[Community-service] question for everyone

[Cheryl Fields]

Kara,

I just found this group a few weeks ago, it is great to share our
experiences with each other.
Some years ago, I was in your shoes. A few things worked for me.
Identify what you do well and fine tune it to fit the group, you don't
have to do it all. This is a time of discovery for yourself with
everyone else.
1. I would meet with the girls a few times prior to our camping trip.
During these times I would discover something unique about each girl
and this helped me to remember names and personalities. This also gave
them time to check me out as well. Each session included a activity in
preparation for the upcoming trip, checking craft kits making sure all
materials were in each kit, meal planning; ask them to bring one
recipe or use a cookbook for them to choose from;, rainy week
planning; this is something we failed to do one year;, practice
putting up a tent, you can learn so much from the girls when in a
comfortable, stress free atmosphere and gain their trust and respect.

2. Safety, stressing safety was always the most important item! They
must understand the consequences of not following rules. Along with
this, use positive reinforcement when rules are followed. Our team
would have a list of the girls and pair them off, we would announce
the pairs as they boarded the bus . We would have special groups for
some tasks, cooking, cleanup, and so on. We provided incintives for
each pair and it worked!

3. Make sure you meet with parents and they understand the importance
of their girls following instructions! Always make sure consequences
are clear to each parent.

4. Be prepared for rainy days, lol. We had one trip when it rained
everyday, all day and we were in tents, unprepared for a deluge, it
was a lot of fun, mud and very bad hair week. Lots of singing,
innovative nature walks and cooking.

These times in the woods with children was always really stressful,
but extremely rewarding. I surprised myself with how resilient and
flexible I could become. I will never forget how God blessed us on
those many camping trips. Stay prayerful and it will all come together
for you and the campers.


Blessings,

Cheryl Fields
On 2/12/14, Kara Campbell <kara64 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
>
>
> My name is Kara, and I just found about about this group a couple of months
> ago. I am excited to become involved.  I am a youth leader in my church.
> One
> of my responsibilities is to help plan and then to go to girls' camp with
> about 35 girls.  I have done this in the past, but, I am looking for ideas
> as to how I can make this a better experience. In the past, the actual camp
> has been very stressful for me, mostly because I don't feel like I am as
> effective as I could be. I spend most of my time just figuring out who is
> who and trying to find places where I can help. I miss cues that could
> alert
> me to trouble or a girl who needs a little extra help.     Has anyone been
> in this type of situation? Any ideas?
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> Kara
>
>