Tristan Miura, 16, has travelled to the cloud forest of Honduras to study wildlife for two weeks. He has worked with children in the Dominican Republic for a week. Even after those global adventures, he says, “I didn't expect to have learned more about myself and those around me from a single speaker than I have in 13 years of schooling,” about his experience at four days of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp on Easter Weekend 2018 at Camp Elphinstone near Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast.
In the past Tristan studied wildlife in the cloud forest of Honduras | Tristan has also worked in the past with children in the Dominican Republic for a week |
At RYLA Tristan learned far more than he expected about himself | After their shared experience, Tristan and many fellow RYLA camp members still keep in touch |
About 100 young people attended the Easter weekend 2018 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards at Camp Elphinstone near Sechelt | Thanks to Joan Posivy, motivational speaker with Rotary's Global Youth Project, Tristan came home with more food for thought than he could have imagined |
More so, “it was actually the food for thought that was superb. I didn't expect to have such a profound alteration in how I viewed the world.”
Sponsored to attend RYLA by the Rotary Club of Ladner, Tristan said his experience included speakers who motivated youth to do good in their communities and to strive for greatness. One of those speakers was Joan Posivy, a motivational speaker who works with Rotary and youth through her organization, the Global Youth Project to inspire and help bring a little more confidence into the lives of teenagers and kids.
“As a result of Joan and all of the youth leader seminars I came back with more knowledge and food for thought than I could have imagined.”
Yet there was still one more thing which defined RYLA, compared to other leadership camps or trips he has experienced.
Among a quarter of the young people who attended RYLA, in his cohort, there was not a single person to whom he did not speak to and to whom he still does not speak today. That’s because every single kid who came to RYLA, he said, had the same goal in mind: they all wanted to better themselves and their community.
“I can honestly say that in only four days RYLA has changed me more as a person and has created more long-lasting friendships than any trip I have ever been on before. I left RYLA with mentors who I am able to contact about anything and who I still keep in touch with but more importantly with friends that will last a lifetime.”