Rotary clubs sponsor a leadership development weekend for juniors in high schools and home-schooling programs.
Applications are taken by high school counselors in the fall of each school year from juniors in various high schools and from home schoolers, reviewed by Rotarians, and candidates selected to participate in this two and a half day weekend program aimed at developing leadership skills in these teens.
Teens from schools in our Rotary District 5910 attend this all-expense paid weekend. Rotary calls this week RYLA which stands for “Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.”
This past weekend, teens experienced a life-changing event with other teens outside of their schools and school districts. The Piney Woods Baptist Camp in Woodville hosted several hundred teens and counselors in dormitories. Room, meals and transportation along with the leadership training and team building sessions were paid for by the 42 Rotary Clubs in District 5910.
The weekend starts off with a rowdy welcome of counselors at the games to the camp followed by check-in and a kick-off meeting after dinner.
Counselors check in on Thursday and are provided with the leadership/team-building curriculum and education in handling several hundred teens. This weekend provides opportunities for these teens to see more than their usual school chums and puts them in a foreign environment. One of the items at the kickoff meeting is where the freezer located with unlimited ice cream novelties is located. That freezer is available to indulge yourself with a variety of ice cream treats while you learn about team building and leadership. One of the key components learned during this weekend is to raise others and challenge them to excel for that is one of the components of a leader. Friendships also develop among these teens even though they might be hours apart.
These teens learn that it is more than just moving forward. It is about elevating others into the cause. The weekend is also values driven in service to our community, country, and the world! That Friday night at the kickoff meeting, each teen is assigned to a team of people they know nothing about. That will change over the next few days as they learn to work together as a team. They also understand about the acronym TEAM which stands for “Together Everyone Achieves More!”
If weather permits, these teen teams go through a rope course together and build either a small boat or car in two hours. The challenge is they are given corrugated cardboard, tape, and wheels for their four-wheelers they build. If the temperature is warm, there is a lake they can have a paddle race. If the weather is cold, then four-wheelers are constructed and pushed across a grassy expanse.
Around 3 on Sunday afternoon, bags are packed and farewells and addresses exchanged as these weary teens are transported home-ward. I emphasize the adjective, weary, since these teens interact way past two in the morning and up at sunrise for another day of learning. I was a counselor one year and learned much. One important thing to learn is that our world will be in good hands with these teens as they become adults with Rotary values.
The Rotary Club of Conroe meets Tuesdays at noon at Honor Cafe in downtown Conroe.
Ron Saikowski may be reached at rsaikowski@comcast.net.
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