RYLA Applications now open
LOOKING FOR SOON TO BE SENIORS!!!
Are you, or do you know, a current junior that will be a senior in the fall? We have an excellent opportunity for soon to be seniors - RYLA!
WHAT IS RYLA?
RYLA is an all-expense paid, six-day experiential leadership program made possible for selected participants through scholarships awarded by local Rotary clubs. Students completing their Junior year of high school are eligible to apply. Sixty scholarships will be awarded throughout District 6840, encompassing Rotary clubs from Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi.
Throughout the week, campers take an active role in evaluating their leadership skills through the unique peer-workshops that RYLA provides. Exercises on leadership, teamwork, anti-bullying, public speaking, and civic duty allow campers to sharpen skills while making lifelong friends. The leadership techniques learned at RYLA are valuable for all high school students, from athletes to musicians to club officers of all kinds.
Using keynote speakers and group activities, RYLA provides an interactive environment for campers to learn how to better serve their schools and communities. RYLA campers also learn how to make the most of their senior year, while planning for college. Campers will partake in activities which will utilize their creative, physical, and problem-solving capabilities.
Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self,” is active during this one-of-a-kind program through a community service project held on the campgrounds. All campers will help in the service project from beginning to end, experiencing the unique reward found in serving the international community.
Application Deadline: The application can be accessed from the application link below. Applications are due by April 30, 2023. Please send to Haven Ilgenfritz (hilgenfritz@thefirstbank.com), our RYLA Chair.
Interviews: Rotary Clubs will contact students within two weeks and schedule interviews.
Selection Made: Rotary Club representatives will contact students about their scholarship selection and inform the RYLA committee by May 17, 2023.
Confirmation Mailed: Confirmation packets will be mailed to those students selected to participate in RYLA by June 15, 2023.
That’s the question and/or sarcastic answer my parents have been throwing at me since childhood. Patience is not my strong suit, but in the case of our RYE kiddos, it has to be. To step into a culture that is so out of character can be difficult yet breathtaking. To venture into a foreign country, away from the friends and family that have been by your side since – well forever – requires not just patience, but natural instinct, optimism, encouragement, and confidence. All of our young ambassadors seem to possess this talent and many more.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” ~Nathaniel Branden