RYLA 2017

Two local students attended a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Cranleigh to tell members about their week of outdoor exploits during their Rotary Young Leadership Award (RYLA) course in April.

As in previous years, the Rotary Club of Cranleigh was delighted to sponsor two young people to attend the five day course. Fionnuala Jabbur and Harry Crouch, who are both students at Glebelands School, were selected to attend, along with many other 15 to 18 year-olds, at the Outdoor Activity Centre at High Ashurst, on the slopes of Box Hill.

Working in teams of 7 or 8, the students tackled a range of challenging activities such as raft building, rock climbing blindfolded, kayaking, and orienteering, with a hike across Surrey from Box Hill to Guildford.

In doing so, they learned important skills, such as communication, teamwork, collaboration, empathy and planning, as well as challenging themselves to get out of their comfort zone in a controlled environment, with the backup of expert youth leaders. 

However, the students were also able to enjoy some leisure time with a memorable trip to a West End theatre to see Kinky Boots.

The climax of the week was a Gala Evening, which was organised by the students, who also provided excellent musical entertainment and hosted the evening themselves. A number of Rotarians attended the Gala Evening and awards ceremony on the Friday night, along with their parents. 

Fionnuala and Harry both agreed that it had been most enjoyable and valuable course,and that it had helped them to develop their personal communication skills and confidence, while making lots of new friends.

RYLA is one of a wide range of youth schemes Rotary provides in the UK. Other nationwide competitions include Youth Speaks (public speaking), Young Musician, Young Writer, Young Chef and a Technology Tournament.

Photo captions:

Fionnuala and Harry after speaking to Cranleigh Rotary.

Fionnuala Jabbur and Harry Crouch were presented with their RYLA certificates by David Hall, President of Cranleigh Rotary.