This article was written by Godpray and Merlin Alex of Grade XI

The Rotary Club of Kodaikanal conducted a RYLA(Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) program on the topic: “Igniting Young Minds”. Seventy students from seven different schools attended the program.

The program began with a short speech from the president of Rotary Club, Rtn. PHF Rajkumar Raman, followed by a grace by the club director Rtn. Azad. Rtn. PHF C.J. Jaswanth introduced the chief guest Rtn. Prof. Raja Govindaswamy from Thiagarajan College of Arts and Science, Madurai.

When the chief guest addressed the students, he focused on three aspects of Life i.e. personality, team spirit and leadership. He quoted, “A leader is one who organises himself before managing others”. He also gave us details on developing an effective skill set which included interpersonal and decision making skills.

The trainer for the second session was Mrs. Bala Gopal, from the National Chamber in Theni. She spoke about decision making, time management and goal setting. She also gave us an easy way of recollecting the points discussed that included the 5D’s of life which were Direction, Dedication, Determination, Discipline and Deadline. She also insisted that time lost cannot be regained again in life. Towards the end participation certificates were presented to the students.

The sessions were extremely useful and enlightening, and we were pleased to share our experience and learning with our friends.