RYLA Picture DISTRICT 3860 RYLA Participants April 21-23, 2006 TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEB AGUSTIN M. SALDARIEGA

THE BACKGROUND. The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a program of the Rotary International that cores on providing leadership training to the youth foreseen to assume the mantle of leadership in their chosen endeavor.

In response, CITE sent out two young leaders, Eric Formentera of Electronics Technology (seated, far left) and this writer, (seated, far right) to take part in this annual activity held in Minglanilla on April 21-23, 2006.

THE FOREGROUND. I was surprised to meet the people who were indeed leaders from renowned schools such as St. Theresa’s College, University of San Jose-Recoletos, Sacred Heart School, Cebu Normal University, and Cebu Institute of Technology to name a few. And much to my astonishment were the Rotarians who organized and facilitated the activity such as Mrs. Sylvia Comendador, Mr. Dann Diez, and Ms. Joyce Robin.

THE SHOW. For three days we had seminars and workshops about leadership and the core project, Solid Waste Management (SWM), including a real-life community immersion in Tungkop, Minglanilla wherein we gave talks to some household members regarding SWM and taught them how to do composting. This is to assess ourselves how to handle people through the medium of a project implementation on SWM in their community.

A month after, specifically on May 20, we went back to the place to check how the project was going. We went straight to Montebello Villa Hotel for the awarding and closing night as well as for the leave takings with the leaders we got acquainted with for sometime. To have converged with these people of diversified backgrounds is an irony I will never forget.

Whether it be one-of-a-kind or unexpected, what matters is the blessing it has been to me. Not until RYLA that I came to know that true leaders are not preachers of ideals but workers under service for the good of many.

BY JEB AGUSTIN M. SALDARIEGA RYLA Participant