RYLA 2018

What is RYLA?

RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Award.

RYLA events are for young people aged 16 to 17 years, who are about to start their working lives or to enter higher education, and who have shown leadership potential and are likely, as adults, to become future leaders.  Students are put into mixed groups of complementary ability where they take part in outdoor activities.  They are placed in challenging situations to help develop leadership and team bonding skills and to increase personal confidence.

RYLA Changes Lives

Previous RYLA Courses - A students view

     "I'd like to thank you for the amazing opportunity of attending the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. I learned about what being a leader is about more notably. What our Group leader emphasized was that every activity in which one of us would have to lead, don't sit back because you're not an expert in whatever the task you are doing because being a leader is more about the skill of coordinating the people around you. It's not about dominating and telling people what to do. It's about having good listening skills and drawing from the ideas from others. With this fresh perspective the thing I was given was the confidence to put my ideas forward especially in the charity car wash where I managed the advertising with banners and posters. Lastly, I think it's motivated me out of my comfort zone. I went into it dreading meeting new people and having to with them for a whole week I was pleasantly surprised when I made some really good Friends in the end."

A. L. - Wigton Rotary Club’s Candidate 2016

What Happens on a RYLA Course

Students must be aged 16 to 17 years whilst on the course.  Activities may include canoeing, abseiling, ghyll scrambling, hiking and camping overnight under canvas.  Students are closely supervised by specialist staff at all times.

The students must be prepared for a range of tough physical and mental challenges, such as getting wet, problem solving and practical group leadership exercises where each student has the opportunity to develop key leadership skills.  Students also take part in a charity car wash to raise money for local causes.