RYLA District 7255 "Service Above Self"
Our Mission
Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Across Long Island, Queens & Brooklyn.
RYLA District 7255 empowers high school students across Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn through dynamic, student-led leadership development.
By cultivating personal and professional growth grounded in Rotary’s guiding principles, we foster the confidence and skills necessary to inspire meaningful community impact.
Rotary's 5 Guiding Principles
All of what we do here at RYLA is centered around the five guiding principles of Rotary
INTEGRITY
"the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness."
LEADERSHIP
"Leadership is a set of mindsets and behaviors that aligns people in a collective direction, enables them to work together and accomplish shared goals, and helps them adjust to changing environments."
SERVICE
"an action or activity done for the benefit of another, often intangible and providing value to the recipient"
FELLOWSHIP
"a shared participation and companionship, often based on shared interests, beliefs, or activities"
DIVERSITY
"the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc."
The RYLA Journey
A letter from our Chairperson,
As proud alumni of this incredible program, it’s been my honor and privilege to witness the powerful impact RYLA 7255 has had on young leaders across Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn. For more than two decades, our district has empowered thousands of students to grow, lead, and live out the Rotary motto: Service Above Self.
Our RYLA story began in 2002, when Rotary District 7260 Governor Don Hester asked Past District 7250 Governor Cliff McLean to help launch a youth leadership program. Cliff brought together a passionate team of Rotarians committed to student development, and RYLA was officially born. From the beginning, the goal was bold: create a leadership experience that would be planned and run by students.
That first RYLA welcomed 50 students from Suffolk County for a single-day event filled with team-building, motivational speakers, and group activities led by adult facilitators. It ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—but even in those early hours, the magic was already there.
Fueled by that early success, the program quickly expanded. One day became two. Two days became weekends. Today, RYLA 7255 is a year-round, student-led experience that includes leadership conferences, retreats, service projects, training events, and lifelong fellowship.
We’re proud to say that we’re living Cliff’s vision: a program truly run by students, for students. In fact, our unique student-led model has been shared internationally as an example of how youth empowerment can drive lasting change.
Each year, RYLA 7255 continues to evolve—pushing boundaries, sparking growth, and supporting an ever-growing community of diverse, passionate young leaders. And we’re just getting started.
With gratitude,
