On Tuesday May 17, the 15 students who were sponsored by the Las Vegas West Rotary Club to participate in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) attended the weekly lunch meeting to share their experiences.
Before the West Prep students took turns answering questions from Rotarians Lynn Price and Lynn Purdue, they presented the Rotary Club with a RYLA t-shirt they had all signed to show their appreciation to be a part of such a wonderful experience.
The newly inducted RYLArians agreed that one of the things they enjoyed most about RYLA was getting to meet new people and learn about their cultures and experiences. They also agreed that the differences of cultures and personalities were the hardest challenges to overcome in their cities and continents while participating in activities.
What was truly remarkable was that West Prep’s prom was the same weekend as RYLA, so these students gave up their prom weekend in order to attend a leadership camp in the woods, and none of them listed that as a challenge.
The students then took turns describing their favorite event or activity they participated in at RYLA. Most of them had different answers, but the couple events they agreed were the most memorable were the Culture Walk and the Trust Fall.
The Culture Walk separates the students into smaller groups based off how they self-identify as specific categories are announced, and then they answer some questions about this category. For example, the lab leader would say “If you identify as a nerd, please come to the front of the room.” They would then face the people who stayed seated and tell them how they felt about being a nerd, the goods and bads, what they did and did want to hear from the other group.
In the Trust Fall activity, a group of students had to hold a tarp and catch a student who fell backwards off a low set of bleachers. The students had to trust their team that they would be there for them.
Both activities took place the first day of RYLA and students had to step outside of their comfort zone and build trust in their teams.
Finally, the students shared what they learned from RYLA and how they have applied it to their world. A lot of them said after RYLA they felt more comfortable with public speaking and working with other people and taking on new responsibilities. A few even gained the courage to run for office positions in their school’s leadership clubs – and won.
To learn more about RYLA, visit district5300.org.
