TLC & RYLA

Teen Leadership Camp

Rotary TLC is a leadership training program for 8th grade teens. It is sponsored by the Rotary clubs of Rotary International District 5300. Students interact and participate with 144 other outstanding 8th Graders coming from throughout the San Gabriel Valley, the West End of the Inland Empire, the High Desert and Southern Nevada.

The purpose of this week-end long program, held at Astro Camp in Idyllwild, California is to develop leadership skills of young participants with emphasis on:

• Self-confidence and self-esteem;
• Personal responsibility, as a basis of leading others;
• Ethics of positive leadership;
• Group dynamics and peer pressure

The Upland Rotary Club sponsors two boys and two girls, ages twelve and thirteen, each year.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Rotary's training program for young leaders, emphasizes leadership, citizenship and personal growth. Shown above: District 5300 RYLA event participants.

Each year, thousands of young people take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program worldwide. Young people ages 14-30 chosen for their leadership potential attend an all-expenses-paid seminar, camp, or workshop to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. Rotary clubs and districts select participants and facilitate the event's curriculum.

The Rotary Club of Upland annually sponsors six high school Juniors, ages 16 or 17, to attend a three-day seminar at the Desert Sun Science Center in Idyllwild, California.

RYLA aims to:

• Demonstrate Rotary's respect and concern for youth;
• Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders;
• Encourage leadership of youth by youth; and
• Recognize publicly, young people who are rendering service to their communities.

RYLA was officially adopted by Rotary International in 1971, and is one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service. RYLA programs often lead to the formation or strengthening of Rotaract and Interact clubs. RYLA participants often go on to become Youth Exchange students or Ambassadorial Scholars.