ROTARY Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a training programme for leaders and potential leaders at a formative age.

As a chosen RYLA student, you attend a five-day course (costs borne by sponsoring club) with other talented young people from communities within Rotary District 1150, which is the whole of South Wales as far north as Aberystwyth.

The RYLA courses in South Wales are based at Dolygaer Outdoor Education Centre near Merthyr Tydfil, ideally placed in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons, near to Pontsticill Reservoir.

One of the goals of Rotary is to help young people develop their leadership abilities and self-confidence to the fullest. Penarth Rotary Club fully supports this goal and has selected two students from local schools to attend this course in July.

The selection process was rigorous and narrowed down to three students attending the final interviews, which were held by Rotarians and Head of Sixth Form within the schools.

The two students selected are Elias Jamieson from St Cyres School and Sam Harries from Stanwell School. They will be attending the course at Dolygaer from July 31 to August 5.

Both students displayed mature and impressive qualities at the interviews and will gain tremendously from this course, as well as being fantastic ambassadors for their schools and the Penarth Rotary Club.

Many thanks to Philip Davies, Director of Post-16 Education at St Cyres and Karl Watkins, Sixth Form Tutor at Stanwell School for all their help in the selection and interview process, and many thanks to all the students that applied and went through the selection process.

What an impressive bunch of young adults!