My RYLA Experience
RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and Kimberley Salmond a pupil at Inverkeithing High School visited the Rotary Club of West Fife recently to tell us all about the RYLA experience from her perspective and to say thank you to the club for making her RYLA experience possible. She described the RYLA experience as 'one of the best weeks of my life when personally I gained so much confidence, taking risks, meeting and talking to new people and doing things I never thought I would ever do'.
During her presentation Kimberley explained that she had received great feedback during her RYLA week from her mentor, Rachael Coghill, and this has inspired her to develop herself further. This is what her Rachael had to say about her:-
• 'Confident individual
• Exceptional leadership skills
• Patient, caring, enthusiastic and optimistic
• A natural leader
• Confident and helpful'
During her RYLA week, Kimberley was chosen to be a leader of a group which climbed the Cairngorm Mountain, something she had never done. Each person who attends RYLA has one day where they become leader of one of the team activities for the day.
Kimberley’s talk was truly inspirational especially for one so young and the members were impressed by the high standard presentation given. The RYLA programme is so important and beneficial to all those young people who take part in this Rotary Youth Leadership Award programme.
Kimberley is shown in the photograph receiving her RYLA certificate from President Dave Riddell at the meeting.