Four high school students had the opportunity to hone their leadership skills at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Camp, a leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts where students develop their skills as a leader while having fun and making connections. “It brought me out of my comfort zone numerous times where I had the chance to further expand my team working skills,” says junior Jarred Curtiss who attended along with Colin Fitzpatrick (Jr), Grace DeBoer (Jr) and Mackenzie McCaw (Sr). 

The Otsego Rotary sponsored the kids’ to attend the three-day camp at Battle Creek Outdoor Education Center. All of them shared they enjoyed meeting other people from the area at the 3-day camp and the different events. “The camp allowed us to connect with kids from other schools while learning how to make a difference in our community,” says senior Mackenzie McCaw.

They enjoyed outdoor activities like a ropes course and canoeing, team-building activities and games and leadership projects. They all took part in planting a pollinator garden as their weekend service project. “Overall I learned a lot of new skills during the camp and I believe I became more open and a better leader,” says Fitzpatrick.  

Each student was also a part of a group that identified a world problem, researched its issues and proposed solutions. The groups delivered a presentation on their topic in front of other campers and their families at the Sunday picnic. These students say it was a great learning experience, “Not only were we taught leadership skills like integrity and confidence, we also learned how to serve our community and care for the environment,” says DeBoer.