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1 Sponsoring Club: 2016 RYLA Club Coord.: Phone: Dear Parent or Guardian: Congratulations! Your student has been nominated to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Camp on the weekend of February 5-7, 2016 at no cost to you. A local Rotary Club has agreed to pay $250 to sponsor your child. RYLA is the premier weekend intensive leadership training retreat for high school sophomores and juniors to enhance their leadership skills, citizenship and personal growth. It is held at the beautiful Camp Zephyr on Lake Corpus Christi. For a quick view of the RYLA experience, check out the video clips of the camp at this site: WHAT WE ASK OF YOU: 1. Confirm your child is willing and able to participate in RYLA. Will your child be free of other commitments February 5-7? No sports, no theatre, no testing, no UIL competition, no family events, no church events, no school functions? Please check the applicable calendars. This is an intense weekend and therefore no late arrivals/early releases are allowed. Will your child participate in a dynamic, fast-paced, interactive camp with 135 high school sophomores and juniors from all over South Texas? Will you and your child communicate with the local Rotary Club that is selecting your child to attend? You and your child must notify the sponsoring Rotary Club if last minute emergencies prevent attendance; you must assure you know what to bring to camp, and what transportation is arranged by the Rotary Club. 2. Complete and sign all the forms for registration and permissions. A list of the forms is found below. Return these to the high school by the deadline you were given. 3. Contact the RYLA Club Coordinator if you have any questions or changes in plans. It is very important that you notify the RYLA Club Coordinator if for any reason your child cannot attend at least three (3) weeks in advance to allow someone else to take his/her place. WHAT YOUR CHILD WILL EXPERIENCE: 1. Fun and challenging leadership skill-building activities facilitated by high school seniors and college students who participated previously 2. Interaction with local and regional business leaders who will lead sessions and demonstrate leadership skills 3. Meeting over 135 sophomores and juniors from South Texas schools (Victoria, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Rio Grande Valley) 4. New insights, friends, and leadership development that will impact the rest of their lives

2 RYLA 2014 My daughter Taylor attended your conference this past weekend. Her first comment to me as she got off the bus was, That was the greatest experience of my life. Needless to say, I was taken aback for a moment. She mentioned to me that she had never had opportunities to reflect on the past/present while systematically and purposefully planning for the future. She absolutely loved this retreat. I just wanted to send a quick note to say Thank you to you, your staff, and your organization for creating such a meaningful, insightful, and focused youth leadership experience. Feel free to forward this correspondence. Best regards, Mr. John Gray Principal, Jo Nelson Middle School GENERAL INFORMATION: 1. A list of items to bring to camp is included with the packet; also a map showing Camp Zephyr. Students sleep in same-sex dorms with adult Rotarians in the dorms. 2. Students travel to camp on the morning/afternoon of Friday, February 5 and depart camp on Sunday, February 7 around 2 pm. 3. Transportation to and from Camp will be arranged by your sponsoring Rotary Club. Your school counselor can give you the name of your Rotary Club contact for details if it is not included on this form for some reason. In addition to sponsoring your child, the Rotary Club will arrange transportation. As a reminder, you will not have any expenses for the weekend, so out of courtesy, please contact the sponsoring Rotary Club if, for any reason, your student cannot attend the entire weekend. 4. Students will be assigned to teams in January. Your child s assigned counselor will be contacting them via to introduce themselves, advise them of team colors, and answer any questions. 5. Cell phones are not allowed during the weekend, so do not expect your student to call. We will contact you in the event of an emergency. 6. Every year we have several cancellations. There is a good chance if your student is selected as an alternate that he/she may be sponsored by another Rotary Club in South Texas. That is only possible though if completed forms are returned. INFORMATION included in parent packet: 1. Letter to Parent explaining RYLA program 2. RYLA Mission Statement and Objectives 3. Participant Selection Criteria 4. Frequently Asked Questions 5. Map to Camp Zephyr 6. What to Bring

3 FORMS to COMPLETED and SIGNED by both STUDENTS and PARENTS and returned to the school counselor by the deadline you were given. (Forms are included in student packet). 1. Application/Nomination form 2. Consent, Waiver, and Medial Release form 3. Sexual Abuse Response Policy and Procedures form 4. Photography/Story Release form Information and a copy of all these forms may be found at Return the completed forms to your high school counselor. Your local sponsoring RYLA Coordinator who can assist you with information about RYLA is: (if this information is missing, ask your school counselor it) The local sponsoring Rotary Club is: Your RYLA Club Coordinator is: Telephone number: address: We are very excited about the opportunity to bring this leadership training to your child Sincerely, Rotary Club Coordinator And the RYLA Camp Registration Chairman: Christine Wisian Christine.Wisian@LexisNexis.com (office)

4 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Mission and Objectives Statement MISSION RYLA ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS is a program designed to shape leadership skills in High School Sophomore and Junior Students who already possess and demonstrate outstanding leadership characteristics in their high school and community. RYLA Camp is a youth retreat with the main objective being to expose students to the many phases of leadership by learning from individuals who are already leaders in their community and businesses. Students attending the RYLA camp should leave the seminar with a better understanding of how to assume a positive leadership role in their school and community. OBJECTIVES The objectives of a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program are: 1. To encourage and assist selected youth leaders and potential leaders in methods of responsible and effective voluntary youth leadership by providing them with a training experience. 2. To encourage continued and stronger leadership of youth by youth. 3. To publicly recognize the high qualities of many young people who are rendering service to their communities as youth leaders. 4. To further demonstrate Rotary s respect and concerns for youth.

5 PARTICIPANT SELECTION CRITERIA REQUIRED SELECTION CRITERIA: Students participation is restricted to HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE AND JUNIORS who plan to complete their senior year at school Selection(s) SHOULD include an equal number of male and female Sophomore and Junior High students from the participating high schools Each participating student MUST have potential or established leadership skills Each participant MUST be a FULL TIME student Be committed to attend the ENTIRE weekend - no late arrivals/early releases allowed OTHER SELECTION CRITERIA: Although we encourage flexibility in your selection criteria, please consider the following qualities as a guide to selecting your student representative(s): Superior citizenship qualities Quality and/or significance of participant s extra curricular activities Academic Honors or Awards Current and Recent Student Leadership Positions Work Experience High moral character Cooperative and willing to participate as a member of a group Informed about current events

6 What To Bring to Camp RYLA Transportation to RYLA should be arranged through your sponsoring Rotary Club (please check with your School Counselor for your contact) or an adult. Campers should not plan on driving themselves. If you end up driving due to unavoidable circumstances, the keys to your vehicle must be check in during registration and will be returned to you at the close of RYLA on Sunday afternoon. Campers are not allowed to leave RYLA at any time during the weekend. RYLA will close at about 3:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Campers may be picked up at that time. Please bring the following: Sleeping bag, sheets, blanket Pillow Toiletries toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc. Shower shoes (if desired) Bath and hand towels Comfortable clothes -- Jeans and T-shirts recommended NO INAPPROPRIATE DESIGNS OR SLOGANS ALLOWED One RYLA T-shirt will be provided (give size on application form) Sneakers or comfortable shoes. Jacket and/or raincoat (be prepared for cool evenings and possibly rain) Flashlight (remember to include fresh batteries) Personal medication (must be clearly marked) Personal hygiene items The following items are NOT allowed and may be confiscated for the duration of the camp. NO CELL PHONES Access to cell phones will be provided in case of emergencies NO CAMERAS We ll be taking plenty of pictures and give you access to them after the weekend NO ELECTRONICS NO TOBACCO PRODUCTS NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Emergency Telephone Calls only: (361) (Jim Villaume) or (361) (Camp Zephyr) Emergency personnel will be at the camp all weekend RYLA information on Rotary Club Website:

7 What are the Camp dates? Frequently Asked Questions Campers, Parents and School Counselors Friday, February 5 through Sunday, February 7, Arrive between 4-5 Friday and depart between 2-3 pm Sunday. No late arrivals or early departures are authorized. If students are unable to attend within the scheduled hours, the student does meet attendance requirements. Who Pays for Camp? Your local Rotary Club is paying $ for each camper, plus providing transportation; all food and housing and supplies are paid by Rotary. Campers have no fees for Camp. Where is camp located and how do campers get there? Camp is located on Lake Mathis, at Camp Zephyr. A map is included in your forms. Your sponsoring Rotary Club is responsible to provide transportation to and from camp. Contact your Rotary Club coordinator for details. Your school counselor can provide the contact at the Rotary Club. What does the Camper bring to RYLA? A complete list is located in both the student and parent forms. What is required of the Parent and Student? CONFIRM the student will be able to attend the full weekend. INFORM your school counselor and sponsoring Rotary Club at least 2 weeks before camp if you have to cancel Complete and sign the listed documents, and return to your school counselor 1. Application/Nomination Form 2. Consent, Waiver, Medical Release Form 3. Sexual Abuse Response Form 4. Photography Release Form A copy of these forms and information on RYLA are available at The Application/Nomination Form and the Consent, Waiver, Medical Release Form can be filled in on-line and printed out for signatures. Sign all four forms for submission. Counselors check the submitted forms for completeness; forward to your local Rotary Club member

8 Camp Zephyr Address: 151 FM 3162, Sandia, TX 78383

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