Winter RYPEN 2025 “Transformative Experience”

The Rotary District 9920 Youth Team welcomed 44 high school students representing 22 schools, reaching from the Bay of Islands to South Auckland, at the recent Winter RYPEN held from 22 to 24 August 2025 at The Y Shakespear Lodge in Whangaparaoa. This marked the second occasion District 9920 has hosted the RYPEN Program north of Auckland, offering students from District 9910—where the program is not run—the opportunity to participate. The 30 volunteers and the students arrived without knowing that the next 48 hours would prove truly life-changing experience.

The entirety of the weekend camp, aptly named the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (or RYPEN for those in the know), was organised and run by these 30 volunteer leaders, past and present graduates of District 9920’s RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) program.

The 44 students were chosen by their schools as youth with leadership promise, to develop their leadership under the mentorship of their volunteer stewards.
On arrival, the students were meek and shy, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, in an unfamiliar place; but by the end of the camp, the students behaved as if they had known each other a lifetime, spurred by the deep camaraderie they had developed in such a short time. The weekend consisted of pre-sunrise wake ups, physical activities, group competitions, community day with SOSSI and listening to amazing school students as keynote speakers. The students were challenged, and through adversity tapped into their latent potential.

Winter RYPEN 2025 was a huge success described by many current and past students as “life changing experience”. Truly a testament to the youth leadership programs of District 9920 and the volunteer leaders from the RYLA program.

Thank you to all those who supported RYPEN 2025 this year in any capacity, and a very special thank you to our food sponsor, KiwiHarvest for their invaluable and generous support. Papakura Community Patrol for the use of their mobile barbeque.