RYLA awards
Seven young Cambridge men and women have been given a career leg-up through acceptance into the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
They are Laura Findlay, Raj Goswami, Bonnie Lewis, Brendan Koevoet, Joel Clayton-Greene, Morgan Craven and Taitym Stokes.
The awards are Rotary International programmes run in New Zealand at district level. They are intended to grow emerging leaders by providing an intensive leadership development programme through participation in seminars and group activities designed to unlock potential in themselves and others.
The international initiative enables young people aged 20 to 26 to develop leadership skills and establish connections.
Cambridge falls within Rotary’s District 9930, incorporating 49 clubs across a wide swathe of the North Island and headed by District Governor Bill Robinson. He said 33 young people from around the district were selected for this year’s awards.
Local Rotarians Kim Pritchard and Don Wilson were involved in this year’s interview process.
Kim said: “RYLA has been well received in recent years, and participants have been telling their fellow work colleagues and managers about the value of what they learn – generating interest for other budding employees to attend in following years.
“As a result of these good reports, several companies and the Waipā District Council put forward a record seven candidates this year, along with a willingness to financially sponsor their employees. We interviewed all seven, all were excellent.”
Applications for the awards close in February each year and Rotary Cambridge will soon approach local businesses to seek support for the 2025 year.
The seven RYLA award recipients pictured with Rotary District 9930 Governor, Bill Robinson, third from right. They are Laura Findlay, Raj Goswami, Bonnie Lewis, Brendan Koevoet, Joel Clayton-Greene, Morgan Craven and Taitym Stokes. Photo: supplied
