Last month one of our fantastic support workers, Dylan Howell, ventured to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) in Stuarts Point, NSW. Supported by Challenge Community Services, Dylan attended the week-long intensive leadership program to build his skills, make connections, and discover how to become a vibrant leader in his community.
“To tell you about my experience at RYLA 2024 and to show you all the pictures of the event would be the same as me going to Uluru, taking a picture and then coming back to show you. It would never be the same as going there and doing it yourself.
At RYLA I learned the power and beauty of what a community is. At the beginning you see strangers, at the end you see family. Everyone laughed, everyone wept, and everyone grew stronger because of RYLA. To have people come up to you and tell you that your actions inspired them to do better is unbelievable. To hear the stories of other people is inspiring.
My RYLA moment would be learning the power of words of encouragement, achieving things alone is not enough sometimes. During a climbing challenge, I believed I did not have the strength to climb to the top. It was not until I heard the cheers from everyone, including my climbing partner, telling me I could do it, that I found the strength I needed to climb to the top. Now if that is not a metaphor for life, I don’t know what is.
My favourite takeaway quote is by Henry Ford. “If you think you can or think you can’t. You’re right.”
My goals and purpose have been refined. I have learnt to turn my pain into purpose. I aim to turn my experiences and passions into helping youth who do not have anyone in their life to guide them in becoming the best version of themselves. Through listening to everyone’s stories and life lessons, I believe that I will now do what it takes to achieve my goal. All because of the impact RYLA had on me.”
At Challenge Community Services, we’re passionate about supporting our team members in building the careers of their dreams. If you’re ready to start your caring career journey with us, check out our current opportunities today.
