Youth Leadership Program
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Several members of the Youth Leadership program have written their own accounts of their Camp Jewell weekend. Take a minute to read through and also take a look at the full photo album for the weekend.
Kristyn Hanewicz Rachel Garcia Cali Zibluk Eva Januszkiewicz
Kristyn Hanewicz
On Friday, April 13th, the alumni and the freshmen piled on to a school bus and began their first big task, spending a weekend getting to know each other at Camp Jewell.
We left Nolan Field at about 4:15. It was a chilly day with a brisk breeze. The bus was kind of divided. Alumni in the back, and the new kids separated by schools. For me it was weird not seeing old faces on our way to Camp Jewell and it was going to be hard for the “fresh” to replace the seniors.
The bus ride is always kind of long especially when you don’t know half of the bus. When we finally arrived at the lovely Camp Jewell we found Joe Don (that’s two names in one, it’s a Texas thing) and Jo waiting for us. We climbed off the bus and dragged our stuff up the hill to our cabin. When we made our way to the top we ran inside to find a bed. It was the same cabin we had stayed in just a year ago. A common room with a fire place and a few couches in the middle, surrounded on both sides by two large bed rooms. There was a girls’ side and a boys’ side. The rooms were filled with bunk beds. After putting our things down we moved on to our first activity in the gym down the road.
We played a few name games to try and help get over the awkwardness that filled the air. We played people to people which makes you come in close contact with your peers. It is probably one of the easiest ways to get over the awkwardness because you are forced into different positions like cheek to cheek. After a few games we went down to the dining hall to have a snack and to make pro-note bags.
You are probably wondering what the heck a pro-note bag is, well it is basically a paper bag with your name on it and we hang them on the wall. Then throughout the weekend people can write you little positive notes and stick them in your bag. But before we made pro-note bags we did an activity where each of us had to write down our strengths, weaknesses, and goals to complete by the end of this weekend.
Night came and we headed back to the cabin. Lights out at 11:00 so we made the best of our hour and a half. We gathered in the common room and played cards and sat around getting to know each other better. We listened to music and talked about our own schools and started forming the friendships needed to make this year a success.
The next morning most of the girls and two of the guys went on a hike up Sunset Mountain. The scenery from the top is amazing. Breakfast was served in the dining hall at 8:00 a.m. We gathered at the tables and had cereal and eggs. After breakfast and some quick pro-notes we spilt into two groups to complete different group initiatives. There were trust activities and blind-folded hikes. My group had to balance a piece of wood out by using group members.
Around noon the two groups came back together to have lunch and warm up in the dining hall. There was more pro-note writing and more bonding. After lunch we headed out to the rock wall to go for a climb. The people who could actually still feel their frozen fingers attempted the walls. After the rock walls there was more warming up and then we spilt up again. This time it was to conquer either the zip line or the big swing. I chose the big swing. These are the high ropes activity. You get harnessed in and you go up into the air and at the big swing it is literally that. The zip line is straight out of a James Bond movie like that line you see them shoot in between the buildings and then you zip across.
After the high rope activities we came back together and had dinner. After dinner we had some free time to wonder around. We played some foosball and visited the farm animals. We had to report to the room next to the gym at 7:00 for the Dutch auction. The Dutch auction isn’t really an auction but we divide into groups and complete different tasks. For example we had to write a song for Joe Don and Jo and name all the sports teams we could think of in Texas. After the Dutch auction we went back up to our cabin and made s’mores outside over a bon fire. Then we headed into the cabin for some boundary breakers. We all sat around listening attentively to one another learning and bonding with new friends. Lights were out by 12:00.
On Sunday we awoke to snow. It was gorgeous and freezing cold all at the same time. We prepared for the day and headed down to breakfast for 8:00. It was hard to believe the weekend was almost over. After breakfast and some last minute pro-notes we came together as a group and did a few more team building activities. After that we played a game of floor hockey girls v. boys (of course the girls kicked the guys butts…we did out number them 11-4). Before we left we couldn’t resist the urge to have a snowball fight. We joined in the dining hall for one last lunch at Camp Jewell and then boarded the bus home.
It was hard accepting that the weekend was over. But we came as strangers and left as friends. This year is going to a great one because of the bonding that took place in boondocks of Camp Jewell.
Rachel Garcia
The Ride to Camp
I pulled into the parking lot and Nolan Field. I had mixed feelings about the weekend. I was nervous because I didn’t know anyone in the group and I didn’t know what to expect. On the other hand, I was really excited because I had heard about how much fun Camp Jewell is at the meeting we had on Monday night. I got all of my bags out of the car and said good-bye to my mom. And onto the bus I went. I dropped my stuff in a seat towards the front and found a place to sit. Everyone was talking to their friends from school and from previous years of the Valley United Way group. I could tell everyone was excited for the weekend.
The Activities at Camp
The first day at camp, the group did a lot of name games so that we could meet each other and mingle. We played a game where we would get together in groups based on some of our favorites such as ice cream and television shows. We also did a game called “Jackie Chan” in which we had to retrieve the ball, or doughnut, from Jackie when they called out a fact about us.
The next day, we did more teamwork activities outside. The activities included the helium hoop, in which the group had to lower the hoop to the ground while touching it with two fingers and without it flying up. We had to cross a wire that was between a few trees without touching the ground. We had an obstacle in which there was “poisonous peanut butter” and we all had to swing from a rope into three hula hoops without touching the “peanut butter.” It took my group about 20 minutes to finally get everyone in the hoops, but we learned to listen to everyone’s ideas and to not talk at the same time. Another activity was the blind walk. One person would be blindfolded and their partner would guide them through the woods to the next activity. This really taught us to trust each other. Then we all had to balance on a platform, which was like a seesaw, and stay on it long enough to sing a song. We had to string a rope through holes while we were all touching the rope, and the rope couldn’t touch the ropes that made the holes. This took the group a while to complete, but we finally figured out how to do it by using everyone’s ideas to make a good plan. The last activity of the morning was when we were all blindfolded. We were in a line based on the order of our birthdays, holding on to each other’s left shoulder. On our right, we held onto a wire, strung between trees, which led us on a path through the woods. This was a major test of communication skills.
Later on Saturday, we did physical activities. These included rock wall climbing, the zip line, and the giant swing. All activities were fun and provided a good challenge.
On Sunday morning, we were in the gym again because it was snowing. First, we learned what type of leader we are and who we would work best with in our group. Jo-Don, one of the Camp Leaders, would ask us questions and we would split up into different sections. Then we played a game of hockey, boys versus girls. After this, we had to cross the gym without touching the floor, using mats to get across. Then we played a game in which we stood in a circle holding hands and we had to try to get each other to step in the “cow poop.” Eva was the lucky one who didn’t get pushed into the “poop.” Lastly, we picked two cards with pictures on them which showed our feelings before the weekend began and after it was over. After all of our activities were completed, some of us went outside for a snowball fight.
All of the activities were really fun and they helped us to learn more about each other and ourselves.
Cali Zibluk
I pulled into the bumpy parking lot of Nolan Field, awaiting what was to come within the next couple of days. As nervous as I was, I couldn’t wait. The awkward bus ride on the way up to Camp Jewell with the other members of the Valley United Way Youth Leadership group was soon over and the journey began.
Before we even reached the cabin we were beginning to get to know each other. Our camp counselors made sure that we all became very familiar with each other by playing games such as “Jackie Chan,” “People to People,” and “Grab the Flag”. Soon enough, everyone’s name was committed to memory. Throughout the rest of camp, I, along with all of my colleagues, expanded our minds and learned to be better leaders and teammates. We helped each other learn and we worked together on tasks we thought would never be possible. I distinctly remember my team’s attempts at the hula-hoop activity. The idea was to place the hula-hoop on the ground using an index finger from each group member. Sounds easy right? Not so much. We tried countless times to bring the hula-hoop to the ground and we failed miserably each time. Our frustration kept on building, but we all stopped and thought about it. After figuring out how we would work to get this done, we did it. (It took long enough!) Each activity had a different incentive to it and you took something different away from each task. The activity I remember most was the zip line.
Heading up to the zip line, I was really excited. In fact, I was so excited that I volunteered to go first. I strapped on my helmet and all of my gear and I was on my way. I knew I wasn’t afraid of heights, but it was still a new experience to be hanging from only one rope (Don’t worry parents, it was very safe and secure!) and walking on a tight rope. I was filled with energy and positive reinforcement was coming from my fellow team members. We were all in this together, we realized, even though initially, you cross and zip line down on your own. What we didn’t realize, however, was how much we can actually accomplish by helping each other overcome fears. There were people who were afraid to cross the rope, or zip down the line. By cheering them on and giving them positive feedback, every single one of us was able to accomplish our task. Actually zipping down the line is a feeling that one can only experience for themselves. The excitement and freedom you have while doing it is something fascinating.
Overall, I took so much away from this experience. This was my first time at Camp Jewell and I wouldn’t change anything that happened. I learned to respect others as well as myself, and I learned to become a better teammate. I took away skills for teambuilding and I made lifelong friends. It was a weekend that will never be forgotten.
The Youth Leadership Program is made possible through the generous support of the Raymond P. Lavietes Foundation which provides core funding.
