Lutterworth Rotary Club has recently nominated and sponsored a young man -Luke Tallis, aged 21 from Ashby Parva - to go on the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) programme: an intensive training experience for young people aged between 14 and 30. The week course this year took place at Grafham Water in Rutland and is designed to develop leadership, citizenship and personal skills.
After the course was over, Luke came to the club to give thanks for the sponsorship and to speak of his experiences. Luke told the club that it had been a unique opportunity to challenge himself whilst having fun and making connections with others. All of the participants were made aware that team work was essential, not only enjoyment but also for safety. Added to which, on certain tasks, he was expected to be the team leader which he found suited him perfectly.
"The initial task on the first night, in a group of seven, was to be taken to a place in the middle of nowhere and then told to make our way back to the Centre (with compass and map). We arrived back to base at 2.00 am!
"As part of a business simulation exercise we had to figuratively set up a wine bar, buy the stock, pay staff and sell the goods. A great plan that unfortunately didn't make us much profit!
"The course included an expedition which involved paddle boarding across the reservoir to a camp, then taking a turn at cooking for all the others and trying not to poison them.
"There was a climbing wall here among other physical activities. After two days camping we all had to paddle back.
"The week finally concluded with a slap-up dinner where I could dress in a DJ complete with my red bow tie."
Luke said that he had the time of his life, and thanked Lutterworth Rotary for this great opportunity. As a result he now felt more confident and prepared for his future having learnt to work effectively with others and accomplish challenging tasks.
We hope that Luke’s experience will encourage other Clubs to send a young person take advantage of the RYLA programme.
If you would like to know more about Youth Activities and RYLA within the East Midlands area, then Click Here.
