Focus spans all of the Power Skills. Foundation for each skill is woven throughout activities. Campers spend their time at RYLA on a team, with multiple counseling staff, engaged in activities to help them grow.

During this year, there is a more in-depth focus on Self-Awareness & Respect for Differences. 

Focus continues on all of the Power Skills, building on what was learned last year, going deeper in each topic. Trailblazers are put into teams and have a series of challenges and activities of their own. In addition, they help set up, facilitate, and clean up some of the activities for the campers.

During this year, Trailblazers learn about their StrengthsFinders, creating supportive climates, facilitation & debriefing skills, with a heavy emphasis put on Servant Leadership and Teamwork. Students also learn the expectations of being a member of the staff.

Youth must lead a service project after their Trailblazer year in order to apply to be part of the counseling staff. 

JC1s are placed on a counseling team with two other people, who together lead a team of campers. 

During this year, JC1s employ their debriefing skills and work to build Power Skills in others. In addition, there is an emphasis on teams & the roles team members take on, as well as leading & motivating teams.

JC2s are placed on a counseling team with two other people, who together lead a team of campers. 

During this year, we help students strengthen their skills in mentoring and leadership of a team. We place a particular emphasis on conflict resolution. We explore different ways people resolve conflicts as well as some helpful strategies.

SCs are placed on a counseling team with two other people, who together lead a team of campers. We work to make sure over the three years as a member of the counseling staff, students are given an opportunity to work with a variety of different thinkers & personalities. 

During this year, students build on all previous concepts and focus heavily on situational leadership. While they are ultimately responsible for their team of campers, they also actively work to develop both of their JCs. This gives them a variety of needs & stages of development to better explore situational leadership. 

Students may spend 1-2 years as a Senior Counselor, depending on the needs of the camp.

Students are Elders for two years (6th & 7th or 7th & 8th, depending on the needs of the camp). During these years, students are in transition in a variety of ways. Personally, they are typically graduating from college, etc. In RYLA, they are the counselors for the Trailblazer teams, as well as transitioning to a more administrative role. 

In addition to leading the Trailblazer teams through their curriculum, Elders also have curriculum. 

During their first year as an Elder, they learn the expectations of Admins/ Execs, leadership competencies, and have a heavy focus on Resource Management (Trailblazer teams are the engine of RYLA and responsible for using/maintaining inventory/supplies). 

During their second year as an Elder, they deepen their understandings from Y1, and have an emphasis on emerging leader skills and pillars of leadership responsibility. 

All positions focus on senior leader skills and learn to incorporate coaching questions with all other staff. Exec team members have a proven track record of showing up and making things happen. They are typically college graduates who are willing and able to take off work to help students continue to grow. 

We try to always have at least two people in each position, in case one cannot come back the following year. 

Since D5750 & D5930 started working together and combining programs, our Exec Team is now one. The team is made up of students originating from both districts, who travel back and forth for the different RYLAs. They work together, bringing their strengths and commitment to help every student live their best life!

Exec Team includes:

Activities Coordinators- These outgoing & usually more spontaneous individuals are our emcees for RYLA, making sure activities start on time, are introduced correctly, and facilitating team challenges. They also keep the energy up, playing quick games, facilitating funny consequences for breaking rules, giving out Character awards, etc. They are much of the face of RYLA for Campers. 

Trailblazer Coordinators- These big-picture-loving, multi-taskers are our emcees for the Trailblazer teams. They facilite activities & debrief with the teams. They also help coordinate when, where, and how activities for campers are set up by the different Trailblazer teams. They are much of the face of RYLA for Trailblazers. 

Counselor Coordinators- These empathetic, relationship-builders are responsible for the development of those on the counseling staff. They meet each day of RYLA with each tier (JC1s, JC2s, SCs) to discuss & debrief on their teams and their areas of focus. In addition, they serve as support for the counseling staff members when they have questions or run into situations, etc. 

Operations Coordinators- These organized, more introverted, administrators are the backbone of RYLA. They make sure everyone has what they need, when they need it, fix what needs fixing, solve any problems, with unbelievable efficiency. They keep track of all paperwork, create spreadsheets for easy reference (everything from personality types of campers to inventory of supplies), print name tags, certificates, and anything else. They check all of the supplies for each activity well before the activity to make sure nothing is missing from last year (while there is still time to run to the store). I could actually keep going with all they do to keep all of the parts of RYLA going smoothly. 

Media Coordinators- These social media, marketing gurus take pictures and videos (or ask Rotarians to help if they can’t be in two places at once), post throughout camp on social media sites (for families back home hoping for a glimpse), and maintain our presence online. At RYLA, they also play transition music between activities to signal campers to move from one thing to the next. 

Elder Coordinator(s)- Typically, this person(s) has served as a Trailblazer Coordinator, so has more in-depth knowledge of that side of the house. They are responsible for the development of Elders. They meet each day of RYLA with each tier (Elder Y1, Elder Y2) to discuss & debrief on their teams and their areas of focus. In addition, they serve as support for the Elders when they have questions or run into situations, etc.

Technology Director- Ashley Borgerding (Eagle)

For all of our tech needs up to 2020, our Media Coordinators handled it. But in 2020, we created eRYLA, which required a whole new set of skills and time demands. Our Tech Director is a Robotics Engineer who has been us since her camper year. This year, she built the eRYLA website and found ways to make all of our active learning dreams come true. Prior to this position, she was our Elder Coordinator and previous a Trailblazer Coordinator. 2020 was her 10th year at RYLA. She is married and has a beautiful baby girl. 

Leadership Development Director- Jordan Garrett (Koala)

This position has developed over the years as we have added more and more layers of curriculum. With her degree in Leadership Development, Jordan has spent the last four years at RYLA helping to develop the content for the various tiers. She worked hard on developing the Trailblazer program and helped bring it to what it is today. As Leadership Development Director, her job is to work with the Counselor Coordinators, Trailblazer Coordinators and Elder Coordinator to help ensure an understanding of the content, answer questions, and to help develop the Exec Team. She seeks out & uses all teachable moments. Previously, she was a Trailblazer Coordinator and has held this position for a few years. 2020 was Jordan’s 11th year with RYLA. 

Staff & Logistics Director  (Senior AD 5750, Director 5930)- Derrick Warnock (Porpoise)

While we have always had an assistant director, Derrick has grown this position to a new level over the years and is now holds the title of Director in D5930. With a bachelor’s in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Camp Management and currently working on his master’s in education, Derrick brings a breadth of knowledge to RYLA. And also experience. 2020 was Derrick’s 14th year with RYLA. He became the Activities Coordinator in 2012 and Assistant Director (5750) in 2014. In his position, he oversees all staff (applications, interviews, supervising, etc.), he helps make all major decisions and recommendations with regard to the camp. He has also helped us transition from a RYLA framed & presented for Millennials to one that is framed & presented for Homelanders (Gen Z), using generation theory to reimagine the agenda. Derrick is married and soon to be a dad!

D5750 & eRYLA: Rotarian Bridget Markwood (Momma Bridget or Momma B) (Lion)

In D5750, RYLA is coordinated at the district level. There is a small but very dedicated committee that helps in any way they, including doing all of the cooking for RYLA (*2020 excluded).  Bridget has been organizing RYLA and creating the programming for it for over 20 years. By profession, Bridget has a consulting company, Leader N U, LLC., and trains youth as well as adults in Power Skills and educators in Active Learning and Innovative Educaion. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communication/Public Relations and a Master’s in Communication Consultancy. She has also taught communication at Oklahoma State University & Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and leadership courses at University of Central Oklahoma. She is the author of Rock Ur World: A Life and Leadership Handbook for College-Bound Students and is married with one teen daughter and two 20-something sons. 

D5930: Rotarian Mary McQueen (Momma Mac) (Lion)

In D5930, RYLA is coordinated by a committee within the Rotary Club of Corpus Christi. At the head of programming is Mary. 

Dedicated to RYLA in South Texas for about 20 years, she has also served as her club’s President and as an active part of the district as a whole (most recently leading the facilitation for strategic planning). Mary, by profession, is the Executive Director of Development for Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, TX. She has a passion to be part of the solution & to help students become their best selves. Mary is married and has one grown son.

5750:

Jeff Gablesberg, Chair

Marvin Dement, Treasurer

Lance Phillips

Nicole Stephens

Marty Postic

Chuck Musgrave

5930: 

Jim Villaume, Chair

Christine Wisian, Registration Chair

Mary McQueen, Program Chair

Lysa Chapman