RYLA is an acronym for
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
RYLA is all about Rotarians working with youth in leadership development. It is an intensive training/experiential program for about 200 high school students in grades 10 & 11, who are chosen for their proven or potential leadership abilities.
View a PDF brochure describing RYLA CAMP.
Students participate in an all-expense paid event over several days in late April each year. The camp is run by RYLA Alumni and student attendance is sponsored by Rotary Clubs from throughout District 5320. Attendance is free for qualified high school Juniors. Students are joined by talented young people from communities throughout the district. RYLA provides a memorable opportunity to learn, grow, have fun, make new friends, and gain a new and improved focus.
For 2026, RYLA will be a combination of online and in-person camping.
What Does RYLA Offer?
The core curriculum for RYLA:
- What Rotary is and what it does for the local and international community
- Importance of communication skills in effective leadership
- Fundamentals of leadership
- Ethics of positive leadership
- Building self-confidence and self-esteem
- Problem-solving and conflict-management
- Elements of Community and Global Citizenship
What Should I Expect?
RYLA Camp combines speaker programs, and team problem-solving sessions, with cooperative games, and competitions in a diverse environment for young people across the 5320 district. All camp activities are designed with the objective of providing an atmosphere where campers will experience learning situations to help develop their own unique strengths and abilities to become future leaders.
What is the structure of RYLA camp?
Each camper is assigned to a RYLA Family, a groups of 10 kids with 2 Rotarian leaders (1 male and 1 female) ‘RYLA Parents. These groups are the vehicles used to process the day’s events, build teamwork, and integrate the positive examples of leadership, ethical behavior and constructive group dynamics.
What is Rotary?
Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.
read more about Rotary…