Girls Camp

[JohnnyLingo]

I think that getting it is realizing that every teenager is different but people generally respond in similar ways to similar inputs. Teenage girls are the hardest to work with. They require the most tailoring of methods and techniques. Teenage boys are 99% the same so broad brushes work fine if you are willing to make exceptions for the 1%.

Fair to say. Everyone's experience is different. I'd argue that from what I've seen, teenage boys are not 99% the same, but I don't have the same life experience you do.

[The_Tick]

Congrats on the newborn K-Dog.

[myboynoah]

Never have. I admit that my only interactions with teenagers has been through sports. I don't think that negates the value of my experience. Maybe I'm wrong.

No, I think there is value in your experience. But I don't know that it translates as well to those giving their time in church youth programs. The challenges are very different.

For example, I doubt there would be many volleyball players texting while you are trying to run drills or at a critical time that you need them to listen to you as the coach. It's not always as simple as honey vs. vinegar.

Congrats on your newborn. Kids are great. My experience has been that they are very physically labor intensive while young. It's easy, as you can physically control them. The challenges become much more vexing as they enter their teens.

[LA Ute]

I just finished up 5 years as YM President and I have a great repoire with all of my boys.

We had a ton of fun, while getting 5 Eagle Scouts out of it about around 85% of the boys got their DTG awards.

Because we turned every activity into a fun activity. As I feel it should be. The spirit can be present and service can be done all while having fun.

No pain no gain? Whatever.

Some of my YM will be great friends to me for life. I feel bad for leaders that aren't going to have that either because of their leadership style, or YM that just don't want to get with the program.

I didn't care if a kid came to mutual and smelled of smoke or other stuff. Just glad to have them there.

iPod? No problem. Just listen to the instructions I have for the night and then you can throw them right back into your ears...

I've always had three rules for success as a YM leader:

1. Love the boys above all.

2. Give them program, but remember the program is for them, and not the other way around.

3. Remember the first 2 rules!

Looks like you and I agree.

[LA Ute]

Kids are great. My experience has been that they are very physically labor intensive while young. It's easy, as you can physically control them. The challenges become much more vexing as they enter their teens.

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend whose kids were grown. He asked me,

"How old are your boys?"

"10 and 6."

"Ah, what great ages. You can still solve all their problems for them."

[myboynoah]

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend whose kids were grown. He asked me,

"How old are your boys?"

"10 and 6."

"Ah, what great ages. You can still solve all their problems for them."

Yeah, you are a god to them. Plus their problems are very simple.

[TripletDaddy]

In my interaction with the youth, the thing that has surprised me the most is this: deep down, it seems that in general, the youth of our church really crave leadership and direction. They want it.

They are, by and large, good kids that have a decent foundation for what is right and wrong. No, they are not without fault or problem (none of us is), but as a whole I have seen that our kids are simply looking for guidance, friendship, love, and acceptance. Yes, they also want to have fun and enjoy themselves.

I think they key is figuring out how to speak the language of youth. Adults that try too hard to be cool will be sniffed out as frauds. Adults that make zero effort to relate to the kids and understand and appreciate their interests will be sniffed out as totalitarians. I have had success landing somewhere in between.....my kids know when it is time to be serious because I also let them know that it is ok to have fun. There is a respect there because I give them respect back. I listen to their questions. No questions are off-limits. We have a "no judgments" policy in class. While I do not allow any sharing of transgressions, we do speak openly of questions or concerns the kids may have. Sometimes they will daze off and send a text, but unless it becomes a distracting habit, I don't freak out. How many times have I done the same thing in Sacrament? Why should I freak out if the kids do it a few times, themselves?

It seems that sometimes, we forget some of the most basic advice that we learn in the scriptures and the temple: it is better that we pass through sorrow, that we may learn good from evil. In the same spirit, how can kids learn to take things seriously if we don't teach them the appropriate time to have fun? There is a time for both and the best leaders figure out how to manage.

[Swimmer]

I don't get it. If you hate girls camp, then you should be overjoyed by the silly all-or-nothing dictate handed down by the stake. Their misguided approach is actually doing you a favor.

Absolutely fair assessment. I guess I didn't make it clear that I never had anything against girls camp until this experience with my daughter. Hate is a harsh word - I should have used a different expression. Anyway, girls camp is not my favorite thing in the world, but it's mostly due to busy body church leaders who seem to think they know what is best for everyone.

[myboynoah]

In my interaction with the youth, the thing that has surprised me the most is this: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah we don't teach them the appropriate time to have fun? There is a time for both and the best leaders figure out how to manage.

Uh, yeah. I kinda dazed and started texting in the middle of that. Do you mind repeating it?

[falafel]

Man, look at the length of this first-time poster's first time post. My first post was crickets.

[TripletDaddy]

Uh, yeah. I kinda dazed and started texting in the middle of that. Do you mind repeating it?

Hey, MyBoyNoah, it's cool. I text, too. Texting is "the shizzle." Now slip me some skin. Parents are wack! Let's go grab some pizza and hang out with your peeps.

[happyone]

I agree with you completely 3D.

We have a Stk YW President that is cut from steel. She is a hard woman.

Get this:

My daughter had a friend join the church in January right? Well for the past 2 months she has been struggling coming to church and to mutual. She missed 2 of the planning meetings for girls camp (granted, this would have been her first year at camp so they were only going to have her follow my daughter around and basically be her assistant.), so the Stk YW President call our ward YW President and told her that my daughters friend "Sara" (fake name) is no longer welcome to attend Girl's Camp this year and to please inform her. Y.W. President wouldn't do that, she told the Stk YW President to call Sara herself.

Stk YW President calls my daughter and asks her to inform Sara that she is no longer welcome at Girl's Camp this year. My daughter told her that she wasn't going to make that kind of phone call.

Stk. YW President called Sara herself and informed her. "You aren't welcome at Girl's Camp this year because you missed the planning meetings." Sara said "Okay".

Bad juju if you ask me.

Good Lord, someone needs to take that woman by the stacking swivel and set her stright!

[mUUser]

I just finished up 5 years as YM President and I have a great repoire with all of my boys.

We had a ton of fun, while getting 5 Eagle Scouts out of it about around 85% of the boys got their DTG awards.

Because we turned every activity into a fun activity. As I feel it should be. The spirit can be present and service can be done all while having fun.

No pain no gain? Whatever.

Some of my YM will be great friends to me for life. I feel bad for leaders that aren't going to have that either because of their leadership style, or YM that just don't want to get with the program.

I didn't care if a kid came to mutual and smelled of smoke or other stuff. Just glad to have them there.

iPod? No problem. Just listen to the instructions I have for the night and then you can throw them right back into your ears...

I genuinely respect those (including yourself) willing to accept youth leadership positions in the Church & then excel at it -- the amount of crap, apathy, complaints, second-guessing & problems you have to deal with on a weekly basis (mostly from parents) is truly astounding. It makes your view on YW Camp especially intriguing since you, of all people, understand the commitment that typically goes into doing such large activities. It's one thing to dislike it, and grin & bear it -- but it's a completely different thing to dislike it, know you dislike it, willingly participate in it, then badmouth it when its done, knowing all along you were going to dislike it anyway....almost as if you enjoy gathering even more evidence to strenghen your position.

After all this, I still don't get it.

[SoCalCoug]

Generic personal attacks and the classic "I'm not the only one who feels this way" move.

So, are you saying you want us to take a poll on this?

[SoCalCoug]

Is there a middle finger icon we can get on this board? Because I'm pretty sure that's what JL and Hallelujah really mean when they include the after each post.

Oh here, I found one: nlm

How about this?