Youth Worker Preview Packet

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Mary Sherman
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1 2015 Kids Camp Sessions Youth Worker Preview Packet Contents A Message to Youth Workers Page 1 Youthfront Learning Theory Pages 2 4 Daily Schedule Page 5 Daily Themes & Experiences Pages 6 9

2 A Message from the Youthfront West Camp Staff Dear Youth Workers, Our camp season is now less than two months away, and we are so excited about the content we have planned. We have chosen the theme, A Life of Endless Pursuit: the story of Peter, and will be spending our week looking the story of Peter and how Jesus pursues him to become one of Jesus disciples. Copying what we began last year, we are producing Home content that parents will receive as a resource for when their kids come home. As you prepare your students for camp, we want you to know that we are your biggest fans! We believe in local church student ministry, and we want to support what you do the other 51 weeks of the year. We believe camp plays a vital role (but not the only role) in the spiritual formation of students. We hope that what we do at camp will amplify the rhythms and practices your group creates throughout the rest of the year to grow in your relationships with Jesus. Here are a few things to note in preparation for camp this summer: Volunteer Cabin Leaders If you are bringing more than seven guys and/or seven girls to camp, you will need to arrange volunteer male and/or female cabin leaders to stay with your students during your week at camp. You are responsible for providing another volunteer for every 16 additional campers of either gender: 8 23 kids (1 vcl); kids (2 vcl's); kids (3 vcl's); etc. These volunteers will stay in the cabin leader room along with the summer staff cabin leader. Ben Snethen, our Cabin Leader Supervisor, will contact you a few weeks before your session at camp to finalize your volunteers for the week. If you have questions about volunteers, contact him at bsnethen@youthfront.com. Hype Themes On the first day of camp, we split up the campers into teams to compete in events throughout the week. Each night has a different theme, complete with an event or competition attached to it. You are encouraged to participate by bringing costumes and joining in the fun. Questions about HYPE? Contact our Activities Director, Amanda Tate at atate@youthfront.com. Here is a little preview of each night: Nightstrike A camp tradition, this game of stealth is played in the dark. You and your campers will fight your way through zones and past Strikers to get under the infamous Tower of Power! Shaving Cream War It s time to get messy! Make sure you and all your campers each bring one can of shaving cream that contains no aloe and no menthol. Pixar Pool Party Toy Story, The Incredibles, Cars, and more! Come dressed as one of your favorite characters from any of the classic Pixar movies and get ready for lots of fun both in and out of the pool! Wild Wild Camp West (session 5 only) Round up your horses and your western gear for a night full of games that the best cowboys and cowgirls will win! Lassoing bulls, panning for gold, milking cows we ll have it all! We are looking forward to your group s time with us at camp. If you have any questions about camp, feel free to contact our Program Director, Matt Saunders at msaunders@youthfront.com, or our Camp Director, Andy Garlich at agarlich@youthfront.com. Much love, Youthfront Camp West Staff 1

At Youthfront, we are intentional about the method of learning that we employ in order to maximize the authentic discovery, growth, and learning of each camper.

3 Youthfront Camps: Learning Theory and Practice Learning takes place in all types of environments. The most effective learning, however, takes place within an environment that is intentional, authentic, transformative, and communal. At Youthfront, we are intentional about the method of learning that we employ in order to maximize the authentic discovery, growth, and learning of each camper. Every activity we facilitate from worship gatherings to games during free time is carefully constructed for transformative learning in a communal context. We are committed to creating environments for experiential learning. Experiential learning is simply learning by the process of making meaning from direct experiences. Therefore, we construct environments of learning through: 1. Concrete Experience 2. Observation and Reflection 3. Formation of Abstract Thought 4. Opportunities for Application By intentionally crafting learning experiences using the four elements above, we are able to accommodate the learner s preferred method of learning, whether it be the converger, who learns by taking abstract ideas and actively experimenting with them, or the diverger, who prefers a concrete experience in which to observe and reflect. Experiential learning also accommodates the assimilator, who is able to take abstract concepts and make observations through inductive reasoning, or the accommodator, who learns best by doing, through 1 concrete experiences and the active outworking of the concepts presented. Youthfront is passionate about bringing youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ

4 While there are many effective theories of learning, we believe that the experiential learning theory we practice is best suited for a camp environment where we can facilitate experiences for campers to engage God s story in an intentional, authentic, and transformative way. How is Youthfront different than other camps? Youthfront is built around the fixed hours of prayer, also known as the Daily Office or the Divine Office. Instead of building Youthfront s sessions around chapel, free time, cabin times, the snack shop, etc., we think it best to center all of the campers experiences on the practice of prayer. Youthfront Camp practices morning, midday, and compline prayer. Each of these prayer times consists of the reading of the Scriptures, music, silence, corporate and private prayer, and confessing the creeds. Youthfront is interested in helping adolescents ask questions that lead to ongoing engagement. Youthfront works hard to spark the imaginations of all campers. Our content has been developed to help adolescents think, wonder, and feel. We believe we are most successful when we allow the Holy Spirit to work and do ministry without deliberately manufacturing or manipulating the insights of humanity. If adolescents walk away from Youthfront with more questions about God and the Bible than answers, we believe it is a great thing for their ongoing learning and formation. What does this approach look like? Below is a simple table illustrating how Youthfront Camp is distinctly different in our approach to engaging adolescents in learning. The table found on the following page is not intended to be an either/or list of values; rather, it reflects a continuum of moving beyond a teacher-centered approach toward a learner-centered approach. 3

5 Moving from Preferences of the teacher. Most information that adolescents get is filtered through the skills and preferences of the one disseminating the information. Static in nature. Typically, most learning environments are predictable and fixed. Breadth. How much information can we teach? Rote. Memorization is good. However, memorization alone doesn t produce a lasting effect on a learner. Solo. Typically, learners left on their own don t have the necessary influence of the learning of others to help push them to think about new insights and directions. Product. Most learners are pushed to be complete, leaving no room for trial, error, self-discovery, etc. Moving to Needs of the adolescent. Youthfront s content takes into consideration the needs, styles, and habits of the adolescent and creates learning opportunities with the learner in mind first. Always evolving. Youthfront s content is always looking for ways to create dynamic, unpredictable, and mobile learning opportunities. Depth. How deep can we help learners go in any given topic? Experiential. Youthfront s content provides learners with the opportunity to learn through practice and ongoing application. Peer to Peer. Youthfront s content is about learning in community sharing common opportunities. Often in peer-to-peer models, learning is owned with greater passion and learners are pushed to think more deeply as a result of the interaction with their peers. Process. Youthfront s content is about the process of learning. It recognizes that learners learn at different paces and that the passion to own something takes some longer to acquire than others. Adapted from A New Kind of Youth Ministry, by Chris Folmsbee. Zondervan, Used with permission. 4

6 Kids Camp Session Daily Schedule Monday/Thursday Tuesday/Friday Wednesday/Saturday 9:00am Registration Begins 10:00am Orientation 10:35am Sports Time 11:15am Cabin Time 12:30pm Lunch 1:00pm Free Time 5:00pm Afternoon Gathering 6:00pm Dinner 6:45pm Cabin Experience 7:45pm Free Time 8:30pm HYPE: Nightstrike 10:00pm Back to Cabins 10:30pm Compline/Lights Out 7:30am Wake Up 8:15am Morning Prayer 8:30am Breakfast 9:00am Morning Gathering 9:45am Cabin Experience 11:15am Shaving Cream War 12:30pm Lunch 1:00pm Free Time 5:00pm Afternoon Gathering 6:00pm Dinner 6:45pm Cabin Experience 7:45pm Free Time 8:30pm HYPE: Pixar Pool Party 10:00pm Back to Cabins 10:30pm Compline/Lights Out 7:30am Wake Up 8:15am Breakfast 9:00am Cabin Clean & Pack 9:15am Camp Finale / Parent Meeting 10:00am Open Time 11:00am Close Camp 5

7 A Life of Endless Pursuit The story of Peter Purpose of the Week 2015 Kids Camp Content Peter is mentioned nearly two hundred times in scripture, more frequently than 2 all the other apostles put together. Readers of scripture, then, have a more vivid picture of Peter than any other of Jesus disciples. In all the Gospels and in the first section of the Book of Acts, Peter plays a prominent role in the story of Jesus. Because of the abundance of stories about Peter, many Christians find themselves sympathetic to Peter and his colorful character. Many of us identify with Peter s calling, able to remember our own moment when Jesus called us to follow him. We recognize Peter s passion, his leadership and his deep desire to go anywhere with Jesus as traits we long to see in ourselves. We also understand all too well how this passion and good intention can come up short when faced with danger and the impulse of self-preservation, which leads us to denial we later regret. On the surface, the theme of camp may appear to be all about Peter. While we will be spending much of our week looking at Peter s story, in actuality, the theme of camp is centered on Jesus and his relentless pursuit of Peter. Peter simply becomes our lense through which we see and experience Jesus. As we go through the week, we want to investigate why Jesus consistently and relentlessly pursues Peter (as well as other people). And as we experience Jesus through Peter s story, we desire for our campers to recognize how Jesus endlessly pursues them and invites them to follow and endlessly pursue Him. 2 Grant, Michael, Saint Peter, A Biography, (1994), Scribner (New York, NY), p. 4 6

8 An Extraordinary Pursuit - the calling of Peter Primary Scripture: Luke 5:1-11 Supplementary Scripture: Mark 1:16-17, Matthew 4:18-20, Jeremiah 16:16, Ezekiel 47:10 Summary Statement: Help campers recognize how Jesus pursues us in our everyday lives and calls us to follow him. Jesus initiates a relationship with Peter that continues throughout Jesus s earthly ministry. Jesus didn t choose Peter because he was doing anything special. Jesus simply pursues Peter in the midst of his everyday life. Peter s willingness to drop everything and follow Jesus is inspiring and can serve as an example for our own pursuit of Jesus. Campers will be introduced to Jesus and Peter, our two main characters for the week. The idea of pursuit is such a big part of this story that we want to spend time in this first gathering to help kids understand what pursuit is. In today s story, Peter drops everything to follow Jesus and become a fisher of people. Campers will recognize that Jesus didn t call Peter because there was something extra special about him. Similarly, we are invited to follow Jesus without first having to do anything special. Cabin Experiences: Campers will participate in a couple of group games that feature elements of being chosen, following the leader, and pursuing others. Each of these will be used to facilitate questions about what it means to be chosen by Jesus and to follow him. Activity 1: Campers will play a game called, Run Back, which is a tag game mixed with an element of Red Rover. As they play, they will experience getting selected to chase others and selecting others to chase them. Activity 2: Campers will play Who is the Leader, which is a game where one camper leaves the room while the other campers choose a leader whom the other campers will imitate. The one who left the room is called back and is given the task to discover which camper is the leader. These experiences will be followed by conversations about what it means to be chosen by Jesus, and what it means to follow Jesus. Bible Memory: Luke 5:10b-11 (NIV) - Then Jesus said to Simon, Don t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people. So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. 7

9 A Powerful Pursuit - Peter walks on water Primary Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33 Summary Statement: To help campers understand that Jesus pursues us in the midst of our fears, inviting us to trust Him. This is an incredible story of the power of Jesus on display for Peter and the other disciples. Peter shows both great faith and great fear within the context of this story. As long as Peter had his eyes fixed on Jesus, Peter was able to dismiss his fears and walk on water. We must also keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, trusting that he is with us, in order to overcome our fears and worries. Campers will be given practical applications for how to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. Cabin Experiences: Campers will participate in a trust walk type of experience using paper towel tubes. By holding the tubes up to their eyes, campers will need to keep their eyes on their partners, looking for cues and signals, in order to successfully navigate through an obstacle course. Following this activity, campers will engage in a conversation about what it means to have fears and doubts, and what it means to have trust. Do they have people in their lives (friends or parents) they trust? What does that mean? And after talking about that, we want campers to explore what it means to trust Jesus. Bible Memory: Matthew 14:21 (NIV) - Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt? 8

10 A Loving Pursuit - the denial and restoration of Peter Primary Scripture: John 18 & 21 Supplementary Scripture: (Matt. 26, Luke 22:54-62) Summary Statement: Jesus pursues us whether we do good or mess up, and he invites us to join him in taking care of others. Just as Jesus predicted, Peter denied him three times. After this happened, Jesus took the first step and pursued him once again. It wasn t to catch him and make him apologize. Instead, Jesus pursued Peter to make the relationship right and to remind him of his original calling. Like Peter, we are called to love and to take care of others. Taking care of others isn t about earning Jesus s approval, but it is our way of expressing our love for Jesus. Cabin Experiences: To wrap up our session, campers will do one final activity with their cabin. This activity will connect Jesus invitation about taking care of my sheep/lambs (day 3) to his invitation for fishing for people (day 1). Campers will work together to make a net that will be hung in their cabin. Afterwards, campers will fold paper into origami fish, while they consider people in their lives whom they believe Jesus wants them to take care of. They will hang the fish onto the net for the remainder of camp. Campers will be encouraged to take their fish home and give them to the people they thought of as a symbol of their love and care for those people. Discussion following this experience will encourage campers to think about and practice other practical ways to care for people. Bible Memory: John 21:17 (NIV) - The third time he said to him, Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, Do you love me? He said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus said, Feed my sheep. 9

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