Are you a 16-17 year old in Cupar … or do you know someone who is? Cupar Rotary Club are hoping to sponsor a suitable candidate at an upcoming RYLA camp this July.

The camp is a week long, full time residential course with activities including hill walking, rock climbing, abseiling, mountain biking, kayaking (river), raft building, swimming, mental and physical team challenges … all as part of a team where you must work together to achieve a goal.

It is not an outward bound course! Yes, a lot of the activities may take place outside – in the Cairngorm National Park – but it is about using a variety of activities, both in and outdoors to develop you as an individual, as a team member and as a leader of a team in a safe and enjoyable environment.

Good communication and teamwork are key and you will be mentored on these aspects, including daily talks from speakers with experience of various team challenges.

Check this video that shows more …

 

What is RYLA?

RYLA is a leadership development course. It is not a pass or fail course and you will be as successful on it as you are willing to be. There are no limits for your development. We aim to help you realise some of the leadership potential that others have seen when they selected you for the course.

It is a rare opportunity to experience and learn things about yourself, about working in a team but more importantly about leading and supervising other people. These are the skills employers look for in the workplace.

The courses are open to young people who are 16 and 17 years old and take place at Abernethy’s Outdoor Centre at Nethybridge.  This centre, located in the Cairngorm National Park had been running RYLA courses with District 1010 for over 30 years.

The selected activities on the course are all based on elements of problem solving, communication, organisation, delegation and teamwork etc. Although the tasks are largely centred on outdoor activities which add a physical dimension to the problems you will face, it cannot be stressed enough that this is not an activity holiday!

The staff on RYLA are a mixture of Rotarians, professional instructors and mentors, many of whom are past RYLA candidates.  All of them have a lot of experience in leadership roles in either the public or private sector and they are all there to assist with development of your leadership skills.

During the week you will be in a team of about 7/8 and will work with a mentor. Your mentor will be there to support you throughout the course, to deal with any issues that may arise within your team, and be the link between yourselves and the rest of the staff, should the need arise. They are not there to supervise you or to instruct you or to be a team leader, but to give you the benefits of their vast experience.

Your mentor will see your development in your leadership skills over the course and will do their best to make sure your whole team benefit from the experiences that you will all go through and provide continuity of your development through the programme.

Leadership

The activity side of the course is used to highlight the problems of leadership in a practical situation and to allow each course member the opportunity to take on a leader’s role. You will then be given feedback on individual and team performances, not only by Abernethy staff, but also by other course participants and your mentors. In this way you will learn how things were from a wider perspective and by taking this learning forward it allows you to set new challenges and adapt your approach for the next task.  Don’t worry there is no exam / assessment and no pass or fail on this course. You will be challenged during the course, you will be tired, you will feel that you are sometimes being pushed to your limits but you will enjoy it – honestly!

Interested?

The local contact number for further information is 01334 654449.

Thanks for reading!