RYLA Calvert Exmoor

The Rotary Youth Leadership Award Scheme and the Calvert Devon

 

The Rotary Youth Leadership Award, or RYLA, is a 10-day sponsored leadership development programme run by Rotary International to help young adults develop personal skills that are useful to the local community. Under the auspices of RYLA, each year since 2012 the Rotary Club of Banbury has sponsored two students from the Griffiths Centre, Frank Wise School to attend the Calvert Trust, Exmoor.  This programme enables people with disabilities to achieve their potential through experiencing exciting, challenging and enjoyable outdoor activities. This year Dan and Crystal have been selected to attend.

 

The immediate challenge for these students is that, although the course is fully accommodated and catered, they have to be individually independent outside the carefully supervised daytime activities.  They get shown around the facilities for 30 mins by their accompanying Rotarian and escort before being left to fend for themselves ahead of their evening briefing by Calvert Devon staff. This is their first experience of living in a single room away from their family or school. They have been issued with school mobile phones to record their experiences and, of course, to contact their parents and school staff when necessary.

 

Over the weekend the students take part in adventures such as archery, canoeing, zip wire and abseiling, cycle riding and assisting other less capable participants in organised and social group activities both during the day and evenings.  After attending the course both students talk of their experience with Rotarians at a coffee morning presentation at the Griffiths Centre. 

 

Club is extremely proud to have worked with students and teachers from the Griffiths Centre at the Frank Wise School, and the Calvert Devon, and we know that our continued support is also much valued by them.