Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)

What is RYLA?

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership training program sponsored by Rotary International that promotes, encourages and rewards outstanding young people who want to become better leaders. RYLA participants can be ages 14-30, but Great Plains RYLA focuses on youth who are high school sophomores and juniors.

RYLA consists of an all-expense paid five-day conference that brings together a special group of young men and women from Central and Western Nebraska to share ideas about becoming better leaders. Action-packed activities, like problem solving games, challenge course, group discussions and teambuilding activities, help participants build confidence and leadership skills.

RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and personal growth, and aims to:

• Demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth.
• Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders.
• Encourage leadership of youth by youth.
• Publicly recognize young people who are rendering service to their communities.