Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) - A New District Format ( 2026-2027), a New Generation of Leaders
District 7030 is proud to introduce a renewed format for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), designed to reach young people ages 14–18 in all 17 countries across our district. This new structure ensures that every Interactor and eligible youth, regardless of geography, can participate in a high‑quality leadership experience rooted in Rotary values and aligned with the District Governor’s priorities.
By hosting RYLA simultaneously across the district, we are strengthening equity, access, and impact, giving thousands of young people the opportunity to grow, lead, and serve.
Why a New Multi‑Country Format?
- Maximum Participation Across All 17 Countries
In previous years, RYLA participation was limited by travel, cost, and logistics. The new format removes these barriers. Every country now hosts its own RYLA, allowing more Interactors, more schools, more youth-centred organizations and more communities to benefit from Rotary’s premier youth leadership programme. - A Common Curriculum for a Unified District Vision
All RYLA events will follow one shared curriculum, developed by the District RYLA Team and aligned with the District Governor’s priorities. This ensures that every participant in our District receives the same high‑quality leadership training and engages with the same core themes. - Shared Materials, Shared Standards, Shared Impact
All programme materials, facilitator guides, safeguarding protocols, branding assets, and activity toolkits will be available district‑wide.
This guarantees consistency, safety, and excellence across all 17 countries while allowing each territory to adapt logistics to its local context.
Programme Overview
RYLA — Rotary Youth Leadership Award
RYLA is Rotary International’s flagship programme for youth leadership development. Designed for participants aged 14–18, it brings together young people from diverse schools and backgrounds in a structured, stimulating, and supportive environment.
The central objective of RYLA is to develop committed, confident, and ethical young leaders who understand their responsibility to their communities and are capable of taking meaningful action on the issues affecting their territory.
District 7030’s RYLA reflects the shared realities of our Caribbean and South American territories' challenges of social cohesion, public health, environmental resilience, and civic engagement among youth.
Pedagogical Vision
RYLA is built on a core belief: Young people are not passive recipients of information; they are emerging leaders.
The programme blends expert talks, interactive workshops, team‑based challenges, and personal reflection. Each theme is approached as a leadership exercise:
- Understand the issue
- Take ownership
- Imagine solutions
- Commit to action
Participants leave not only informed but empowered.
The Four District RYLA Themes
- Leadership - The Thread Running Through the Entire Programme
Leadership is not treated as a single topic. It is the posture each young person is invited to adopt throughout the weekend: Leaders act where others wait. - Anti-Bullying
Bullying, both in‑person and online, is a daily reality for many youth. RYLA addresses these issues with a focus on the bystander, the most powerful agent of change in any bullying situation. - Childhood Obesity Prevention
Youth health is a community responsibility. This theme explores nutrition, physical activity, and well‑being in a positive, non‑judgmental way, encouraging participants to become ambassadors of healthy living among their peers and families. - Environmental Sustainability
Today’s youth are the first generation raised with a deep awareness of climate change. RYLA helps them connect global environmental issues to their local reality, identify practical actions, and position themselves as change‑makers in their communities
A District United in Youth Leadership
With this new multi‑country format, District 7030 is building a cohesive, scalable, and inclusive RYLA ecosystem, one that empowers young people across our entire region to lead with purpose, compassion, and courage.
All countries, all clubs, and all youth moving forward together.