Rotary Youth Leadership Awards

What does RYLA Offer

YLA programmes run between three to ten days and give participants the opportunity to:

• Gain exposure to leadership scenarios

• Explore problem-solving strategies as part of a team

• Discuss and apply creative approaches to leadership and conflict management

• Build confidence in yourself and what you can achieve

• Meet new people and make lasting friendships

• Learn how to arrange youth activities and community service projects at locally and internationally

Being a leader is not just about being confident enough to speak out and knowing what to say, it is knowing when to listen to others and understand. RYLA teaches this, and other soft skills, to help everyone to be the best they can be.

Teamwork exercises bring people together from different walks of life in a safe environment where everyone can get to know each other without fear of exclusion or negativity.

As with all Rotary programmes, Rotary members are appropriately DBS checked and risk assessments are carried out for all activities.

Who is eligible?

You don’t need to be a high achiever with outstanding academic grades, just be willing to try something new through activity-based learning and discover new talents along the way, as well as having fun.

RYLA programmes involve physical challenges so can be demanding. Some degree of fitness is required.

The courses are open to people aged 14 to 30.

More Information 

The Rotary Young Leadership Award is one of the best examples of the work that Rotary  undertakes. It is important as RYLA ensures that our country will have future leaders and that the next generation will have the abilities to become active members of society, with skills to match.  The aim of the course is provide the candidate with the skills for their future life and promotes assertiveness, team building, as well as the importance of planning and preparation for any project in life.

The RYLA course we hope to sponsor will be held at Grafham Water Centre, which is run by Cambridgeshire County Council. It is a residential course, lasting for 8 days, commencing Saturday 2nd to 10th August 2025. 

The course encourages its participants to undertake challenges and to take risks. The program is varied, and they are purposefully occupied for the whole day, every day. Many of the outdoor activities undertaken by the candidates are water based such as canoeing and sailing.  There is an evening exercise when they arrive, and they are put in teams for the week so working together is essential for success. Much of the course prepares the candidates for their future careers, in that they give presentations, have a Dragons’ Den exercise and are given tricky problem-solving scenarios.

We have 81 clubs in our District so hopefully we should be able to find the 30 candidates we need for the course to go ahead.

The cost is £800, (tbc) which will be sponsored by the Spalding Rotary Club, so no cost to schools.