It was a pleasure to welcome our Rylarian Megan Woods to our dinner meeting last Tuesday.
With his keen interest in the RYLA programme over many years it was appropriate that David Wylie acted as host for the night and did a great job of introducing Megan to the members.
Megan’ presentation to club members about her RYLA experience was reflective rather than giving us a blow-by-blow account of the event.
She started by telling us about her experience on an Outward-Bound course that she had attended 10 years earlier. She managed to get through the team building, leadership training and skills learning exercises but at the end of it felt a little low because she had not achieved the big successes she wanted. So, whilst challenging she finished the course feeling in her words “a little bit crap”.
So, she entered the RYLA seminar with a little trepidation but excited by the prospect of using her tramping and physical training skills that she loves.
During the course she reflected more about helping others in her team noting the assistance she provided to a young woman who was struggling and exhibiting emotions like sulking, anger and crying. The experience brought to the fore that you do not know what the other person is going through and that the best approach is to help them through the process of them dealing with these negative emotions themselves.
One of the presenters on the course that impressed her the most was Jono Ridley the marathon swimmer who swam the Hauraki Gulf between Auckland and Great Barrier Island. She now has a new saying that supports her in her own efforts to challenge herself “act uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable”.
Post the RYLA experience Megan now has a network of new friends “her pot luck dinner group”, is driven to give back to the community, is setting new management goals and overall is “building her life foundations”.
Overall, a wonderful reflective presentation once again reinforcing the power of RYLA to change lives for the better.
In thanking Megan David Wylie also acknowledged the work that our own District RYLA board member Bill Charkow does to ensure that this programme continues on it successful path into the future.
Thanks to Mike for steering us through the meeting and Glenice and John S for technical support.
Raffle winners were: Have A Go 1st Pat Abercrombie. 2nd John Richardson. New World Vouchers Garry Donoghue and Madeleine East.
BOOKARAMA is currently underway and as I will be travelling in the next few weeks so will miss our next two meetings, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole club and the BOOKARAMA team for the amazing amount of work that has taken place to make it, once again, a wonderful community event.
Take Care and Stay Well.
Rob Mouncey
President
