Testimonials
My wonderful experience at SFTL
When I went to SFTL I did not know what to expect. I knew that every year at SFTL was special and different in many ways. When I first got there I noticed that everyone was kinda quiet and not very comfortable with each other. We started doing activities to get to know each other and introduce ourselves the first day. Honestly, after the first day I already felt closer with everyone, and it was the best feeling.
The second and third day came by, and we learned lots of lessons on leadership and many different methods like SBI, mental models, fixed vs. growth mindset, nonverbal communication, DAC, and many more. I could go on forever, but all these methods inspired and helped me learn how to be a leader. I also really enjoyed learning about these because we did so many fun activities in groups with everyone, so it did not even feel like I was learning but I truly felt it at the end that I changed as a person.
In this camp without even making an effort I got to talk to every single person and make a connection. It was the best experience and I just loved talking to everyone and getting out of my comfort zone. Overall, even though I had no idea what to expect I ended up having the most amazing time. I saw how everyone changed from the start of the camp to the end. Everyone was like a big family. I enjoyed talking, learning, and making the best connections with over 50 new friends. Thank you so much to the Rotary Club of Lake Norman- Huntersville for sponsoring me and letting me have this opportunity to go to SFTL.
My daughter came home today from your program with a fire I have not seen before. Yes, she is a motivated overachiever, but what I listened to for 3 hours straight is different…
She is so excited to use her new resources to help her community this year in her Interact Club. She has been so inspired to think outside the “four walls” of her community and is interested in studying abroad or starting a non-profit as a result of seeing what others have accomplished.
She is most certainly an extrovert, however she struggles with confidence and social anxiety of which we have worked hard on her pushing through those initial uncomfortable moments. This experience showed her that there are others just like her and so many others on the continuum which gave her much needed perspective and in the end confidence to know her “spot” in the world-to claim it and be proud of it because she is not alone and each type of person brings strength to the table. At the same time she has awareness to temper her large personality when she needs to for her introverted friends, she now sees this as a positive and not a was of making herself smaller.
She also told a story of feeling so good knowing that so many people touched her shoulder in the appreciation exercise even though she really only talked deeply with about 7-8 people during the program. This was profound for both of us. She needed to know that she touches other lives in a positive way even when she didn’t think so. It was impactful for me because I often see a negative, glass half full kid, so for her to get the feedback that she exudes positivity into the world with so many people warms my heart.
Your program not only taught her practical application for leadership but it gave her so much more-confidence, inspiration and a fire that I am proud to see awakened in my daughter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This year, Rotary paid for and provided me with the opportunity to attend SFTL 2022. I, like most of the other participants, arrived on the first day with a closed mind set and doubts that we would learn anything worthwhile. But over the week, you, other Rotary members, and volunteers running the camp did nothing but prove our theories wrong. While at camp, I thoroughly enjoyed working with the other participants, sitting through the lessons, and playing interactive games all week long. When I arrived home, I reflected on my time at SFTL and realized that it truly had been a life changing experience.
I learned new skills that I plan to keep for the rest of my life. I made new friends and connections to people in my field of interest. I learned the huge role Rotary Clubs play in their communities and around the world. I made memories that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. I would love for other kids in Alleghany County to have the same opportunity that I did. I ask that the Rotary Club continue to sponsor and provide students with this opportunity because I believe that it is a worthwhile and life-changing investment. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to attend SFTL.
Because of SFTL, a few of the Alleghany participants, kids from around the county, and I are working together to reboot our Interact Club! Over the past few years , the club has done nothing for the community and contains approximately five members. We now have the drive and the means to help our club, school, and community. Thank you very much for giving us the inspiration and opportunity. I am very thankful for the Rotary Club and your support.
Rotary District 7680 conducted an intensive leadership and personal development seminar for sixtyish teenagers from around the district called the Seminar for Tomorrow’s Leaders (SFTL) from July 13-16 at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs. Developed by the Center for Creative Leadership and optioned by the District, the curriculum demonstrates how to offer and accept feedback, explore social identity and how it impacts perspective and bias, explains mental models, contrasts fixed and growth mindsets, explores ethical decision-making, ponders values and emotional intelligence, and discusses elements of personal resiliency. Kids come in with varying degrees of willingness and leave with visibly increased swagger and confidence. For the veteran facilitators and mentors, it’s universally their favorite thing in the Rotary year.
But why? The days are long. It can be emotionally draining shepherding kids through a crash course in self-awareness. It can be physically tiring because it’s hot, we all sleep in college dorms on typical dorm mattresses, and the food isn’t what you’d enjoy in your own kitchen. There can be drama because there are dozens of teenagers from the far reaches of the district who are tossed together in a salad bowl of intensive experiences.
Who volunteers for this?
It turns out that a lot of us do – over, and over, and over again.
I (Rotary Club of Waxhaw-Weddington) do it because this age group is on the cusp of adulthood, and they’re in the throes of the most difficult part of their journey. Watching them is like living in a discotheque…lightbulbs flashing everywhere. They are awkward and uncomfortable on their first day, and by the end of the weekend they are tightly bonded with the most unlikely people imagined, and they keep in touch using the modern media du jour. It is enthralling to witness, humbling to enable, and invigorating to achieve. It’s worth the drain, the tiredness, the food, and the drama.
Our District Governor, Debb Corbett, started volunteering with SFTL in 2010 and has returned every year since including making it a priority this July during her year as governor. Debb says SFTL is fuel for her soul as she gets to dig into leadership learning and witness the transformation of young leaders with the enthusiasm to take their leadership forward and make a difference in their schools, communities, and lives.
Three of our volunteers are SFTL alumni. Dominique Isles, who is looking for a club to call “home”, was a participant in 2014. She is the “Swiss Army Knife” of the program, and nothing would happen as smoothly as it does without her management and preparation. “SFTL gives me an opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself…. I learned that it’s not always what you say but sometimes how you articulate yourself. I learned skills that I’m able to apply as an adult. SFTL is a place where I’m able to fit in and apply my leadership skills. I show up hoping to inspire tomorrow’s leaders and leave inspired by each of them. Come expecting the unexpected (in an amazing way)!”
Rylie LaRue is another alumnus who will continue her leadership journey with the Peace Corps this fall. There’s something special when students return to mentor; it’s a validation of the intent of a program and an attestation to the efforts of the Rotarians who bring the curriculum to life. “As a former student, I knew how positive and powerful the experiences were for me. I wanted to be a mentor to a group of future leaders and make an impact on their lives and even continue to grow as a leader. SFTL is such a wonderful program and provides young students the opportunity to cultivate their leadership and interpersonal skills while arming them with the information and power to be better leaders.
Steve Buteau (Rotary Club of Alleghany) just wrapped up his third year as a mentor. An experienced leader himself, he likes mentoring teenagers about how to be their own brand of leader. The interaction and camaraderie he enjoyed during his first year encouraged him to return for his second year, and he returned for the third year because “as I reflected on all the experiences of my life, this program is really top shelf and I wanted to contribute what I could and continue to learn from the kids, mentors, and facilitators.” SFTL isn’t a one-way delivery system. Every veteran mentor and facilitator will tell you that they learn just as much – if not more – from the kids as the kids learn from them.
Brent Goddard (Top of the Lake Rotary Club) completed his first experience as an SFTL mentor and decided to volunteer because “I’ve been a student of leadership for over 40 years and everything about it motivates me…and I’ll keep coming back because of how good the program is. The growth of the students over the program is amazing.” Brent found that sharing personal stories was an effective way to connect the kids with real applications of the concepts they learned.
“Leadership is an underrated skill”, says Ben Tewolde (Rotary Club of Waxhaw-Weddington), “and there is no textbook for it, nor is it taught at schools. Leadership is a way of life that requires continuous education. SFTL makes this incredible skill set available at an early stage in life for our youth who are tomorrow’s leaders. They get their first lesson in leadership, and it is a joy to see them connect, communicate, and create lasting friendships and connections.”
Clearly, the facilitators and mentors have a tremendous passion for sharing their own particular brands of leadership and mentorship not only with the students but also with each other. We each want to be valued and add value to any organization to which we give our time, talent, and treasure, and joining this group of outstanding individuals who have achieved so much success in their own professional lives is motivating and inspiring.
Why do we keep coming back, and how do we manage to attract new mentors each year? Because it makes all of us better humans, better Rotarians, and better stewards of our communal future. And that is a worthwhile endeavor to which to give a long summer weekend.