Rotary District 9110 has concluded plans to organise the 2019 edition of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) with the aim to reward and empower youth in Nigeria.
RYLA 2019 comprises booth camp and prize of honour. The RYLA Prize of Honour is scheduled to hold November 24 while the RYLA Booth Camp holds from November 23 to December 1.
The event is in its 35th edition and is organised by District 9110, a district that covers all Rotary Clubs in Lagos and Ogun States. Basically, RYLA is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts where young people develop their skills as leaders while having fun and making connections.
At the press parley held at the Rotary Center District 9110 at Ikeja, Lagos recently, Chairman, 2019 RYLA committee and Project Marshal, Abelinis, Rotarian Abiodun Oshinibosi, said this year’s event promises to be bigger and better with the aim to reward outstanding youth doing great things and empower others to contribute meaningfully to the society.
He disclosed that the wife of Lagos State Governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and wife of Ogun State Governor, Bamidele Abiodun, will be the mothers of the day at the event on November 24 and December 1 respectively while other distinguished personalities are expected to attend the event.
He added that the most outstanding Rylarian wins a plot of land and 20 outstanding Rylarians earn prestigious Man O war pins.
He explained further that the event has been remarkable since it started and he is one of the testimony of the success of the event, pointing that he was a participant at one of RYLA Booth Camp 30 years ago and that has greatly changed his life and also helped him start his company.
According to a statement on the district website by the District 9110 Governor, Jide Akeredolu, “‘The Prize of Honour’, an innovation – celebrating outstanding excellence in youths, is one of the many new things coming in this year’s RYLA. The attention to detail, the expanded booth camp, to accommodate more than 500 participants, skills training, and an exciting line of guest speakers will make this year’s RYLA the best ever,” he said.
According to a statement on the district website by the District 9110 Governor, Jide Akeredolu, “‘The Prize of Honour’, an innovation – celebrating outstanding excellence in youths, is one of the many new things coming in this year’s RYLA. The attention to detail, the expanded booth camp, to accommodate more than 500 participants, skills training, and an exciting line of guest speakers will make this year’s RYLA the best ever,” he said.
According to a statement on the district website by the District 9110 Governor, Jide Akeredolu, “‘The Prize of Honour’, an innovation – celebrating outstanding excellence in youths, is one of the many new things coming in this year’s RYLA. The attention to detail, the expanded booth camp, to accommodate more than 500 participants, skills training, and an exciting line of guest speakers will make this year’s RYLA the best ever,” he said.
The District 9110 Governor also unveiled the RYLA Creed to the members and media house present. Recall, the call for entries for RYLA Prize honour started February and ended June 2019 while call for entries for RYLA Booth Camp started July and ends 28th October.
The award, according to the organisers, has three core areas of focus — leadership, citizenship, and personal development.
There would be prizes of honour in categories such as agriculture, technology, sports, entrepreneurship, citizenship, acting and music.
Keynote speaker on the opening day, November 24, will be S&D Executive MTN Nigeria, Kunle Adebiyi, while the Commercial Director, Guinness Nigeria, Tsola Barrow, will be the keynote speaker on December 1.
Some of the facilitators expected at the event include Kunle Afolayan, Kate Henshaw, Opeyemi Awoyemi, Pascal Dike, Bella Rose Okojie among others.
Back in 1959, the state government of Queensland, Australia, invited local Rotary Clubs to help plan an event to help celebrate the upcoming centennial of the state. Princess Alexandra, who was in her early 20s was due to attend the celebrations, so activities were planned specifically for the princess’s age group. The gundoo, an aboriginal word meaning “festival” or “fun together,” was deemed successful with more than 300 men and women between the ages of 17 and 23 attending. Encouraged by the event’s popularity with the young attendees, Rotary saw potential to create an annual youth program based on Gundoo. The governor of the then District 260, Art Brand, approved the project and on 2 May 1960, RYLA was an official Rotary project.