Youth Leadership 1999

Youth Leadership members had a full weekend of indoor and outdoor team building as they began the new year of Youth Leadership.

Youth Leadership Venture Grants Announced

Youth Leadership Handles Food Drive

Battle of Bands and Basketball Tournament Successful

Thirty eight Youth Leaders attended the Camp Jewell Teambuilding Retreat in April. It was a huge success. This year marks the largest group in nine years.

The journey began on Friday at Nolan Field where kids boarded the bus. Most of the group did not know each other which explained the quietness during the drive up to Colebrook. We were greeted by Becca, Camp Jewell Staff Supervisor for the weekend, who welcomed us to Camp Jewell. She explained the itinerary for the weekend and helped the kids locate the carts they used to wheel their back packs and sleeping bags up to their cabins.

Friday evening started with some "Icebreakers and games" aimed at getting everyone to know each other. We were introduced to the four Staff members that would be working with us for the weekend: Becca, Chris, Mike and Jody. Then we spent time making our "Pro-Note Bags." This activity is where the members, the Advisors and the Counselors look through magazines and cut out pictures, words, and phrases that describe who they are now as well as what they want for themselves in the future and then paste them onto their "Pro-Note Bag." After the bags were completed, each member was able to share a part of their bag with the rest of the group. Saturday morning was an early wake up call for the 30 members of the group hiking up Sunrise Mountain. The view of the lake from the top of Sunrise Mountain was breathtaking.

After breakfast, we had a Goal Setting Session with the entire group. The result of that session will be hanging in the Lavietes Conference Room for the entire year so that, as we meet each month, we will have a constant reminder of some of the goals we set for the members and for ourselves.

The staff then split the huge group into three smaller groups and headed off into the outdoors to engage in trust and leadership games that focused on team building, trust building, sharing, group problem solving and encouragement.

After dinner on Saturday the group helped build a huge bonfire and then moved indoors to hold their first official meeting. At that meeting, the group elected officers and decided on the day and the time of its regular meetings. The following are the results of elections:

3^rd Wednesday of the month
6:15 to 7:30 PM
in the
Raymond P. Lavietes Conference Room
Valley United Way
75 Liberty Street, Ansonia

The officers will be meeting sometime before the May meeting to start planning for the 1999 Program year.

On Sunday, after breakfast, everyone headed up to begin the "high ropes initiatives." After the group listened intensely they decided to do "The Zip Line" or "The Vertical Playground". Most of the group headed for The Zip Line, but a majority of the group actually did both activities.

After finishing the high ropes, we had lunch and a final debriefing with the Staff in the Deeds Room, which is where most of our indoor activities took place. By that time, the bus had arrived and we had a great system for loading the bus and headed back to the Valley.

On the return trip, everyone started reading their "Pro-Note Bags." This is a great experience because the group is told on Friday night to hang their bags in the Deeds Room where paper and pencils are always available. Youth Leadership members are encouraged to jot down positive notes about everyone when they see them doing something good during the weekend. These notes have made all the difference to some people for the remainder of the year. It has become a great tradition of Camp Jewell.

As we traveled home on Route 8, everyone was talking to everyone. The weekend was successful in so many ways…meeting new friends, learning trust, and building a confidence that will guide the 1999 Youth Leadership Members.