What is RYLA? 

District 5495 holds its Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp at the Salvation Army Camp Ponderosa near Heber, AZ, among the scenic pines in the White Mountains.

Some 80-plus high school students and Rotarians will attend.

Activities include dynamic motivational speakers, seminars on leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution.  Additionally, a variety of sports and recreational activities, such as volleyball, horseshoes, rope climbing, and horseback riding are included.  The fun begins with team assignments and an ice-breaking scavenger hunt.  

Guided by Rotary's Youth Services philosophy regarding youth, the camp is structured to challenge the students to discuss problems confronting today's youth and to give participating adults the opportunity to listen to their suggestions and devise methods and activities for resolving their concerns.

Any number of sensitive subjects are raised by the students.  Everything from teenage pregnancy, to latchkey kids, to domestic violence,  to drug and alcohol use are addressed, and solutions sought.  

A rich source of students for the RYLA camp are students who participate in Interact Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, or any other youth organization. Following their participation in the RYLA camp, the students will be available to report back to their sponsoring Rotary Club on their experiences.  

Each club in the district is encouraged to send students to participate at a cost of $400 each.

Rotarians who wish to participate in helping to run the camp or just attend as observers, are welcome to do so free of charge.  

For more informatin and to apply for this year's RYLA camp, follow the link on the left to the District 5495 RYLA website or send an email to our Club's RYLA Chair at ryla@scottsdalerotary.org.