By Samantha Gallant
As the school year wrapped up this past June, twelve Bedford sophomores jumped from final exams to packing, as they headed off to Fitchburg State University for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
The weekend-long conference began on Friday, June 22, and concluded the following Sunday evening. The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, commonly referred to as RYLA, aims to provide a weekend jam-packed with opportunities and challenges that serve to promote growth in its participants, as leaders, and as people.
This year, 201 sophomores from Central Massachusetts attended the conference, and the fantastic number of participants was in large part a result of the over 50 Rotary Clubs from Rotary District 7910. Not only did these Rotary Clubs sponsor each student that they sent at three-hundred dollars each, but many sponsored one or more of the 36 students who returned for a second or third year, to help with this year’s RYLA.
Group Facilitators, who returned for their second year, guided a group of 6-8 students through the conference, while program facilitators, who came back for the third year, helped with the organization and execution of the entire event.
The Bedford Rotary Club has generously sponsored over 80 participants in the past decade! After this year’s applicants applied through both a written application and an interview, the Bedford Rotary Club selected and sponsored
the following twelve sophomores, whom they believed exhibited leadership qualities: Antranig Douglas, Brendan Vaughan, Calista Barber, Cole Parks, Jackson Warhover, Jake O’Neil, James McGinn, Jordan Alper, Kai Chun, Mia Federico, Nicole Hebert, and Olivia Roscoe.
These twelve, along with the other 189 participants, agreed to come to RYLA on the condition that they knew not much more than an address and a date, and that’s part of what makes RYLA so special. The unknown allows for students to attempt new challenges and navigate unfamiliar terrain. Activities range from interactive leadership labs to ones that are demanding mentally, physically, and sometimes even both! The participants, also known as RYLAns, go through a range of unique experiences, gaining new skills in topics such as decision making, critical thinking, communication, ethics, and public service, among many more! As someone who has experienced RYLA twice, I’d absolutely love to dive into what exactly happens during the exciting sessions that are experienced at RYLA, but that would be completely against the rules and regulations of RYLA, and I wouldn’t want to ruin the secrets for those of you who could be future RYLAns! If you’re incoming sophomores or younger you’ll have to look out for applications in the winter of your sophomore year so you can experience RYLA for yourself!
Even though I can’t tell you exactly what happens at the conference, I can tell you what those who’ve experienced it are saying in a few of the over fifty thank-you notes that The Chair of RYLA, Bedford’s, Christine Pinney, has received from this year’s RYLAns.
The following quotes were taken from thank you letters written by three RYLAns from Bedford. Jimmy McGinn shared his experience at RYLA, writing, “Prior to RYLA my view of the conference was positive and I knew it was something that would better round my background to better myself as a person in general, but I never expected to enjoy myself and have the amount of fun with strangers that I did this past weekend.” And in her letter, Calista Barber captures the many layers of RYLA, sharing, “ It was such an inspirational yet educational experience and I loved it!!” Jordan Alper highlights just how impactful RYLA can be, writing that, “It was truly a life-changing experience.” Many of the letters flooding in from this year’s RYLAns featured experiences alike to those of these three Bedford participants, and many of them thanked not only Christine Pinney, but the 100 fantastic volunteers!
This was RYLA’s 26th year, and the success of the event year after year, could not have been possible without the countless hours of time and energy that the volunteers put in. This year, the following members from Bedford, contributed to making the weekend as special as it was: Christine Pinney (RYLA Chair), Katie Pinney (Program Facilitator), Samantha Gallant (Group Facilitator), Bob Doud, Kevin Sullivan, Nicole Lang, Jackie Pinney, Paula Guilarde, Cliff Rober, Victor Tom, Al Roscoe, Diane Ryan, and Tom Pinney. Despite the program lasting for just three short days, the time and effort that many of the volunteers put in have been year round!
So, if you were wondering why 201 sophomores chose to skip the beach and kick off their summer at RYLA this year, it’s because RYLA isn’t just a leadership conference, but a life-changing experience! And as cheesy as that sounds, students come to RYLA, not necessarily knowing what they want to get out of the weekend, and certainly not what to expect, but leave closing ceremony having received something that they needed. For many it’s confidence, for others, it’s authentic and supportive friends, and most, if not all, leave with a better understanding of themselves and others. Year after year, RYLAns that have experienced the many obstacles, the wisdom imparted by volunteers, the uncontrollable laughter, the incredible people, and the kind of bliss only found at RYLA, deem it the “BEST RYLA EVER!”
For more information about how sophomores can apply to be candidates for RYLA 2019, or how adults or students can participate in feel-good service, visit the Bedford Rotary website at bedfordmarotary.org
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