Five Oasis Academy eighth graders had the opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills and give back to the community during the Rotary 8th Grade Leadership (REGL) program held September 12–14 at Grizzly Creek Ranch in Portola, California.
The weekend program, hosted by Rotary District 5190, is designed to inspire middle school students to develop confidence, teamwork, and responsibility while connecting with peers from across the region. Through interactive workshops and outdoor activities, students practiced communication skills, problem-solving, and group collaboration.
“I was a little nervous when we first got there because I was paired up with people I didn’t know, but I ended up making a lot of new friends,” Greysen Dubois said. “We shared a lot of our experiences and got to know each other better every day.”
A highlight of the weekend was the REGL Service Project, where students worked together to plan and complete a hands-on activity benefiting the community. This project emphasized Rotary’s core value of “service above self” and gave students the chance to see the impact of working collectively for a greater purpose.
“One of the projects we did was making care packages for people in need around our school or community. They included hygiene products, socks, and a small stuffed animal,” Dubois said.
“In the care packages we also wrote small notes to the people getting them with encouraging messages,” he said.
In addition to the service project, participants engaged in team-building challenges, leadership exercises, and reflective discussions. They learned how to identify their strengths as leaders, listen actively to others, and encourage their peers in group settings.
“We also did a lot of teambuilding activities, one of them was the rope course,” he said. “We had to work together in order to keep the person on the course safe.”
Dubois would recommend the experience to fellow students.