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Hosting a Successful RYLA Program by Sylvia Henderson
(Published in The Rotarian magazine - March 2002)
Focus the program
The next step is to determine the focus of the RYLA program because most of the other decisions will hinge on the program’s content. Once the program is finalized, select the workshop facilitators and activity coordinators, set budgets, determine menus and schedule deadlines for planning, preparing and implementing all of the program components.
Select the participants
Learn from past RYLA programs
Have a committee that believes deeply in developing young leaders and devotes its time and resources to following through with its commitments.
Set, document and enforce firm guidelines for selecting youth participants.
Establish the tone and set norms for the program at the beginning of the event.
Utilize business contacts within Rotary membership to contribute to the event’s success and budget.
Tame the young and the restless
Teens also need to be involved physically and mentally in learning activities that evoke the “adult” in them. However, workshop games used in adult training sessions may not work for youth leadership sessions because adults tend to enjoy acting out youthful scenarios, while teens want to be mature. Last, allow time for socializing, networking and supervised physical activity each day. Teenagers are a social and active bunch, and their young bodies need exercise to burn off pent-up energy.
For more information about RYLA in your area, contact your district RYLA chairperson, the Rotary International RYLA Committee (www.rotaryryla.com) or the Community Programs staff of RI at programs@rotaryintl.org.
Sylvia Henderson, trainer, workshop & seminar facilitator, speaker, and founder of Springboard Training (www.springboardtraining.com), helped Rotary District 7620 (Washington, DC; MD, USA) coordinate its annual RYLA program for two years. She speaks at Rotary events and was made an Honorary Rotarian for a year by the Lanham MD Rotary Club for her service to the club and to the RYLA program.
