Three local high school students who participated in Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) Jan. 9-11 recently spoke to the Rotary Club of Livingston about their experiences.
Rotarian Corky Evans, the club’s RYLA coordinator, explained that RYLA is a leadership retreat for high school juniors that is held the second weekend of January at Pineywoods Baptist Encampment outside of Groveton.
“The purpose is to strengthen and enhance leadership skills, learn what Rotary is all about and how important service is back to our community. We’ve participated maybe 20 years, each year sending two to four students,” Evans said.
“All we pay for is the cabin. Everybody there is volunteers. All the clubs there take care of the meals. The Livingston club partners with Woodville to take care of lunch on Sunday. The process starts mid-September and the selection process is where the work starts,” he said.
“This year, we sent two students from Livingston and one from Goodrich. Thanks to Daniel Barton, the Goodrich counselor Kari Rhodes and the Livingston counselor Debbie Jenke,” Evans said, as he also thanked the board and club for its support of the program.
Luisa Perez, a junior at Livingston High School, told of her experience.
“I really enjoyed my time, not just because of making new friendships, but I learned a lot about myself. One of the things I learned is that we were not there to gain leadership skills, but because we’re already leaders. Thank you for that. The program had such an impact on me that we’re starting an Interact Club at Livingston,” Perez said.
An Interact Club is a Rotary-sponsored service organization for young people (ages 12-18) that focuses on leadership, community service and international understanding, requiring at least two projects yearly – one local, one global – to develop skills like project management, teamwork and global awareness while making a positive impact.
Eddie Turk, also a junior at Livingston High School, told of his experience.
“Thank you for allowing us to go and supporting us. I found it very beneficial. I learned a lot about Rotary and what y’all do, and now I’m just in awe of what you do. One of the biggest things I took away is a sense of community, where we talk and listen and support each other. It felt good to feel that community again,” Turk said.
Giselle Martinez, a junior at Goodrich High School, told of her experience.
“Thank you for making the RYLA experience possible. Going in, I didn’t know what to expect, but then I started opening up, and found that I really have a lot in common with the other students. I also found out how what we do now not only affects others, but also what we do in the long run. Trust was something else I learned through participating in the low ropes course. I was definitely pushed out of my comfort zone and am so glad I did. I created memories with people I didn’t know and also learned a lot about Rotary.”
