Club meeting - visit from the RYLA candidate

Rotary Youth Leadership Award is a program coordinated by Rotary Clubs around the globe. Each year, thousands of young people participate in this program. Young people ages 13–30 are sponsored by Rotary Clubs to attend the event run by the club's district committee. Our club sponsors young perople aged 15-16. Participants are chosen to develop their soft skills. Rotary Clubs and the Rotary District cover all expenses for the participants. The format of the event vary from district to district, but commonly take the form of a seminar, camp, or workshop to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. Rotary clubs and districts select participants and facilitate the event's curriculum.

 It is not a pass or fail course and you will be as successful on it as you are willing to be. There are no limits for your development. We aim to help you realise some of the leadership potential that others have seen when they selected you for it. It is not an outward bound course! Yes, a lot of the activities may take place outside but it is about using a variety of activities, both in and outdoors to develop you as an individual, as a team member and as a leader of a team in a safe and enjoyable environment.

It is a rare opportunity to experience and learn things about yourself, about working in a team but more importantly about leading and supervising other people. In the workplace it could take years before employees get to attend a similar type of course, if they ever get to attend one at all.

There are two courses that we run on consecutive weeks in the Summer holidays for young people who are 16 and 17 years old. They take place at a scout hostel called Hebden Hey on the outskirts of Hebden Bridge

RYLA 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;
• Recognise publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities.

Every RYLA program covers the following core topics:

• Fundamentals of leadership
• Ethics of positive leadership
• Importance of communication skills in effective leadership
• Problem-solving and conflict management
• Rotary's purpose and service to the community
• Building self-confidence and self-esteem
• Elements of community and global citizenship