RYPEN

Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN)

On Friday 9 September – Sunday 12 September, Brody Robinson, Jett Harder, Lili Gibson and I went to Mt Evelyn to join in on a leadership conference weekend sponsored by our local Ferntree Gully Rotary Club. The RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment) camp exceeded all other camps we’d been on! Many other students from different schools came together to also experience what it was like to be a part of a team, gaining leadership and life skills. Going in we knew hardly any information about the camp and were quite nervous, but as soon as we arrived we were welcomed with open arms, setting us completely at ease. It was a great start being able to interact with everyone in an open room whilst playing energiser games together.

The four of us who went on the camp were split up into different colour groups, but straight away we began to build connections with our teammates. We played get to know you exercises, and made our own team flag. Mine being the purple colour group called our team “Purple Rain”. We each had our own colour group leader and mentor. The first night, we played trivia which consisted of apple bopping, a quiz and paper plane throwing. We had also learnt to trust our leaders when we were all blindfolded in a ‘follow the leader’ type of activity. Imagine following your teammates whilst blindfolded; crawling under tables and stepping up and over chairs! After the fun trivia night we settled in with more new people in our cabins. We were always getting to know people which would have been one of the highlights of the camp. This created a community awareness for us.

Over the next two days we participated in activities which helped us to develop the following: communication, self-esteem, team building, leadership, facing fears and building healthy relationships. We did this by talking about courage and connection - our vulnerabilities, working together in an amazing race, talking about values such as: respect, happiness, power, love, integrity and honesty. Also, by having a communication game as well as a problem solving activity where we had to work together under the pump to solve problems to fight off the ‘zombies.’

To top off the amazing time we’d had at RYPEN; on the last night we had a dress up party and a campfire sing along. We all came together to celebrate everything we had learnt, and to have some more fun with the new friends we had made!

All of this wouldn’t have been possible without all of the leaders, the colour group leaders and mentors, our local Rotary Club and also Diane Fisher who made the RYPEN camp happen. The camp was a great experience for all of us and we recommend students in the future to give it a go. I know for me, I went home with a massive grin on my face, some new friends, and skills that were given the chance to be developed.

Shannon Scott

Student