On the first night of camp, student facilitators presented a special skit as entertainment for the campers.

KEANAE – The ten Rotary Clubs of Maui invite high school sophomore and junior students to apply to attend Camp RYLA. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Camp will be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend – Saturday, Jan. 13, through Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018 – at YMCA Camp Keanae.

All expenses for this leadership training camp will be paid by the Rotary Clubs of Maui County. Students from every public and private high school in Maui County are invited to apply to attend. Sixty students will be selected.

The purpose of the camp is to give the students an opportunity to participate in quality leadership training experiences and activities.

These activities will be led by 24 student facilitators, who will help guide the campers in understanding the principles of effective leadership. Student facilitators were selected from the 2016 Camp RYLA participants.

Campers and facilitators completed an evaluation at the end of the 2016 program, and the overwhelming response was the camp exceeded their expectations. Some of the campers’ comments were:

Students are engaged in “Bird on a Perch” — one of the many icebreaker and energizer activities.

“Camp RYLA is like being in an entirely different world. Meeting campers and becoming part of each others’ lives and families was so beautiful and amazing. I learned to love, let go and always have fun,” said Jade Peters, student facilitator, grade 11, Baldwin High School.

“RYLA is a place to find yourself and to help others do so as well,” commented Lotu Pulu, grade 11, Maui High School.

“RYLA helped me to open my mind, make new friends and make a difference in the world, whether it be big or small,” said Mihana Ho, grade 11, Lahainaluna High School.

Application deadline is Dec. 20, 2017. To receive an application packet, contact Joanne Laird, camp director, via e-mail at mamalrd01@gmail.com.