RYLA Students Roundtable

Kim Mazeres will lead a roundtable discussion with three former RYLA students, two from this past summer and one who attended a few years ago.  They will give their insights on the program and how it has benefitted them.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening Camp (RYLA) is a summer camp for High School Juniors and Seniors.  It is a joint effort between Districts 5180 and 5190 and it is held at Grizzly Ranch which is near Portola, California.  The camp is 5 days and is led by two professional Trainers, Dean and Rochelle Whellams.  Volunteer Rotarians serve as Camp Directors and Camper Leaders. Our club sponsored ten students this year and the full cost is paid for by our club through our Reno Rotary Foundation.

The focus of the camp is developing Communication Skills, Personal Qualities, Leadership and Problem Solving Strategies. The students go through many leadership and team building activities including a ropes course, a STEP profile thinking exercise, building a bicycle which is later donated to a child from the local boys and girls club.  The students learn a lot about themselves, working with others, team building, and relationship building.  It is accomplished in a fun and open environment.  The students leave with many skills that will benefit them forever and in some cases, they make some lifelong friends.

This is one of the many Rotary programs that is a foundation for the statement “I’m Proud to be a Rotarian”.  Thank you for your support of this wonderful and life changing program.