Young RGS leaders shine

THREE exceptional Ripon Grammar School students have excelled on a youth leadership course.

Sixth formers Ed Dobbs, Kayleigh Yarker and Aryon Vijay were selected to take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards by their school.

Getting involved in presentations, activities and workshops on a five-day residential course with around 30 other students in Hebden Bridge, they were encouraged to develop their leadership skills while having fun and making connections.

Kayleigh, 17, from Ripon, who plans to work with Project Trust in Japan after RGS, told how they all worked together in teams, solving problems, completing tasks and supporting each other.

“Aside from cool skills, like knot tying, tensioning, lashing, and other skills we put into practice, it was mainly a focus on developing skills we already had, such as teamwork, leadership and puzzle-solving.

“My main aim was to be more vocal, as I'm always quiet around people I don't know, and my group, Aryan included, really pushed me to be louder and it was nice to have that support.

“All the talks were team based and if it wasn't for the team then we wouldn't have done as well as we did. Ultimately it all came down to teamwork and leadership.

“Obviously, there were downsides too. I'm not a morning person, so being woken up at 6:25 to an airhorn and a mashup of O Fortuna, Jerusalem and Rule Britannia blasting from a speaker was not a nice start to each morning."

They also slept outdoors after putting together makeshift bivvy tents, using clues to find their equipment throughout the site.

“It was rather exhausting but we didn't get wet, so we did something right when making our tent!

“But honestly, I do not regret doing the course, and given the option, I'd go back again. It was incredible. The people there made it amazing!”

Since their return, the trio have given presentations about their experiences to their local Rotary groups.