Falling RYLA numbers a worry - ‘but still fixable’
A new approach to recruiting candidates for RYLA has to be adopted to reverse the continuing decline in numbers. This was the stark message from Jeff Hobden, RYLA organiser, concerned at numbers dropping for the third year running. “We have an excellent programme, but it’s under significant threat. We will need to make significant change to meet that threat,” said Jeff.
Overall, the programme went well with the number of clubs participating being similar to previous years. Two additional Rotarians have volunteered to help next year, which will increase the promotion of RYLA to clubs who do not yet take part, and to encourage already committed clubs to try more effective recruiting approaches. This year 84 students attended, although 105 places were reserved. If this trend continues, warns Jeff, the third week will have to be dropped in 2-3 years. Ideally there should be three courses of 32 students.
“Recruiting through schools has been our main means of identifying potential students. It is now a blockage to that. This trend was emerging last year, but is now very clear. The clubs who didn’t recruit as planned almost all reported this was because they couldn’t get responses from schools as they had previously. Even clubs who did identify the planned number, reported growing difficulty in getting responses from schools. “It is critical that clubs find ways to present RYLA directly to young people. When they do, the response is very good. Teachers are now so busy that, even when they know and support RYLA, they do not have the time to identify possible beneficiaries. As budgets become tighter, teaching posts will be lost and this difficulty will increase. Chasing teachers for responses no longer works, not because they don’t want to help, but because they can’t. “RYLA is a good scheme and of great benefit to the youngsters who attend,” said
Jeff, “and almost without exception they will say that it was a worthwhile thing to do at a critical time in their lives. For Rotary, RYLA is helping to put the building blocks of young peoples lives together to help them succeed whether they go onto university or into the world of work. These youngsters are the Rotarians of the future and they will remember the experience for the rest of their lives.”
The Stroke Association and St Woolos Newport Rotary joined forces to help raise awareness of high blood pressure and to offer a free blood pressure test. The club approached Andrea Griffin, Community Champion at Morrisons in Newport, to invite the store to host a ‘Know Your Blood Pressure’ event and the company bought in with great enthusiasm. On the day of the event, Ceri Webb and Shirley Belen, nurses based at the Royal Gwent Hospital Stoke Unit, volunteered their services to check store customers blood pressures.
The event proved extremely successful with 79 people being checked during the session. 46 of these had normal blood pres-
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Stroke test in store Pictured (L-R): Shirley Belen and Ceri
Webb; RGH nurses, John Harrhy, Rotary club president and Richard Morgan, Morrisons Service Manager.
sure, 21 were advised to seek a further check by their GP within a month, and 12 were recommended to visit their GP within one week for a follow-up check. Richard Morgan, Services Manager at Morrisons, Newport said, “We are delighted to welcome the Rotary club and nurses from the Royal Gwent Hospital Stroke Unit to our store. In raising awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke and offering blood pressure checks, they have potentially saved many of our customers from the devas- tating effects of stroke.”
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