Rotaract has always been a place for community, friendship and most of all a platform that has helped to build young professionals and leaders to the society. The Rotaract Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) 2020-21 was held on the 17th and 18th April 2021 at MAS Athena Thulhiriya. This annual event was hosted by the Rotary Club of Capital City together with the Rotaract District Steering Committee 2020-21.
RYLA is known to be one of the greatest events held in the Rotaract calendar and one of the most awaited and memorable events for all Rotaractors. RYLA 2020-21 was rallied by Rotaractors from all over Sri Lanka, and I am truly honoured to represent the Rotaract Club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura at this event.
Getting to know each other and having contact with each other was a challenging movement for me from the very beginning. Yet, RYLA itself became a very warm and welcoming environment that allowed all of us to connect with our fellow Rotaractors.
The event started off by the Rotaract formalities given by the Rotaract Club of Capital City along with the Rotaract District Steering Committee. RYLA was called to order and the awaited moments of the program began. RYLA has always been an event that had brought memories and unforgettable episodes to all the past Rylarians. We were able to learn and hear some amazing stories from past Rylarians who had experiences that helped them build their leadership skills and personalities and make everlasting friendships. All who stated their experiences had one thing in common to tell us and that was to make a lot of memories and most of all to have a lot of fun.
The First Indoor Session in our program was conducted by Dr. Phillip Mullegama the Chief Executive Officer for Chandanalepa, the market leading Ayurveda Cosmetics Brand in Sri Lanka. Joining us through an online platform, Dr. Phillip shared his life story. He shared his experiences and his life lessons that helped him change his life to become an exemplary individual to society. He presented his advice on how we as the future generation should learn to step up our lives and make way for a better tomorrow.
The second indoor session was conducted by Dr. Rohantha Athukorala a well-known individual in the Rotaract Community. He shared his views on the topic of Building your own brand. He spoke about the project – ‘STOP THE SPREAD – Beyond COVID-19’ an initiative by the Rotaract International District 3220 led by the Rotaract District Steering Committee.
Furthermore, he shared his experiences and views on the importance of learning how to adapt to whatever situation that occurred unknowingly. An ice breaking session was then conducted by Mr. Kolitha Rathnayake. It was a very fun and energetic session that was indeed an ice breaking moment for all of us. The next session was conducted by PDG Rtn. Gowri Rajan. She shared her views and the importance of why Rotaractors should join Rotary. All Rotaractors present were given the opportunity to present their questions and all doubts in joining rotary was answered.
We were all allocated to different groups, and we started our outdoor sessions with our own team cheer. We were all able to get to know more about each other and build up strong friendships with our teammates throughout all our group activities. The outdoor activities conducted were full of excitement and fun and each activity had a life lesson from leadership, team spirit and even just simply the fact that all of us must sometimes think out of the box. The activities helped us to understand the skills and attitudes we needed to improve as a team and as an Individual.
We then ended our day with a Bon fire that was followed by a talent show where all the teams each presented a drama or play that had a valuable life lesson to it. Everyone had a memorable evening enjoying the other teams’ entertainment items. At the very end of the day, we had a DJ and a sing along event that helped all of us to share more memories with each other.
The second day of RYLA started off with an early morning physical session. After the morning workout we then had a few more group activities that helped us understand the importance of teamwork and coordination as well as having each other’s back as a team. After all the eventful outdoor activities, we then made a significant memory for all the Rotaractors with the group picture which was an emblem that represented the few hours we had together.
We then had an indoor session where the two guest speakers Mr. K. R. Ravindran and District Rotaract Chair PDRR Rtn. Amjath Yoosuf who shared their views on the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of joining Rotary, respectively. We were then addressed by Mr. Ajith Weerasinghe – The Rotary District Governor of Sri Lanka and Maldives 2020-21.
The Rotaract Youth Leadership Awards 2020-21 was then concluded with the Award ceremony and all the Rotaractors present passed out as Rylarians of the RYLA batch of 2020-21 which was a proud moment for all of us.
This was one of the most memorable events that helped me connect with many Rotaractors representing Rotaract Clubs Island wide. Every indoor and outdoor session, every speech given by the guest speakers and all Rotaractors who were present taught me a lot about the Rotaract Movement and the friendships that I made throughout the session starting from a simple hello are some of the bonds that I will cherish for a lifetime. I hope to share my experiences and knowledge that I gained with my fellow club members.
RYLA 2020-21 was one of those many unforgettable moments in one’s life that will stick for a lifetime. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to be a part of RYLA 2020-21!!
Written by Rtr. Minushi De Silva
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