Have you ever been challenged? Have you looked at the rock wall at camp and thought, there is no way I can climb that? Have you sat at your desk in class thinking that you were incapable of understanding algebra? Many of us have had similar experiences. Youth are provided with challenges daily that help them grow and learn as individuals. At the Teen Leadership Summits, coordinated by Georgia 4-H Military Partnership, University of Georgia, Department of Defense, and Air Force Child and Youth Programs, youth are challenged to climb the rock wall, take a difficult hike, bravely hold a reptile, connect with other teens from across the United States, and independently fly on an airplane. The youth are strengthened through many camp experiences. Georgia 4-H teaches perseverance through many different outlets, but one of them is through the Georgia 4-H Military Partnership, Teen Leadership Summits. Life is an adventure that helps youth and adults see that even when our legs are shaking as we climb the rock wall, we can go up higher than we did before, especially with the encouragement from counselors, adult leaders, and friends.
The Teen Leadership Summits are for military teens whose parents serve in the reserve, guard, or active duty in all of the branches of the military. Georgia 4-H hosted four summits at Georgia 4-H centers, one summit in Colorado, and the team coordinated logistics for two summits in Florida. Georgia 4-H receives two grants to support and coordinate these opportunities.
Teens are together at camp for 6-12 days, yet for many it leaves a major impact on youths’ lives. At Camp Jekyll, youth were separated into color crews and challenged daily to complete group exercises that taught them how to communicate with others, how to work in large groups, and how to led others. By the end of the week, youth walked away with several rewarding experiences like witnessing a sea turtle release, observing and learning about beached manatees from the Department of Natural Resources, and learning about marine life from seining.
Campers had the opportunity to share their camp highlights throughout the camping experience. At Beach Teen Leadership Summit, a young man said his favorite activity was the dolphin cruise because he was able to see animals in their natural habitat. A female camper at Beach Summit shared that seeing the sea turtle release was the highlight of her year! A camper at Wahsega relished the time of dancing with her friends in the recreation hall, and another youth member shared participating in leadership activities were very engaging. Finally, one camper who has repeatedly attended camp at Wahsega, said it was now her home away from home. The stories and highlights are endless! Georgia 4-H Military Partnership Team coordinated seven camps for military teens reaching a total of 477 youth.
Camp provides several educational opportunities, based on four important essential elements. Georgia 4-H ensures that mastery, independence, generosity, and belonging are in all programming. Many lessons can be taken away from campers completing an 8-mile hike, creating a ceramic piece, learning about leadership from a board game, riding a mountain bike in the Rocky Mountains, or participating in a reflection walk. Campers learn these four essential elements throughout the week. Mastery is taught at the climbing wall when the youth reaches the top! Independence starts for some as soon as they hug their parents and navigate the airport to fly to camp. Generosity is seen all around: a camper needs a hug after a rough day, campers encourage one another to hold the reptile, and numerous other times when youth are gathered together. Belonging is shown by the camper feeling the support of the counselor belaying them, and the girls sitting at the lunch table exchanging numbers to stay in touch.
The Teen Leadership Summits provide youth the opportunity to master new skills and the four essential elements, and they also offer youth the opportunity to connect with other military teens. In 2018 62 youth parents were currently deployed during camp, 74 youth had parents who had recently returned from a deployment, and 60 youth were preparing for a deployment in the coming six months. Youth are able to learn from each other, the military servicemen and women volunteering, the counselors and staff, and other outstanding volunteers while participating in camp activities. It is common to hear youth chatting about their roles at home while a parent is deployed, and how they have taken state history for three states due to countless moves. The summits for these teens can be a constant for them in an ever changing world that they live in.
Last summer, the youth boarded their planes for home with so much more than dirty socks. Youth packed up memories, skills, friendships, and most of all a sense of belonging into their ‘suitcases.’ Youth will continue to have new challenges put in front of them, but how they overcome these challenges provides the best lessons in life. There is so much we can learn from a week at camp!