Sophomores selected for the lewadership award are, from the left: Maya Sadaris, Maddie Tucker, and Rylie Walton.
Each year Suffield Rotary Club invites Suffield High School sophomores to apply for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. This year our club and town will be represented at the event by Maya Sadaris, Maddie Tucker and Rylie Walton. Rotary District 7890 includes clubs from across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a program for young persons, officially adopted by Rotary International in 1971. Conducted at the 7890’s District level, RYLA offers our local clubs a special opportunity to take part in developing leadership qualities and good citizenship among our young adults.
The Suffield Rotary Club’s sponsored sophomores will arrive at Springfield College on June 3, 2023. After registration and a briefing of the day’s events, the large group of students is divided into smaller groups and they begin the program. Their leadership qualities are noted by their instructors and the RYLA Committee throughout the day. A motivational speaker, a Rotary roundtable, and seminar focusing on the advantages of group efforts in accomplishing tasks are also part of the leadership training.
A selection process takes place whereby all students involved select students who best displayed leadership characteristics within each group, a number of whom will attend the World Affairs Seminar at Carroll University, Wisconsin in June of the following year. Alternates are chosen to replace those who cannot attend. The RYLA program of Rotary District 7890 pays for transportation, meals, and admission to this week-long event where students from all over the world gather to discuss global affairs.
Our District can be proud of its RYLA Program because it achieves all these objectives:
- To demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth.
- To encourage and assist young adults in methods of effective leadership by providing them with training experience.
- To publicly recognize the high qualities of many young adults who are serving their communities as youth leaders.
After the students return from RYLA they will join us at one of our upcoming Suffield Rotary meetings and share their experiences and the impact the program has had as they grow in leadership and service. Please join us in congratulating Maya, Maddie and Rylie on this achievement.