre at Rhos-y-gwaliau, near Lake Bala in North Wales, at the end of July this year.

There were 27 participants on the course, ranging in age from 18 to 25, and he had found he was the youngest. Living in Emmer Green, he attended Highdown School where he had taken his A-levels and was shortly to attend the University of East Anglia.

By means of a Powerpoint presentation he described and illustrated the various activities they had to undertake, for which they were divided into four teams, monkeys, pigs, sheep and cows. Each member had to take his or her turn as leader and amongst the many activities were gorge walking, putting up a tent blindfolded, raft and coracle building, abseiling, sailing, kayaking and a navigational challenge which included finding their way through abandoned mines.

In conclusion, he thanked the club for the opportunity to take part in the course, commenting that it had led to increased self-confidence and enhanced communication skills. He was thanked for his talk by Roger Sayer and President John Grout then invited New Generation committee chairman Mark Harling to present Ben with the RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) certificate.

President-elect Lionel Scott up-dated Rotarians with the arrangements for forthcoming visits to the Rebellion Brewery, the Natural History Museum and the Culham Science Centre.