Last month, eight students from Collie Senior High School participated in the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment also known as RYPEN.
The weekend camp was help at Serpentine and provided the participants opportunities to network with other youth from all over Western Australia.
The Rotary Club of Collie sponsored four students to attend the event and due to their being eight students’ nominated, Rotary clubs from other districts were able to sponsor the other four.
Cathryn Patmore, Shania Snelgar, Rebecca Woodman, Nicholas Camera, Tristyn Kenn, Joshua Hoey, Connor Watts, and Chloe Garner, from Collie senior High School, were all nominated to attend the RYPEN program.
The motive of the program is to develop leadership potential in youth from diverse backgrounds through residential programs, empowering them to make positive change in their communities.
The eight students were nominated by teachers and were chosen for their work ethic and leadership skills.
The students came back full of enthusiasm and collectively agreed that the camp developed them as an individual.
“It was a life changing experience; you learn to treat people better and to never judge a book by its cover,” participant Cathryn Patmore said.
“The best thing was that we were treated as adults, it was a lot more relaxed than school based camps.”
The students agreed that the social aspect of the camp was a great opportunity to develop new friendships with people from all over Western Australia.
“We met heaps of new people and made a lot of new friends, everyone seems to be in the same mindset as you,” Miss Patmore said.
“If everyone has the opportunity to go I recommend it,” participant Nicolas Camera said.
The Rotary funded program costs $285 per student and included accommodation, meals and activities.