My E-RYLA Experience

The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards 2020 was organized by RI District 3131 with Rotaract club of Pune Royal, Rotaract club of VIIT and Rotaract club of Yuva Next. The main purpose of the E-RYLA was to raise funds to donate for COVID-19 relief. The host DRR Akshay More quoted “grow thorough what you go through”, at the inception of the event.

The event began on 19^th April 2020 with welcome speeches by DRR, event chair and co-chair followed by formal introductions by about 160 participants from different districts. It was a seven-day event filled with excitement and joy. All participants were split into eight sub-groups along with a group leader and a moderator to evaluate the participants.  As the first task participants were asked to make rotti and send a time lapse video of the activity. As the first task it was challenging and tasteful. The second task was a creative challenge which was to write a letter to one’s past self. Ending the fist day with a live session on dance as therapy with Zoha Kazi, the second day’s first task was entirely on converting a lazy day into a productive one with a yoga session. Then a creative origami session was held to make the participants engage even further. 

The third day was about re-living memories. The tasks for the day were creating a memory vlog of places we have visited, and as the second task participants were asked to choreograph a group dance which was again challenging because practicing the same steps through online was not easy. The fourth day brought our artists inside ourselves. The tasks were to design a Rotaract logo and to design a group poster selecting a theme from COVID 19, World Book Day and world earth day with respective groups. The tasks inspired the participating Rotaractors to get creative and unique. 

In terms of the performance of Rotaract Club of Colombo Central members, President Elect Rtr. Dhananjaya Siriwardena won the second place in the task of writing a note to past self, Joint Secretary Elect Rtr. Sandamali Fernando and her group won the second place in the group dance task; Rtr. Ayodya Kottearachchi and the group won the first place in the COVID-19 poster design; Rtr. Sandamali Fernando and the group won the second place in the World Book Day poster design, with Joint Secretary Rtr. Senuri Hettihamu and her group winning the third place. Rtr. Sandamali Fernando also won the first place at the Professional Development quiz held on the fourth day. Group winnings enhanced the team spirit and the enthusiasm between the fellow Rotaractors from different states. The E-RYLA created a digital platform on which participants could interact, learn and build connections. Throughout the event participants were given fellowship hours to interact with each other and tighten their bonds. E-RYLA 3131 ended on 26^th of April leaving delightful memories and a friendly network for each participating Rotaractor.  

By Rtr. Sandamali Fernando