RYLArians will gain valuable leadership skills through large-group sessions, small-group discussions, guest speakers, and physical activities.

Camp RYLA training sets the stage for leadership success by teaching participants to:

♦ Exchange ideas, opinions, and plans with talented, energetic people in an atmosphere free from negative pressures and distractions;
♦ Become acquainted with a premiere service organization--Rotary International--and proven leaders from communities throughout Rotary International District 5580;
♦ Learn how to organize and manage community service projects;
♦ Discuss ways to become role models for peers facing problematic issues (drugs, school problems, etc.);
♦ Discuss effective and appropriate approaches for resolving family, social, and professional conflicts;
♦ Learn about other Rotary programs including Interact (service clubs for high school students), Rotaract (service clubs for young adults), and youth exchange (a chance to live and study abroad for free);
♦ Become familiar with other Rotary International programs, including international scholarships; and
♦ Develop a special rapport with the local Rotary Club.

Rotary International District 5580's core RYLA curriculum consists of the following:

♦ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey;
♦ The fundamentals of leadership;
♦ The ethics of positive leadership;
♦ The importance of communication skills in effective leadership;
♦ Problem solving, conflict management, and opportunities for improving these areas;
♦ Understanding Rotary and what it does for local communities around the world;
♦ Building self-confidence and self-esteem;
♦ Elements of community and global leadership;
♦ Promoting the concept of "youth leading youth"; and
♦ Developing the mental, physical, social, and spiritual aspects of each participant.

 
Camp RYLA uses several powerful tools for teaching participants leadership skills. RYLArians learn principles of personal leadership as written in Sean Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. In this powerful text, Sean Covey follows the guidance of his father, Stephen Covey, who wrote the world-renowned leadership guide The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People that teaches the use of seven habits to allow one to accomplish life goals. Sean Covey uses the same concepts as his father but relates them to the teenager perspective.

These habits are:

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens will be studied and discussed along with topics in goal-setting, decision-making, understanding self, communication, motivating others, and establishing values.

Participants will also learn the founding principles that have made Rotary International one of the most productive and successful service organizations in history. The Rotary Four-Way Test is used by Rotarians to help them make the best decisions in business and in life.

The Rotary Four-Way Test asks of the things we think, say, or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

One of the most powerful sources for guidance and encouragement that Camp RYLA utilizes cannot be outlined on paper--the people. The volunteer facilitators who lead each of the family groups bring more wisdom and knowledge of ethical leadership than can be learned from any book. The volunteers who work with the program are hand-picked, proven leaders from all over the region.