RYLA is one of the highlights of the Rotary year. It is the most intensive program we run in the district with upwards of 40 young adults pushed to their extremes from 6.30am to 11pm every day for 5 days. We do this to maximise the time we have with them and the opportunities for growth. Everyone of these young people have been chosen by local Rotary clubs for their leadership potential. Often they are already doing amazing things in their communities, and this just cements their skills and develops their networks for success.RYLA was held in late January at Silverstream Retreat in Upper Hutt.
We house and feed the participants onsite for the 5 days except for some excursions. We start on a Wednesday morning with a ceremonial opening, and quickly try to yet the participants acquainted with each other and committed to working together during the program. We put them into 6 smaller teams and introduce them to some young leaders in the community who have taken some inspiring steps in their communities. We finish the day by helping them identify strengths in themselves and others and put them to work creating a project in their teams.
Thursday starts with some exercise and motivation before heading into Wellington city for our first big activity. This year we organised a baking challenge where they created goods that were passed on to people who needed an uplift. It required a high level of coordination and creativity which pushed many to their limits but was a wonderful experience. We then visited parliament, taking a tour and speaking with a panel of politicians. We visited the creative workspace of Xero before finishing the night with bowling.
Friday was spent at the retreat, setting goals, developing skills and working on team projects. The evening was a chance to connect with Rotary members (many of whom sponsored the participants) enjoying some networking over a BBQ. Later improvisation activities helped participants learn about failure and working past their challenges.
Saturday our big activity was a ropes course at Adrenaline forest. Working as a group many of the participant found new ways to tackling fear. The evening activity was a panel discussion of past participants giving hope and inspiration to the group.
Sunday morning we took them offsite to Days Bay and ran a team event that brought together all the skills we had taught. Teams had to recover components to build a raft, sail it off the beach, recover a treasure and get their team across the line. It is a fun but practical example of what we achieved over the last few days. In the afternoon District President Marion Johnston and President Elect John Mohi gave completion awards to all the participants, as we had our closing ceremony.Its an extremely special event and the effects are very long lasting. Many of our past participants have gone on to do incredible things in the community. We even had one win a local hero award this past year. Some go on to join clubs and form their own Rotoract clubs.
Thank you for supporting these young people. - Ganesh Cherian - District RYLA Chair