RYLA Camp 2017

68 girls and 63 boys took part in RYLA this year.  There have been many positive comments about the week’s activities and Annie Lennam, who was sponsored by St Andrew’s Rotary, has summed this up as follows:

“Last night I returned from an exhausting but unforgettable week of trying new activities, meeting new people, being pushed out of my comfort zone and learning what makes a great leader.

Before the week began I was pretty nervous about going.  I worried that everyone there would be really confident and know all about leading already but it turned out that lots of people felt the same as me and not everyone was a “natural leader”.

RYLA gave me a lot more confidence and, on the final night, I succeeded in facing my fears of public speaking by volunteering to represent our team in explaining the banner we'd made earlier in the week to the rest of the group.  This is something I would've shied away from previously but was now able to do, with the support of my teammates and mentor.

I enjoyed the talks we were given each morning before activities and found them very inspiring. The speakers encouraged us to take a risk, try everything and never lose sight of the end goal no matter how many hurdles are put in our way. These are messages that tried to apply during the week even though at times it was really tough.

I definitely have no regrets about attending the RYLA camp. I loved all the activities, especially the gorge walking and took a huge amount from the week. I learnt many new things about leadership, about myself and about other people and it is undoubtedly an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.  I cannot thank Rotary enough for the incredible opportunity”.