Rotary Youth Leadership Award

RYLA is the “outreach arm” of Rotary involvement in our community. The Boys RYLA Camp (July 14-20, 2024) and the Girls RYLA Camp (July 20-26, 2024) are aimed toward empowering our youth before their senior high school year through exposure to experts in a variety of fields at a one-week leadership camp held at the beautiful Manzano Mountain Retreat. These experts contribute their time and expertise to our campers’ growth and development at this vulnerable stage of maturity. Examples of speakers in the past have included astronauts, judges, lawyers, physicians, and business owners. 

Speakers offer the tools and support that campers will be able to develop and rely upon for the rest of their lives. At this same time, experienced and supportive Counselors (2 Counselors per 7 to 10 campers in a cabin) spend the entire week with campers to support and guide campers’ decisions in alliance with the 4-Way Test - the cornerstone of Rotary. Projects are shared including how to bring out the best natural skills of each camper into focus.  Many of our alumni have earmarked RYLA as being the best thing in their memories, exposing them to choices of careers, cooperation with others, forging of friendships and support that they would never be able to find anywhere else in their lives. Because the principles of Rotary underlie RYLA Camp activities and projects, campers are exposed to the principles and purposes of Rotary, and many choose to be Rotarians later in their lives. 

We are enormously proud of our counselors and speakers who donate their time and expertise to offer this experience to our youth. College applications have included queries about RYLA for prospective students, factoring this into their choice of applicants. We genuinely feel that a RYLA scholarship is an excellent opportunity for our youth and the unique experience it offers will serve them throughout their lives.