If teenagers these days are obsessed with the three screens of a smartphone, laptop and television, the Rotary Club is here to give them a larger picture of life.

This time, competitions for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, or RYLA began on Friday. These are being held on a larger scale at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur by the Rotary Club of Jamshedpur (West).

On till Sunday, hundreds of students between 14 and 18, drawn from over 40 schools of Bihar and Jharkhand, are vying for the coveted awards in skit, elocution, extempore, pop song, quiz, kitchen orchestra and collage making during the camp.

While experts will deliver speeches on leadership quality and personality development, panel discussions and workshops have been planned to bring out skills that make one a leader. Besides, aerobics, nukkad natak, cultural programmes, a run for fun and motivational sessions would be held.

'Preparations have been on in full swing for the last couple of months. We are holding the event here after five years,' said Ranjit Ram, district chairman, RYLA, 2014.

As many as 300 students have registered for the camp and the number is increasing.

'Life has changed a great deal. Students have become less sensitive to challenges as the world around them is restricted to gadgets. It is through RYLA we aim to fine-tune their leadership qualities,' said Pratim Banerjee, a former president of the club.

The real test of the camp is to see what pupils can offer beyond academics and RYLA would be an effective training experience for them, Banerjee said.

'RYLA was instituted by the Rotary Club of Jamshedpur (West) in 1992 with member schools of the club. This event is not only limited to the city but also held worldwide by Rotarians,' he added.

The Rotary Club, which was celebrating the first week of November as Interact Week, observed November 5 as World Interact Day to mark the establishment of the first Interact Club in the US in 1962.