District 5495
Arizona Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
RYLA Volunteers are primarily Rotarians/Rotaractors from throughout our Rotary District. Volunteers are highly motivated and successful leaders within their respective communities.
They are carefully selected from many interested applicants to represent some of the best leaders in Arizona. For the protection of all, volunteers (except those under 18 YOA) who apply agree to submit to a background check. Adult volunteers are expected to attend the J.C. and Adult Volunteer training day on Saturday a week before camp.
We Need:
One of the great joys of being a Rotarian is to share your vision of leadership and service with young people. RYLA gives you the opportunity to participate in leadership, learning, and fellowship activities with some of the District’s finest high school students.
Participants will be divided into teams to provide the best possible learning and sharing experience. Each team consists of 10 to 12 students from different high schools throughout our Rotary District, a Junior Counselor selected from the previous year’s top Delegates to lead the team, a Foreign Exchange Student and two adult Mentors. The team will become a close knit community as a result of working together and sharing ideas after each major presentation and activity.
The process of Mentoring is to support and guide the Junior Counselor in their leadership experience and to support the team as it reflects on an experience, whether that experience was a speaker, a workshop, or an activity. Effective Mentoring enables students to share perspectives on a common experience through a productive dialog and then develop behavioral changes through enriched communication, trust, and teamwork.
Being a RYLA Mentor is often described as one of the high points in a Rotarians life! Don’t miss this unique opportunity.
Mentors must attend J.C. and Adult Volunteer Orientation a week before camp. This training will familiarize new and experienced Mentors and other volunteers with RYLA policies, activities, and procedures. You will meet and exchange ideas with RYLA Committee members and experienced Mentors. You will also have a chance to experience some of the activities that will be conducted at the camp, including simulated group discussions.
All adult volunteers (except those under 18 YOA) must complete the online application and submit a signed background check authorization form.
The process is painless, and RYLA does not maintain any of the information required to initiate the process. Volunteer's privacy is important to us, but the safety and security of our delegates is foremost!
Being a Mentor is possibly the best job at RYLA! Mentors serve as mentors and guides to their J.C and the delegates for the whole weekend – a hands-on leadership role.
The basics: You will be with your team (there are twelve groups) for each activity, and ensure they are prepared. You will engage in the programs as required to make sure everybody participates and learns to their ability. We will support you by having two adults per team. You will be amazed at the abilities and skills of our delegates and truly have a fun time all weekend!
Each group has a Junior Counselor. These are past RYLA Delegates who will lead and assist their team throughout the weekend. Mentors will be in support of the team J.C.
JC’s have attended a recent RYLA and were so impressed with the program they volunteer to do it all over again.
