Local student earns international trip through Oddfellows program

By David Gale
What started as a 3,000-word essay turned into a once-in-a-lifetime trip for 17-year-old Rylen Guitton.
The Grade 12 student at Willow Creek Composite High School recently returned from an international tour that took him from Iceland to New York City, an experience made possible through the Oddfellows, a longstanding organization rooted in community service and youth development.
“I just saw the application come around and thought it was something I’d like to try,” Guitton said.
The Oddfellows, originally founded in Europe, began as a group advocating for social change at a time when speaking out wasn’t always possible. Today, the organization, along with its female counterpart, the Rebekahs, focuses largely on volunteer work and supporting communities through fundraising and local initiatives.
Guitton is not a member himself, but entered the program by submitting an essay on energy in Alberta, the central theme of the trip.
In it, he explored the province’s long-standing reliance on oil, while also acknowledging the importance of innovation and new energy sources moving forward.
“The old is good and we need to keep it around,” he said. “But we can’t be afraid to try new things.”
Despite only two applicants entering the program locally, organizers secured additional funding to send both students on the trip.
The journey began in Iceland, where Guitton joined youth delegates from seven countries, including Norway, Switzerland, Poland and the Netherlands.
Participants delivered presentations about their home countries, with Guitton focusing on Alberta’s agriculture, energy sector and cultural touchstones such as the Calgary Stampede.
Beyond the presentations, the group toured Iceland’s unique landscape, including geothermal energy sites, volcanic terrain and the symbolic boundary between tectonic plates.
“It was unlike anything I’d ever seen,” he said. “There’s lava fields everywhere, but then you’ll see flowers growing out of it. It’s pretty incredible.”
A visit to the famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and time spent exploring the capital city of Reykjavik added to the experience, while also giving participants a chance to connect.
“I’ve still got friends there now,” Guitton said. “We keep in touch.”
From Iceland, the group travelled to New York City, where the focus shifted to cultural exploration and global awareness.
Delegates visited the United Nations, where they worked in small groups on sustainability topics before presenting their ideas at an international gathering.
Guitton’s group focused on education.
“It was more about learning how different countries approach the same issues,” he said.
The New York portion also included visits to Times Square, Central Park and the 9/11 Memorial, along with a Broadway performance of Aladdin.
For Guitton, the contrast between countries was striking, particularly when it came to lifestyle differences.
“In Europe, everything is smaller, even things like food portions,” he said with a laugh. “Then you get to New York and it’s the complete opposite.”
Back home, Guitton keeps a busy schedule. He works at a western wear store in Claresholm, helps on his family’s farm, and serves as president of the local 4-H beef club. He’s also involved in multiple leadership roles, including chairing a regional show committee and helping organize his high school’s graduation events.
He credits programs like 4-H for helping build the confidence that made opportunities like this possible.
“You learn how to speak, how to lead, how to show up,” he said. “It helps in everything.”
Looking back, Guitton said the experience reinforced an important lesson.
“You never really know what’s going to come from something like this,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to go for it.”
For one Claresholm student, that decision opened the door to the world.