Rejoicing RYLA

                                    Rejoicing RYLA

Program: RYLA Nepal

Date: 24-27 May 2013

Venue: Agriculture Development Bank Training Center, Bode, Thimi

Theme: “Awakening Youths”

RYLA-Bode was an incredible experience. I first came to know about RYLA long time back. This time, as I was preparing to participate in RYLA for the first time, I Googled about RYLA in various Rotary, Rotaract website and in Youtube.  Since RYLA 2013 for the first time in R.I District 3292- Nepal and Bhutan was organized for only Rotaractors, I was all set to participate in it.

Learn embedded with fun:

24 May:               

It was the first day of RYLA where all the RYLA participants gathered in Rotary Hall at Thapathali. There were about 50 Youths, but only a handful of known faces!  After finishing registration, we all boarded to RYLA venue which at Agriculture development Bank, Bode, Thimi. RYLA-2013 session started formally with inaugural speech by Peter Bode, US Ambassador to Nepal who stressed the importance of Volunteerism in the United States and here for a developing country like Nepal. We also enjoyed with the cultural performances like songs and dance by students from a local school.

 

His Excellency Peter Bode inaugurating the RYLA program

Learning started when a Team of unknown people was formed and we were to choose a leader in a real time. It was wonderful experience to follow a consensus model to choose a leader. The program continued with formation of 7 different teams. The formed teams were assigned with debate topics and homework of making drama making use of available resources that the organizers would provide. The debate was conducted after the hi -tea break. We had lots of fun during the program meanwhile we also made lots of friends.

25 May:

The second day of RYLA started with Tai Chi from Mr. Deepak Shrestha. It was great fun to learn Tai Chi. Tai Chi was followed by Health and Happiness program which was focused on the techniques to manage stress and increase productivity in work-life. On the same day we were scheduled for observing indigenous method of producing Pottery in Bhaktapur District. We got opportunity to see beautiful pottery work. Some of our friends also enjoyed making pottery.

RYLARIANS posing for a group photo after visiting the Pottery Industry in Bhaktapur

We had creativity workshop after our lunch break which emphasized in the difference in perspective of people that makes us perceive things in different ways. Rtn. Hare Ram Bhattarai came to us with Leadership and Management presentation after the creativity session. The presentation pointed on various leadership traits that a leader must have.  The schedule for day 2 ended with debate competition.

26 May:

The third day of RYLA began with teaching us to find Success within ourselves, a session by Ranjit Acharya, a motivational speaker. Shaily Basnet shared her experience that she had in her journey in climbing Seven summits of the world. It was very inspiring to know that girls from poor and average class family climbed 4 top summits of the world and are planning to climb three more summits. Young female achievers encouraged the RYLARIANS to dream BIG and to chase the dreams.

Mr. Rupendra Maharjan taught us about Appreciative Leadership. He taught that a leader needs to appreciate his followers. Moving with the session we had the final of the debate competition, which we had been doing since the first day of RYLA.

We were all excited for the drama competition. For which our team has prepared extensively. The plot was based on Violence Against Women , with a title " Maunata", meaning Silence, where a young girl is bound to get married by her family and how she finds herself in series of misfortune when she is sold to Brothel for  prostitution in Mumbia by her husband because of not bringing enough Dowry. After having worse of time in prostitution, the lady is found infected with HIV/AIDS and is kicked-out of her work. Finally “Maiti Nepal” official rescues her.  We tried to search an answer about why we Youths were in silence as many of our Nepali sisters are facing violence cases like everyday. This seems quite dramatic but this has been the issue that many Nepalese young girls have been facing in their life. To give more effect to the acting part, mute drama was performed. And yes we proved to be best by bagging the first prize.  Adding more memories to the event, we celebrated surprise birthday of our team mate Aditi on the same evening.

Performing as a father in the Drama:- Maunata during Drama competition in RYLA

With the completion of the drama formal session was over for the day. Since it was the last day of RYLA we had lots of fun we cracked jokes, sang songs, and enjoyed with friends. A period of 3 days had passed so quickly and by this time there weren't any strangers but only friends.

27 May:

As a last day of RYLA we had thanks speech from the RYLA committee, District Governors and other District officers. After the formal session, we also enjoyed taking photos with Rotarians from our home clubs. Similarly we must say that all the strangers at the first day of the Rotary hall have become our best friends. We took lots of pictures with our friends who had been as our family in those four days. After that we bid farewell to each other and returned back to our home.

Conclusion:

Literally, RYLA was an experience of lifetime. It encouraged in me to adopt for some changes in my life. The values of self-confidence, adopting to unfamiliar circumstances and deriving motivation out of self were the basic things that RYLA experience helped me to foster. I was able to grasp the Essence of Teamwork : Together Everyone Ac hives More, similarly  friends from different parts of country would always be adding fun in life, Pragmatic learning about Leadership and Professional developments were the best of its type. As such the essence of RYLA was fully embraced. 

For Ambassador Address: Click Address

For more Pictures: Click Pictures