Rotary clubs support and facilitate the RYLA Conference by awarding young people the opportunity to participate in the conference, or, in other words, sponsoring them to participate. Through the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, Rotary clubs bring together a diverse fellowship of young leaders from different home backgrounds, levels of education, religions, and areas of extracurricular involvement to collaborate, learn, grow and take on the opportunities of their generation.

There are a number of important responsibilities that each club must assume as part of the process of sponsoring participants, beginning with committing to sponsoring participants and paying their registration fee. In order to reserve places for students at the conference, a commitment form must be submitted by May 1, 2011.

Other responsibilities include:

• Promoting the conference to young people.
  
• Recruiting and selecting participants.
  
• Ensuring that participants complete their registration forms.  All participants must be registered for the conference by Friday, September 23.
  
• Ensuring that participants have transportation to/from the conference.
• Ensuring that participants have guidance and support in applying what they learned at the conference upon their return home.

Recruiting and Selecting Participants

Each Rotary club has the opportunity to sponsor any number of participants for the RYLA Conference. Any young man or woman, regardless of race, creed or color, who is a high school sophomore or junior is eligible to participate in the conference.

The District 6220 RYLA Committee recommends that each club first commission a participant selection committee and that the committee consider the following guidelines:

1. Establish a selection process timetable based on the due dates and responsibilities listed above.
2. Establish criteria for selecting students. Consider using the sample participant selection criteria.
   
3. Collaborate with local schools. Throughout the district, clubs have repeatedly worked successfully with principals, guidance counselors, and teachers at high schools to promote the conference and identify and recruit participant candidates. Consider using the sample letter to send to local school officials to solicit assistance.
   
4. Engage former RYLA Conference participants in recruiting (and even selecting) participants.
5. Identify and recruit a pool of candidates and conduct interviews using the sample candidate interview questions to help students perceive more value in their opportunity to participate in the conference.
6. Select alternate candidates in the event that any of your primary candidates cannot attend.
7. Give honest feedback to students that were not selected to participate in the conference.

Participant Registration

Once your club has selected its participants, it must ensure that each participant completes the Online Registration Form by September 23. This will ensure that your club's participants are officially registered for the conference. Failing to submit the online application will void participation in the conference.

Engaging and Supporting Participants

Finally, your club is responsible for hosting participants at a regular club meeting before and after the conference. This gives your club's participants a great opportunity to get to know your club and thank members for sponsoring participation in the conference. Additionally, your club is responsible for guiding and supporting its participants' leadership efforts in their school, home, and community following the conference. This gives your club the opportunity to further make a difference in the lives of these young people in their community and become even more deeply connected to Rotary.