Our meeting was confidently run by the returning dozen RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) attendees. This year we sponsored 9 from Arcadia High where we have a large Interact Club, 2 from Temple City High where we have another active Interact Club and one from Arroyo Pacific Academy.  The weekend was conducted a camp at Thousand Pines, Crestline.

We knew the meeting would be fun when “Old MacDonald” was selected as a song and the Principal, Brent Forsee was cajoled from the audience to stand with the students at the lectern to help lead.

For the program the students divided up their experience (including figuring out how to get a hot shower) to share with us.  They described the Plenary session as learning about “Life Changing Experiences”.  They described the familiar City/Continent format and the topic of World Peace… or avoiding WWIII.  8 students form a city, about 50 form a continent, all previously unknown to each other to work together on the topic (and team challenges) and bond over the course of the weekend.  Facilitation was provided by Rotary Volunteers from District 5300.  Students came from all over the district – Las Vegas to Colton to Arcadia.

They were challenged on their expectations with varied exercises:

• can you trust strangers you have just met – The Trust Fall
• how sensitive are you to other’s backgrounds – The Culture Walk
• how well can you work as a team, be flexible to changing conditions and achieve the goal – Egg Drop Challenge
• a communication exercise: 70 attendees assembled on and had to arrange themselves in order of their birthdays- but some were blindfolded, most were not allowed to speak and their were penalties for not following the rules – Rylarians on the Line

Without exception each student repeatedly thanks us for the opportunity to experience RYLA.