2009 NAD Youth Leadership Camp: Campers' First Full Day at YLC!

Vlog By Firefly

The campers finally tasted a full day at YLC, full of icebreaker activities, workshops, presentations and FUN!

We started our morning with our daily exercises and a hearty breakfast.

This year we have started something relatively new for our campers, every other morning we will have 30 minutes of Group Processing in which the campers meet with their groups to process what they have learned and what challenges they have been faced with over the course of two days. This morning Group Process focused on answering three questions: 1. What do you hope to learn this month as a leader?, 2. What do you hope to gain personally?, and 3. What do you hope to gain as a leader? The campers wrote their answers to the three questions on a piece of paper with their names and handed them in to us, we aim to help our campers reach their goals this summer!

After Group Process the campers had their very first Outdoor Living Skills (OLS) class led by staff members Jon Kessel and Greg Beattie. The first thing the campers learned about was fire safety and how to build a fire properly. This is a skill that will come in handy for the rest of the month during our evening fireside presentations and for the rest of our lives on camping trips. Suppose ten years from now, one of us got lost in the woods, he/she would know how to make a fire. A very important skill to have!

After lunch, the campers had their first Media hour. Media hour is when the campers will work on their blog, vlog, DVD yearbook, and, of course, the Daily Drum. The Daily Drum is our daily newsletter and is one of YLC's oldest and most cherished traditions! Campers will get to work on and edit the Daily Drum every day, gaining valuable journalism experience as they submit and critique each other's work. The Daily Drum staff leaders, Joshua Weinstock and Samantha Krieger are looking forward to passing on their knowledge and experience to our campers!

In the afternoon we played an icebreaker game designed to allow campers from each group (A, B, C and D) to learn the names of campers from other groups, the campers had a lot of fun competing to see which group could get the most names right!

The campers got a chance to present their proposed group name, sign and motto as well. Unfortunately the groups are still known as A, B, C and D, but they are getting closer and closer to succeeding in their goal! Deciding on a group name, name sign, and motto is another one of YLC's favorite traditions! The campers must decide on a name that they feel fits their group, a name sign that visually embodies the name, a performance that explains what their name means and why it was chosen, and a motto that ties everything together. We are looking forward to seeing what our campers will come up with!

During the first couple of days of YLC, as well as during our staff training, we had a special guest with us: Dr. Jeff Lewis. Jeff grew up in New York and attended mainstream schools from K-12. After he attended YLC in 1970, and again in 1971, he made the decision to attend Gallaudet College. He earned his Bachelors from Gallaudet and went straight to NYU to earn his Ph.D. in Counseling. He now works at Gallaudet University as a professor in the Masters program in the department of Counseling. This August, Jeff will celebrate his 31st wedding anniversary! He and his wife have four children; their oldest daughter, Tandy, is a camper this summer. Jeff wrapped up our first day with an inspiring Fireside chat that emphasized the importance of respecting diversity and never giving up on your goals! He explained his experience working to get sponsorship for the Deaflympics and the different obstacles he has faced as a deaf person.