Our speaker at Lincoln South Rotary Club on January 24 was Lori Benton, District Chair RYLA 2020.
RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is a program that provides an opportunity for self-discovery and leadership development.
The first RYLA event in Rotary District 5650 was in 2012. The District program was started by Lincoln South Rotary Club Member, Tom Cardwell along with a team that included a number of other Lincoln South Rotary Club Members.
This year the goal was 50 participants - and they are already at that number!
Lori Benton started designing the 2020 Camp by using the templates that we had and visiting RYLA committees from a number of other Districts. She quickly learned that there is not a single format. Each RYLA event is different - from the length of time, to the program, to the ages of participants. She is using the best ideas from all to develop this year's program for our District.
And, the program is evolving - constantly changing - as new ideas come forward they find ways to include them in the agenda.
Some of the topics to be explored, activities that will be included, during the Rotary District 5650 event this year:
- Self-Discovery
- Develop leadership skills
- Connect with community Leaders
- Learn how to turn motivation into action
- Learn how to think critically and share ideas
- Coordinate and lead community service projects
- Discuss importance of good governance and civil society to the world
- Business ethics
- Think globally and explore issues that transcend national and cultural boundaries
- Goodwill
- Humanitarian service
- Make new friends
- Have a lot of fun!
One key component is diversity. There will be individuals from foreign countries. There will be participants from rural and urban communities. There will be make and female. An exercise to break down the differences will help them find similarities - ways they are the same and things they have in common - not different. One idea is to have the members go to one side of the room or the other if they were raised by a single parent vs. raised by two parents. Even the most different people soon find they have something in common.
Some specific activities they are working on:
- The marshmallow challenge (building a structure as tall as possible and still be freestanding)
- Lego challenge (one person creates a structure the, without seeing the structure, others are give instructions in an attempt to duplicate that structure)
- Disaster simulation (each person has a role, they have to work together to solve problems)
- Improv night (though it is comical, it teaches skills - listening, watching and understanding that no one person is in charge)
There will also be a great deal of general Rotary knowledge.
Read all about Rotary District 5650 RYLA on the Rotary District Website - click here.
Lori brought unparalleled energy and excitement to us with her presentation. She also has an interest in the other Youth programs of Rotary - this is key to feed Rotary membership. She believes that we should have more Interact Clubs which would lead to RYLA Participation and to Rotaract Membership (both Kylen and Payton that visited our Club 1-24 were former RYLA participants). Finally, these individuals will become active Rotary Members.