Rotary Club of Bendigo Sandhurst

Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment

RYPEN was conceived and developed by Rotarian David Southern of the Rotary Club of Canberra Belconnen in 1980. Since then successful seminars have been run in Sydney, Hobart, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, Eden Huskisson and Seattle USA. RYPEN

The Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment or RYPEN is a Rotary sponsored District 9800 New Generations program. Year ten and eleven students, from schools across District 9800 attend a weekend long camp. It is aimed at developing the potential of average students, through a mixture of lecture style sessions and adventure-based learning.

In today's competitive world, there are not always opportunities for the average student to step outside their comfort zone, explore their ideas to develop the 'life skills' that translate to confidence in everyday life.

RYPEN aims to provide young people aged 14 to 16 years with the opportunity to develop their leadership potential, alongside their peers in a supportive environment. RYPEN encourages awardees to explore their ideas in problem solving, team and group activities, and gain experiences that will assist them in forming their own values and moral standards. As a part of this, RYPEN is about building confidence and developing skills to cope in a range of situations.

RYPEN is also about having fun and broadening the cultural, social and academic horizons of participants.

District 9800 Rotaractors act as facilitators for the camp, leading groups of students and running the sessions. A Rotary club acts as the host club for the camp and provides the catering for the weekend while enjoying an excellent fellowship opportunity for its members.
Camps are held in October and March each year.

Objectives of RYPEN:

• Motivate and Inspire
• Facilitate trust
• Increase self esteem
• Encourage commitment
• Understand personal responsibility
• Raise self-awareness
• Broaden horizons
• Build team skills.
• Set goals and future directions - who do you want to be? - realise everything you are capable of

Suitability criteria:

• Aged 14 to 16 years (up to 17th birthday)
• Have leadership potential
• Will benefit from a learning experience where they can gain confidence in a supportive environment
• Committed to 'giving it a go' over the days of the camp.

Activities include: Outdoor practical and hands-on activities and indoor work shop type sessions.

District 9800 RYPEN Webpage

If you would like to participate please contact:

Rotary Club of Bendigo Sandhurst
New Generations Director Kate Jelliff
Mail: P.O. Box 1122, Bendigo 3552
Mobile: 0417 113 915
Email: kate.jelliff@bigpond.com