Summit Up at Camp.America's Promise America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth is a foundation started by Colin Powell in 1997 to help children and youth from all socioeconomic sectors in the United States. - The Alliance for Youth is a multi-year, national campaign that will propel the mission and goals of the Presidents' Summit for America's Future. The American Camping Association has joined with America's Promise and is challenging camps to host a "Summit Up at Camp" week this summer. This special event will actively engage children in building assets in their own lives. The commitments made will be a testimony to the truism that young people can be challenged to do work of real social value and in doing so control their future and affirm their contributions to society.Use the following idea to plan and implement a summit at your camp - where you will not only pull your own little red wagon (the America's Promise logo) but jump on the youth development bandwagon band·wag·on n. 1. An elaborately decorated wagon used to transport musicians in a parade. 2. Informal A cause or party that attracts increasing numbers of adherents: as well. Planning For great challenges to be met with success, rallies and summits sometimes accompany them - as it was in Philadelphia. Assign a project coordinator and a camper committee to organize the rally. Their role is to structure the event and draft a mission statement, such as "Each one of us will help another person and our environment." The coordinator and committee might invite a state senator Noun 1. state senator - a member of a state senate senator - a member of a senate to participate in the opening ceremony and they should contact the media. Each delegation will need a Pledge Sheet. (The sheet on page 9 may be photocopied for use at your summit.) The camp will need a Promise Book, such as a loose-leaf notebook, which will hold the Pledge Sheets and document the commitments to service. Kick off the summit The time for speeches, rallies, bands, flags, and senators is here! Assemble the entire camp at a rally location. The opportunities for pomp POMP n. A drug used in cancer chemotherapy and composed of purinethol (6-mercaptopurine), Oncovin (vincristine sulfate), methotrexate, and prednisone. and circumstance are unlimited, the hype is enriching, the sense of community is inspiring. Use stage sets that were created in arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. , have the camp band play "Hail to the Chief," and issue press credentials to the newspaper club. Pull out all the stops in this full-fledged campaign to support and encourage kid volunteerism. Commitment to service After the rally, plan a camp-wide service project. The project should be one that all campers and staff can accomplish at the same time and it should yield dramatic results without taking a lot of time. For example, children in a day camp setting can be asked to bring a can of food for the homeless. Resident camps might tackle an environmental cleanup The process of removing solid, liquid, and hazardous wastes, except for unexploded ordnance, resulting from the joint operation of US forces to a condition that approaches the one existing prior to operation as determined by the environmental baseline survey, if one was conducted. on land contiguous to the camp. Call to action After the morning of service, summit leaders should explain what the goals of the summit are, what the commitments entail, who the delegates will be, and what will happen after the summit. Each bunk bunk, bunker large storage bin. bunk forage forage, usually ensilage stored in a large storage bunk and made available to cattle or other livestock along a face of the storage. or group, along with its counselors, becomes a delegation. Their mission is to define their goals and describe their proposals in an actionable fashion. Each delegation should locate a quiet spot to brainstorm their project and find a focus. They will jot down Verb 1. jot down - write briefly or hurriedly; write a short note of jot write - communicate or express by writing; "Please write to me every week" a list of problems and concerns, prioritize pri·or·i·tize v. pri·or·i·tized, pri·or·i·tiz·ing, pri·or·i·tiz·es Usage Problem v.tr. To arrange or deal with in order of importance. v.intr. their ideas, and then draft a commitment statement, such as, "We want to provide companionship companionship the faculty possessed by most truly domesticated animals. They are social creatures and have a great need for the companionship of other animals. Animals in groups are quieter and more productive as a rule. for lonely, older people." Selecting a service project Once the mission statement has been drafted, the group decides exactly what actions they will take to accomplish this goal. They also decide when they will initiate their service project. These examples of service projects may spur some ideas within each delegation. For senior citizens: * become pen pals Pen Pals or penpals may refer to:
* collect and package groceries in brown bags * invite them for a show and barbecue * cook for a meals on-wheels program For the homeless: * decorate sweatshirts * plant and harvest a garden of vegetables and fruits * journey to a local farm to pick excess produce For ill or physically disabled children: * create get well cards * make a quilt for a child with AIDS * perform a show * make recordings for the blind For the environment: * adopt a park or a stream * partner with a local environmental group Mentoring: * institute a CIT n. 1. A citizen; an inhabitant of a city; a pert townsman; - used contemptuously. Which past endurance sting the tender cit. - Emerson. program * pair bunk mates to share their unique talents The promise book When the bunk has decided on its service project, they write their plan, including a date and/or time to perform their project and the logistics within the camp framework, and submit it to the summit chairperson. Next, each camper signs the Pledge Sheet. A copy of the pledge is made so each camper has a keepsake. The pledges will be collated into one large volume. Countdown to the future: concluding ceremonies Everyone reconvenes to celebrate and share their commitments. Make sure the rally atmosphere is commensurate with the magnitude of the occasion. A delegate from each bunk proclaims his group's promise, which the project coordinator will compile into the camp's Promise Book. Each camper receives a copy of the Promise Book and one should be sent to ACA's national office, where the master book will be catalogued. This tome will be published on the Internet and highlights will be featured in news releases to the media. The volunteer effort Throughout the remainder of the summer bunks function independently to fulfill their goals. Each counselor should keep a log to chart progress and numbers of people helped. A summary can be assembled at the end of the summer. In fact, a concluding rally to take the "Summit Up" back home would be apropos ap·ro·pos adj. Being at once opportune and to the point. See Synonyms at relevant. adv. 1. At an appropriate time; opportunely. 2. . Reaching out You might also consider parental participation and camp-wide resolutions to augment the awareness of the spirit of volunteerism. Family involvement, citizen engagement, community mobilization, and youth empowerment Youth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults. are all components of ACA's mission - to nurture competent, caring, and responsible youngsters. Sponsor a walk against drugs or ask parents to share in a mentoring program. You could also offer your campground to an underserved local community and solicit camp families and staff to help for a week after the season ends. During the season, connect with an organization, such as the Fresh Air Fund's Friendly Town Program and offer to make those children campers at no charge during their two-week stay with a camp family. Thematic activities threaded throughout summit week or the summer can underscore The underscore character (_) is often used to make file, field and variable names more readable when blank spaces are not allowed. For example, NOVEL_1A.DOC, FIRST_NAME and Start_Routine. (character) underscore - _, ASCII 95. the pitch for kids to become lifelong helpers. Campers can write and perform a play about community support, design and paint a mural mural Painting applied to and made integral with the surface of a wall or ceiling. Its roots can be found in the universal desire that led prehistoric peoples to create cave paintings—the desire to decorate their surroundings and express their ideas and beliefs. conveying a service theme, or create an activity booklet for very young children to color. We can turn our individual red wagons into a bandwagon - where children ultimately save themselves by helping others. This special event actively engages children in building assets in their own lives. By contributing to service initiatives, youngsters can build not only community but their own sense of citizenship, integrity, and empathy. Resource Guide Organizations: Corporation for National Service (800-942-2677 or http://www.cns.gov) National Youth Leadership Council (612-631-3672) Points of Light Foundation (800-59-LIGHT) Quest International Quest International was a major producer of flavors and fragrances with sales of £560 million in 2005[1] before its acquisition by rival Givaudan. Quest created and marketed flavours and fragrance concepts and solutions for the fast moving consumer goods industries. (800-446-2700 or http://www.quest.edu) America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth (http://www.citizenservice.org) KidsCampaigns (http://www.kidscampaign.org) Products: 101 Things You Can Do for Our Children's Future, an interactive workbook work·book n. 1. A booklet containing problems and exercises that a student may work directly on the pages. 2. A manual containing operating instructions, as for an appliance or machine. 3. from KidsCampaigns (888-884-1200) Assets, a magazine of ideals for healthy communities and healthy youth published by the Search Institute (800-888-7828) Dear Mommy and Daddy, a parenting book by Marie Foss Hafen with Susan Wirth (801-634-9510) Everyone Wins When Youth Serve, the Search Institute (800-888-7828) Helping Out Is Cool by Ellen Feinman Moss, Points of Light Foundation (800-59-LIGHT) Nickelodeon's The Big Help Resource Guide (212-258-7500) One to One, the national mentoring partnership of United Way (202-338-3844) Today's Heroes video and guidebooks, The Points of Light Foundation (202-223-9186) United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Mint national community service commemorative coins Commemorative coins are coins that were issued to commemorate some particular event or issue. Most world commemorative coins were issued from the 1960s onward, although there are numerous examples of commemorative coins of earlier date. (202-874-6430) |
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