The Teen Leadership Camp or TLC will be a two-week program that will provide opportunities and trainings for campers to develop and build upon their leaderships skills, not just as a prospective counselors but also in developing post high school skills. These skills will include resume building and interviewing preparation as well as teambuilding activities to promote cooperation, collaboration and confidence building. Teens will also be involved in a service project that will provide them with an opportunity to make a positive impact and difference beyond the camp. The Teen Leadership Program is designed for boys and girls aged 16 -17 years old. Participants are campers who are wanting something different from the regular camp experience and are perhaps looking to become camp counselors themselves in the next year or two. The teen camp staff have received certifications from the YMCA as lifeguards, from Adventure Experience as high challenge course facilitators and as first aid responders prior to the start of camp. By the end of their experience teens that have participated in this program should leave Cullen with:
- Lifelong friends that they have spent the entire experience with
- New skills and confidence that they can use for the rest of their life
- Certification in ASHI and Basic Life Support from the YMCA
- Should they wish to continue their camp experience and become a counselor that inspires and motivates another generation of youth to be the best versions of themselves throughout this process our teen counselors and lead will evaluate their performance and successful participants will fast track themselves into a position on the camp staff when they turn 18
- And most of all, the culmination of all of this will be a wonderful and fun experience
Example Itinerary Week One: Bonding and Orientation Week
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Sunday
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- Arrive at Camp between 2pm – 4pm
- Receive program orientation from the Teen Camp Counselors and Director of the program
- Participate in ice breakers to get to know one another
- Participate in an opening campfire
- Embers lead by teen camp counselor
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Monday
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- Low prop/no prop teambuilding, Zip Lining and Alpine Tower
- Begin Story boarding for movie projects in groups, the purpose of which will be to write, shoot, act and edit a video that that communicates the impact of the camp experience
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Tuesday
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- Continue to Storyboard/ start to shoot videos
- Enjoy archery and riflery programs
- Presentation from the Program Development Director on the process of creating fun and engaging Evening Programs for Main Camp. Begin planning as a group their own Evening Program to execute in week two of TLC. Campers will have a budget for the EP that they will have to manage.
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Wednesday
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- Continue to shoot videos
- Participate in Horse Riding program
- Continue work on planning for the TLC Evening Program
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Thursday
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- Introduction to the TLC Amazing race challenge that will feature scavenger hunts and challenges
- Participation in the TLC Amazing Race
- Continued prep and planning of EP/shooting video as needed
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Friday
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- Participation in a service project
- *Talent Show
- End of week one campfire with reflections
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Saturday
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- Camper/counselor choice
- Embers lead by teen camp counselor
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*Talent show preparations to be done during rest period time, introduced during camp orientation. The purpose of which will be to get the TLC participants to share their talents or perhaps widen/stretch the comfort zones a little as doing so can be an essential ingredient for a camp counselor as well as confidence boosting in general.
Week Two: Certification, Training and Preparation Week
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Sunday
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- Sleep in, relaxed morning with breakfast in bed
- During Main Camp check in, TLC will spend the afternoon enjoying the pool
- Opportunity to continue shoots of video project
- The Teen counselors and Teen Camp Director will give each teen during the day an evaluation of their first week of the program
- Embers lead by teen camp counselor
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Monday
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- Finish EP prep and turn in any purchase needs to the Program Development Director.
- The Shark Tank – teens split into groups and to devise a program/product that they can work on during the year with the intention to raise enough money to scholarship one camp every summer to experience camp that would otherwise not have this opportunity. The teens will then present their ideas/products to the panel. This activity should encourage both service and entrepreneurship.
- Edit video projects
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Tuesday
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- Teen Director introduces the ASHI course to participants and study pre-work session
- Afternoon free session to participate in normally scheduled camp programs with Main Camp to have an afternoon of enjoying their classic camp experience as campers
- Physical prep and execution of Evening Program, followed by a debrief and conversation about how they feel it went, what they learned, their successes and things they could have done differently and improve upon were they to do it again.
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Wednesday
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- Final Edits and any re-shoots of video project
- Final study and pre work for the ASHI written test and practical
- Teen Leadership Camp Quiz night
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Thursday
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- ASHI written and practical test
- Interview and resume workshop
- Cabin Night
- Embers lead by teen camp participant
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Friday
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- Review and solidify the learnings of the last 2 weeks, and set goals for how to carry these new skills when returning to their lives outside of camp.
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