Youth Leadership Camp 2010: July 2010

Friday, July 30, 2010

8 Parables of Leadership/YLC Treasure Hunt

The second guest speaker to visit us was Dan Brubaker! He has a lot of experience with giving workshops, and is at YLC for the 18th time! Dan’s workshop was about the eight Parables of Leadership. There was one part, “U1, M2” which explained to us that other people should come first and the leader second. There were more topics he discussed, like, “Wizard of Oz,” “Smart Fool,” and so on, which means there is more for you to find out! Dan gave out many examples of leadership, using both deaf and hearing people, and liked to use stories with morals, such as “nail in the wood.” There was a boy who was living on a farm and because he got angry many times every day, he went to his father for some advice. His father replied that he could hammer a nail on a board of wood each time he got angry. So, every day there were a few new nails hammered into the same piece of wood. One day, the board of wood was plugged all over with nails, so his father went over and told his son to get the nails out of the wood. The father showed the piece of wood to his son. The father explained about the holes in the wood left by the nails and explained about how it could cause scars in everyone’s hearts and minds each time the son got angry and hurt others. The boy learned a big lesson about how angry words can leave invisible scars.

For the evening program, we played a game called “Treasure Hunt” and teams were split up in order to solve clues and solve the puzzle! All four groups were required to hold hands at all times, so it was funny to see each other running everywhere, holding hands the entire time, trying to find the gold before everyone else! Finally, Team D arrived at the Leadership Hall and received their “Gold!” The gold was actually our camp t-shirts and we were thrilled to get them.

Happy Birthday to Alanna Laughrey and Brandon Alberti! Alanna just turned 16 and Brandon just turned 18. Our amazing chefs baked 2 deliciously BIG cakes—lemon/blackberry and smore-flavored-- for the special campers, and everyone was stuffed by the end of dessert time!

Then at the Fireside, we got a chance to learn something about Dan Brubaker’s life: he’s been to 62 different countries and went on a long bike journey! He biked across America with a friend, and it took them 2 ½ months to finish 4,200 miles. He told us of many funny stories that happened during that trip, and throughout his presentation he kept saying inspirational things like “Follow your instincts” and “do it!” We went to bed with dreams of doing the impossible.

Dan Brubaker and his 8 parables.

Group B at their Outdoor Living Skills class, learning how to make a proper campfire.

Teammates Travis Waala and Keaunna Bolden are thinking hard of group name ideas!

Claire Tucker has regressed into infanthood, apparently, and is depending on her group for food.

Christine Gerard is leading her group's Vlog brainstorming session.

Thinaja Nadarajah is consulting with staff Luba Douziech in the Leadership Hall.

Jose Castillo, Denisse Robles, Jamie Utzman and Bridget Glynn are brainstorming for their group's Vlog.

Group C playing the treasure hunt game!

Group B members are figuring out their most recent clue.

Group A is working hard to find that gold!

Group D is inching closer to that X'ed spot!

Iris Wigley is suggesting that everyone use hand sanitizer!

Group D is thinking with many heads, not one!

Happy campers with their shirts of gold!

Brandon Alberti and Alanna Laughrey blowing out the candles atop their delicious birthday cakes!

Dan Brubaker telling stories of his adventures by the fireside.

Day Filled with Action, Classes, and Debates

Today, the campers exercised early in the morning and though we were tired, we acted tough and went through it. We were taught that exercise is important because it is beneficial, in that it boosts our energy and helps us stay in shape.

During Snack time, all the campers went to the canteen to get their own snacks or buy snacks, and chatted and laughed for a while. Jesse Jones informed us that we would need to set up a name for our individual groups, then we discussed almost all day to find the best name that would fit our group theme and spirit, and to find a purpose for the name and name sign. Each group did great because they put a lot of effort into creating their own name and improved their respective communication systems. An idea for more effective communication was to have a numeric system of taking turns when raising hands so that everyone can participate. That’s what teamwork looks like, sharing ideas and keeping discussions open. We all put a lot of effort into working together and listening to each other's ideas, and it was a good start for us.

At Debate time, staff members Mark Ramirez and Bregitt Jimenez explained what debate time means and led us through the process. A formal debate means there is a open but strict discussion with ideas, opinions, and rebuttals. Today we talked about the animal groups Dog, Cat, Bird, and Hamster. The dog group is A Group. The cat is D Group. The bird is B group. The hamster is C group.

At the evening program, the camp staff explained to us about the mix and match game, which grabbed our attention. Luba Douziech and Mark gave an example of a certain funny pose that all campers must copy. Bregitt divided the campers into 2 groups, then she assigned a number to each person in the first group, and then Maurice Abenchuchan Jr. did the same thing for the second group. We had to find the other matching number then quickly do the pose that Luba and Mark did. It was a blast and we all enjoyed the game.

At the fireside, Mark Ramirez and Bregitt Jimenez talked about how they helped other people. Bregitt joined Global Reach Out, to help other countries improve their educational system and produce better leaders. She went to the Honduras and their definition of leadership is one person runs and does everything. So she and a few people showed them various ways to express leadership and promote it. Mark joined a group called Global Deaf Connection, he went to a Kenya Deaf school and taught subjects like math, English, science. He was very sad to see that their teacher would beat the children with sticks and that would knock them to the ground. His favorite question from one of the kids was “can I go to America with you? “ After their speeches, the campers felt inspired into doing that one day.

Some of the favorite quotes at Fireside.

“There’s no point to have a life unless you live in it.”

-Bregitt Jimenez

“Add life to your years, not years to your life”

-Mark Ramirez

Christine Gerard asked the five campers, what’s your favorite quote of the day?

“Leadership never ends”

-Tyler Hetu

“Live blonde or die trying”

-Montana Murphy

“Beauty is skin deep”

-Sara Selzer

“It is what it is. I am who I am.

-Ryan Poindexter

“It’s better to try than never even try at all”

-Iris Wigley

Campers decorate the side of fireside, YLC '10!

Staff Group Advisor Andrew Bottoms leads group A's morning check-in discussion.

Jenna Smith and Kylei Brooks both have different reactions on what is being discussed.

James "Jimmy" Wilson is trying to point out the importance of the letter "Y"

Camp Council Advisers Joshua Weinstock and Bregitt Jimenez give a workshop on Parliamentary Procedure to the campers.

Brandon Alberti closes his eyes, trusting his group mates in the trust circle discovery activity.

Kaitlin Newhard working on an article for the Daily Drum with Hillary Peters.

All eyes are on Angel Ortiz as he gives his argument for Debate Time.

Members of group C debating on what argument to present.

Campers listening intently to the endless debating!

A candid shot of the entire Debate Time setting!

Chelsea Morris and Joshua Weinstock sharing a laugh together as they play the "Mix & Match" game

Group D is in the middle of a group skit in where campers goes through a haunted forest!

Group B performing their group skit, apparently too much talking is going on at once! They have a lot to learn about on-stage etiquette!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

First Day of the Camp

In the first morning, it was so cold, and we were wondering what the day would be like. All campers were really tired, but we exercised with two of the staff members guiding us. After that, campers felt pumped and ready for the day. The breakfast was delicious: we ate bagels, oatmeal and bananas. First, the campers went to sit by the Fireside, and watched our staff’s play, called SPICES. So now we know that the staff’s group name is SPICES. S stands for strength, P stands for persistence, I stands for integrity, C stands for curiosity, E stands for empathy, and S stands for spark. This will help us for the rest of month because all of those words make us grow and be better leaders and build confidence. This means we will help and spread the importance of leadership among deaf people in the world.

Campers went to the basketball court to play the game called Dragon Tail. We loved playing this game and, hopefully, we will do that again. We ate grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. After lunch, we played a game where we had to remember other campers' names. One guest, Maureen Behrens, “Mo,” came from the state of Washington to explain about bullying. We learned that bullying could start in pre-school and during middle school. Then, Mo put us through a game where we had to act as if we were either one of the three: popular/snob, neutral, and friendliness. The staff gave each of us a card which we cannot look at, while other people can see each other’s card. The A-10 cards means act popular/snobby, 9-6 means stay neutral, and 5-2 means we have no friends. So all campers walked around and had to look their cards and act different related to the cards held by each person. It taught us how to see things in perspective.

When that was finished, we made a sign that says “This is a bully free zone” and all campers signed their names as a promise that we will not bully. For dinner, we ate white rice with delicious chicken which looks like it’s from Thailand or China (it’s Tandoori). Later, after dinner each of us got a stick with names on it, we could not look at it until the staff told us to, and then we had to find the person whose name was on the stick - there were four different colors on it, and then we found out who our team will be for the rest of month! After that, each team had to play the bed sheet name game, which means there has to be one person on each side of the blanket, and when the blanket goes down, we have to say each person’s name fast. Later we all played game called “I said go." Staff members played with campers, the game was very fun and we had to scream when our “B-shaped” hands pointed at each other. We had lot of laughs and some of campers got headaches and sore jaws from shouting. After that we ate ice cream, yummy! We had our first Fireside and a nice bonfire. During our Fireside chat, Mo explained her personal life, and how she adopted her daughter from India. We all met her daughter, and she’s adorable! Later during the night, there was a cabin that got infested with termites so the girls who slept at Cabin T had to sleep in the Leadership Hall. The girls were so scared from bugs. We’re so exhausted from a long day and we are excited for a new day tomorrow.

23...24...25... to get the blood racing so early in the morning, do jumping jacks like the campers!

Nia Lazarus quickly says Skye Dreumont's name in the bed-sheet name game

As soon as the sheet drops, the camper on the far side, Ricardo Smolik has to correctly name who is sitting on the other side - Jonathan Ruiz!

Angel Ortiz poses for the camera with his million-dollar smile as the campers mingle during a break

Campers listening to instructions on how to play the "I Said Go" game.

Kaitlin Newhard performs the "Said" portion of the "I Said Go" game as Denisse Robles tries to contain her laughter

By saying "Go" Trey Gordon points to the next person to continue the game inside the circle

"I Said Go" provided plenty of laughter for the participants, especially Brianna Crayton

A moment of laughter from Amy Hesser and Gabriel Carino is captured

Guest speaker Maureen Behrens shares her fireside speech to the campers and staff as the fire roars

The Day is Finally Here!

The night before Youth Leadership Camp, some of us campers did not have a good sleep as we were getting antsy about YLC. Even though some of us didn’t sleep well, we still were so excited and curious to find out what YLC had in store for us. On the way to the camp, we each were trying to visualize many things like what the campground looks like and what would happen. One thing we all knew was that YLC would be a rich experience and that we all would have a blast while being in YLC for a month! When we arrived at the Portland airport, we finally encountered the kids and staff that we will be living with for a month! When we got on the bus, we travelled from Portland to Stayton for approximately an hour and 15 minutes. While on the bus, we were chatting and making new friends. When we got off the bus, we finally saw the campground. The camp ground is in the middle of the woods, it has cabins, a leadership hall, a basketball court, a swimming pool, and etc. We were bewildered that the campground wasn’t what we expected but we were very happy to be here. We met more staffs and more kids. We all gathered to listen to YLC’s rules and expectations. When the lecture was finished, we chatted for a few minutes--it was hard to believe that we actually are at YLC! We were so worn out and tired. We were so ready to say good night to YLC and we got in our beds and had a long good sleep.

Eager beaver campers!

Camilla Crump is ready to check out the cabin and claim her bunk!

Dolan Edney is meeting his new YLC mates after months of anticipation.

Campers interacting outside of the Leadership Hall while getting checked in....

Tory Sampson is about to get her first taste of camp grub!

Keaunna Bolden and Shanice White know not to talk with their mouths full!

Campers doing the famous YLC chant for the first time!

Jesse Jones III, The Camp Coordinator outlining Camp Policies for the campers.

Travis Clevenger, Camp Director and campers watch as Allie Rice, the Coordinator of the NAD Youth Program and Jesse Jones III introduce themselves.

Greetings from 2010 YLC Staff

Welcome to the 2010 National Association of the Deaf Youth Leadership Camp (NAD YLC) session! We, the staff team, have been hard at work, planning and preparing for a productive month, and we are thrilled that the campers have arrived and that the fun can finally begin!
One of the many YLC traditions is to come up with a team name that will reflect the goals and energy of each group, and for the rest of the session, our staff team is called SPICES. If you're wondering why on Earth we would name ourselves after culinary additives, think of how spices add zest and flavor to each special dish! So, accordingly, our motto is "Spices: ingredients of life."
The acronym SPICES really stands for:
Strength
Persistence
Integrity
Curiosity
Empathy
and that Spark we all need!
One of our many goals is to build Strength in our future leaders, so that they can readily tackle tough tasks and strive to overcome a variety of challenges. The steely determination of Persistence will enable, for all who adhere to it, the ability to succeed; even when encumbered by any kind of hardship, never give up. The virtue of Integrity is a notable characteristic of every admirable leader in the history of humankind, and every single person benefits from its merits. Curiosity is a quirky attribute that we believe each person should retain throughout life, because it requires an absorbent brain and an open mind, and that will help leaders accumulate knowledge and learn from experience. Understanding another being's emotions and feelings through Empathy is yet another critical trait we believe all persons should have. And lastly, to combine all of these characteristics, a Spark will ignite that fire smoldering inside each of our special campers, and propel them into doing those great things we know our campers are capable of achieving!
Members of the SPICES team bring in their own unique spice to the mix, be it their range of experiences, personalities, and ambitions. We come from various parts of the country and we have converged to bring to YLC the ingredients of life. Here we are!