From the Editor.. Rotary News Basket 10th Anniversary of Youth Project Rotary District 3770 Presidential Celebration-Manila Rotarians Also Laugh

More than 400 Rotarians and invited guests joined RI Jonathan Majiyagbe at the University of Western Australia’s Octagon Theatre in Perth on 16 January to mark the success of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) program.

Born some 44 years ago in Brisbane, Queensland, as a “gundoo” - an aboriginal word meaning “festival” or “fun together” - RYLA aptly returned to the land of its origin as the centerpiece of an RI presidential celebration.

In a speech full of praise for the resourcefulness of Australian Rotarians, President Majiyagbe addressed the need for leadership training for young people in a world of increasing complexity. “Every year, thousands of young people participate in RYLA events sponsored by Rotary clubs and districts - and everyone involved makes important contributions to this beneficial program,” he said. “Through Ryla, Rotarians mentor young leaders - like the energetic young men and women we have met today. In turn, these young leaders bring a fresh burst of enthusiasm to a Rotary club by supporting club projects, providing new ideas for service, and strengthening or starting Interact and Rotaract clubs.”

The RI president recounted how RYLA started as an act of Rotarian hospitality in 1959. When Brisbane Rotarians learned that Queen Elizabeth II was sending her young cousin Princess Alexandra to the centennial celebration of Queensland province, they planned a series of special youth activities to make her feel welcome and at ease.

“Australian Rotarians decided to create an annual youth porgram, based on this event,” President Majiyagbe said. “From there, the idea began to spread to other countries and within a few years, RYLA events were being held throughout the Rotary world.”

“Keynote speaker Past District Governor Rev. Allan Male, who has been associated with RYLA for almost 40 years, spoke passionately about the lives that he had seen blessed by the program.

David Yardley, an ex-RYLArian explained how the program had turned his life around, rescuing him from the scourge of peer pressure that was pushing him into undesirable activities.

Rotarian Ron Mildenhall and his son, Sam, who attended RYLA programs - in 1969 and in 2002 respectively, bantered onstage about the old and young generations and the relative merits of RYLA then and now.

The celebration also featured a well-attended workshop on the essentials of a successful RYLA experience and a buffet dinner and fellowship that the “family of Rotary’” including the RI president, enjoyed in an informal and relaxed atmosphere under the stars in the lush university gardens.