ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS (RYLA) 2025

The Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) is Rotary’s way of giving young adults the opportunity to take part in developing qualities of leadership, team working, initiative, communication and problem solving at the start of their careers. The 5-day course includes activities such as abseiling, navigation, canoeing, sailing and high ropes.

Who can take part? The short answer is that there is no particular type of person. Indeed, the success of the course depends on there being a good mix of different ages between 15 and 18 years inclusive, backgrounds and experience, all with leadership potential. 

After the event we invite those we have sponsored to give a short presentation highlighting their experiences on the course to our Club Members at one of our breakfast meetings.

This morning (Wednesday 29 October) we welcomed our two successful young RYLA candidates, Holly and Dylan, who spent a week in August engaged in a wide range of leadership and team building activities at the Surrey Outdoor Centre at Box Hill, arranged by the District Rotary organisation and sponsored by our Club.

For Holly, now a Year 11 pupil at St Philip Howard School, the course provided an opportunity for her to gain experience and considerable skills and confidence in public speaking, which were very noticeable when she gave her presentation at out meeting.  Dylan, who has just started a course at Chichester College having sat his GCSE exams at Chichester Free School last summer, was able to demonstrate his practical skills when his team not only constructed their functioning, floating raft, but also won the ensuing race across the lake - a triumph!

What follows is a transcript of their presentation to the Club. It really doesn't do it justice, however, as the talk Holly and Dylan gave was brilliantly presented and was thoroughly engaging, spiced with humour and loaded with enthusiasm.

Even more impressive was the way that they handled the numerous questions inspired by the talk!

Dylan was able to say that the event had helped him tremendously with his recent transition from school to college, whereas those who know Holly have noticed how much more confident she seems.

Well done Holly and Dylan!!

RYLA 2025 PRESENTATION 

Presented by Holly and Dylan 

“We would just like to say a MASSIVE thank you to the Rotary members who made it possible for us to participate in RYLA.  With all your support, we got to experience so much, which we shall cover in this presentation.”

SUNDAY

UPON ARRIVAL , WE WERE GIVEN THE TASK OF PEOPLE BINGO. THIS WAS AN ICEBREAKER THAT ALLOWED US TO COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER.
 

AFTERWARDS, WE COMPLETED SOME TEAM CHALLENGES TO SETTLE US INTO OUR NEW GROUPS THAT WE WOULD BE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH.

ALL THESE ACTIVITIES INTRODUCED US TO OTHER PEOPLE TO DEVELOP OUR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER.

MONDAY

ON THE MONDAY WE BEGAN IN THE CHALLENGE ZONE. IT WAS FILLED WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TASKS WE HAD TO OVERCOME AS A TEAM.

IN THE AFTERNOON,THE ACTIVITIES WERE SPLIT BETWEEN THE 6 GROUPS, MY GROUP WERE ON THE HIGH ROPES . THIS ACTIVITY ALLOWED US TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER, ESPECIALLY ON THE CRATE STACKING WHICH WE DID IN GROUPS OF 3.

IN THE EVENING, AS A GROUP WE HAD TO COLLECT 9 DIFFERENT PUZZLE PIECES BY PARTICIPATING IN VARIOUS TASKS ,THIS MEANT WE HAD TO WORK TOGETHER TO FINISH THE PUZZLE WITHIN THE SET TIME LIMIT.

TUESDAY 

IN THE MORNING,WE PARTICIPATED IN WHATEVER ACTIVITY WE HADN'T DONE ON THE MONDAY. THE ACTIVITY WAS ARCHERY GOLF, WHERE WE TOOK IT IN TURNS AS A TEAM TO TRY AND MAKE DIFFERENT SHOTS (SUCH AS A RING AND A GONG) IN AS FEW SHOTS AS POSSIBLE. 

AFTER THIS, WE ROUTE PLANNED IN ADVANCE FOR THE HIKE ON WEDNESDAY. WE HAD TO DECIDE AS A TEAM A REASONABLE ROUTE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO GET AS MANY POINTS AS POSSIBLE.

WEDNESDAY

THIS WAS THE DAY WE WENT ON OUR HIKE. WE HAD CHECKPOINTS THAT WE HAD TO HIT IN ORDER TO GET POINTS. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS TIRING FOR QUITE A FEW, IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE VIEWS AT THE TOP OF BOX HILL. DURING THE HIKE WE WORKED AS A TEAM AND SHOWED  RESILIENCE TO GET TO THE END BY KEEPING SPIRITS HIGH.

AFTERWARDS, WE PREPARED FOR THE GALA DINNER. DURING THIS WE GOT TO MEET UP WITH SOME OF THE ROTARY CLUB MEMBERS, TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE ASPIRE TO DO IN THE FUTURE. DURING THIS WE SPLIT INTO DIFFERENT TEAMS TO GET EACH TASK DONE, AND IT ENDED UP BEING AN AMAZING EVENING.

FURTHERMORE, AFTER DINNER WE HAD A GUEST SPEAKER SPEAK TO US IN THE BIG HAT TO TEACH US DIFFERENT SKILLS ABOUT PRESENTING IN FRONT OF OTHERS . FOR EXAMPLE, EYE CONTACT, PROJECTION, ETC.

THURSDAY

WE WENT TO TYM AND WENT KAYAKING FOE A WHILE, IT WAS VERY ENJOYABLE AND WE PLAYED DIFFERENT GAMES LIKE SHARKS AND FISHES.

AFTER KAYAKING, WE BUILT A RAFT ON A BUDGET! WE WORKED AS A TEAM TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. MY GROUP WON THE GOLDEN PADDLE FOR HAVING THE STURDIEST RAFT. THIS ACTIVITY IMPROVED OUR TEAM WORKING SKILLS AS WE MADE SURE EVERYTHING WAS SECURED AND IN PLACE.

IN THE EVENING WE HAD FREE CHOICE BETWEEN ARCHERY, WOODLAND SKILLS AND HIGH ROPES. THIS ALLOWED US TO GET INVOLVED IN SOMETHING WE TRULY ENJOYED AND IT WAS A LOVELY END TO THE DAY.

FRIDAY 

THIS WAS THE DAY WHERE WE HAD TO USE ALL THE SKILLS WE HAD LEARNT FOR THE PRESENTATION DAY.

TOGETHER, WE WORKED AS A TEAM TO ORGANISE THE BIG HAT READY FOR THE ARRIVAL OF OTHERS INCLUDING OUR FAMILIES AND THE ROTARY MEMBERS.

IT WAS AN AMAZING LAST MOMENT WITH PEOPLE WE HAD SPENT THE ENTIRE WEEK WITH, AND IT SHOWED JUST HOW MUCH WE HAD GROWN THROUGHOUT THIS EXPERIENCE.

As shown by the presentation, the RYLA course involves physical challenges, organisational tasks, speaking and performing to an audience, and many team-building activities.

There is no cost to candidates as they are sponsored by our Club. The course takes place in July/August and we look to sponsor two or three participants each year.

We welcome enquiries and applications from anyone interested in participating. 

Don't be shy, and if you are shy, this course will give you loads of confidence and you'll make friends for life!

If you might be interested in taking part in our RYLA programme sometime in the future or would just like to know more about RYLA then please use the contact form below.