How RYLA Changed My Life

RYLA is focused on a Rotary-Centered lifestyle in teenagers and it is so much more than a camp for various reasons. The first reason is the role it played in my year as a camper. I was going through the darkest time of my life before RYLA, and I was in the midst of attempting to redefine myself. It helped me take what I loved, define it as my passion, taught me communication, and make me the leader and person I am. The next reason is the things that it taught me as a CIT. There was such diversity in my group, that I saw some of myself in them. I realized what I do, how it comes off, and how I can do better job of working with others. Finally, RYLA has become my lifestyle and I plan to attend as long as I can. Every morning the first things I do are: 1. Read my Bible …show more content…
Second, the leader must be able to communicate to different people and remain adaptable to this. Third, the leader must stay humble and be willing to serve their follower’s. Finally, one of the most important, the leader must bridge the gap between emotion and language in their own mind and the minds of others. I have learned all of these things from my own personal experiences in my life, and I feel this is the best way to translate these to the kids. I lead, behave, and teach differently than most other people, so I think that is a huge asset that I use daily that I’d love to share with the campers. At RYLA I continue to learn about people, how they communicate, and how I can have more fun. A lot of the time, when I am in leadership positions, I get short, bossy, and I forget to have fun. Each year, I have gotten progressively better at all of these things because RYLA is good for me to learn these things. Those three things and my communication skills are my biggest weaknesses as a person and as a leader, but I believe that I will become the best version of myself through RYLA, especially considering how far it has brought me. While I will respect whatever decision, I pray and hope I can come