Read more:http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2010/09/its_time_to_end_teenage_bullying_0930.php?icid=ellen|ws&ncid=webmail#ixzz118Uvajd5

The apartment complex where my team and I live

Language misunderstandings are numerous here because it is a rarity to run across citizens of Venezuela who have visited or lived in a country where English is the primary language. One exception to that is a 11 year-old boy named Pablo that my team and I met who speaks perfect English. We bumped into Pablo at the apartment complex, Balcones del Norte, where we live.

After talking to him for a few minutes, he offered to introduce us to his mother, Liliana, who is a Engineering professor at Carabobo University (CU). Liliana received her master’s degree in United States at a University in Florida and she lived there for four years with her family. God was good because one of the challenges that my team and I have right now is building connections with faculty members at the university where we work, which just so happens to be Carabobo University.

Connecting with faculty members is a small part of the work that my team and I have been doing at the university lately. We need faculty support in order to help our organization, Vida Estudiantil (the name for Campus Crusade for Christ in Venezuela), grow. We hope Liliana will help us make better connections to student leaders on campus, help us find a suitable spot for our weekly meeting, and help us gain exposure at CU.

My team and I have been working on other tasks in order for our organization to have a strong presence at the university. We have a group of students that lead the Vida Estudiantil Bible Studies, assist in the event planning for our organization, and help get other students on their campus connected with Christ. This group is called the servant team. My team and the servant team have engaged in two meetings so far and it is thrilling to see the dreams that they have for our organization and their university.

Us with Vida Estudiantil students after giving out questionnaires

My team and I have also been sharing Christ with other students we met on campus. We gave out hundreds of questionnaires to students on campus last week. The questionnaires asked if they were interested in attending a bible study, coming to English Club, or getting to know God more. The reception we received from the students was fantastic, around two hundred students filled out questionnaires and we met many new students who are interested in getting involved in Vida Estudiantil.
While giving out the questionnaires were able to inform students of the first English Club that we were having, which we held last week. On the day of English Club, it was incredible to see all the students who attended and were eager to learn English from fluent speakers. Outside of English Club, I have been put in charge, along with Emily from my team, to plan the different outings that we are taking to the local orphanage. We are are planning on going there as soon as we touch base with the pastor that runs the orphanage.

The University where I work at with Campus Crusade for Christ

All in all, working at la Universidad de Carababo (Carabobo University) is quite different then most colleges in the the United States. One of the days that we were on campus medical students were protesting at the university. As the result of the protest, the road that we needed to use to leave via bus was blocked so we had to find an alternative exit route. This sort of demonstration is typical at the university and we need to flexible to the many curve balls that are thrown our way.
Some of those curve balls have been very interesting, I have realized there are many differences (some humorous) between the way people live here in Venezuela and the way that Americans from the United States live. I would like to share with you some of those differences.
Differences Between the United States and Venezuela

The alligator at the University's pond

1. United States: You might find some ducks, geese, or–if you are lucky– a frog at a university’s local lagoon. Venezuela: The University of Carabobo has live alligators in their pond that seem quite hungry.
2. United States: University students have to pay for all of their tuition unless they have financial aid or scholarships. Venezuela: With their socialistic government, students do not have to pay for going to a state university.
3. United States: Playgrounds exist in local communities for children to play at. Venezuela: Venezuela has what my team and I affectionately call “bro gyms,” which are outside work-out centers for people to do push-ups, pull-ups, and crunches.
4. United States: If there is a stray dog in the United States, usually within hours the dog is picked up by animal control. Venezuela: There are stray dogs everywhere, especially at the university, stray dogs linger around students and eat the food they leave behind.
5. United States: In restrooms there is always hand soap by the sinks. Venezuela: NO bathroom has hand soap and Purrell is your best friend.
6. United States: When people want to draw your attention to something they point with their fingers. Venezuela: Venezuelans use their lips to point by kissing in the direction of what they want you to look at.

One of the students, Douglas, me and his mother at our welcome party

7. United States: Gasoline prices fluctuate but they are almost always over $2.00 a gallon. Venezuela: It costs less then a dollar to fill up an entire tank of gas (this is because Venezuela is the third biggest exporter of oil, it is humorous because here it costs more for drinking water than gasoline).
8. United States: Most college-aged students do not attend a social get-together during the night with their parents. Venezuela: College-aged students will bring their parents to parties and other social functions, this is completely normal and in some cases the parent shows up at the social occasion before their child gets there.
Despite all these differences, Venezuela has a lot to fall in love with. When the seven members of my team cram into a bus that has people hanging outside the door, loud Reggaeton music blasting inside, and the bus assertively weaving through three lanes of traffic it hard not to feel alive. Also the people here are so warm and overjoyed to have us here, we experience a lot of warmth and affection. Within talking to someone for a half an hour, the other person will treat you like they have known you for your entire life. Living life in Venezuela, it is near impossible to escape the feeling like you are part of one big family.

Learning lessons about self-reliance, self-confidence, exploration, and responsibility are all important metrics of a successful summer camp experience. At Swift we look to promote the below trits.

Self-Reliance 

At Swift we steer young people away from dependence on their parents and toward independence and self-reliance. Because parents are not present to guide their children’s decisions, kids at camp must identify the resources that can help them meet personal and group goals, resolve conflicts, and find success for themselves.
When campers get on the bus or see their parents drive away, often this is a childs first time of being on their own. For others it does not hit till the next morning when mom wouldn't be there to wake them or make their bed. Our goal as Swift counselors is to introduced campers to something new but not hold a campers hand the entire time. Camp is all about active learning. Campers often try something the first time and if they can’t figure it out counselors would be there for guidance.

Self-Confidence 

Campers gain self-confidence when they find meaningful, fulfilling educational and social experiences at camp, interpret those experiences correctly, and have reasonable, achievable expectations for success.
At Swift Nature Camp children are challanged to work toward getting Achievement Awards. Campers realize these awards serve as a much greater purpose than just handing out patches. It is not always essential for campers to become the best at whatever they choose to do, but it is essential that they feel they've accomplished something. Our Final Banqutte recognizes campers for their accomplishments which helps to build self-confidence. Yet, often for those who do not participate in the awards program just being away from home is an accomplishment that builds self-confidence.

Exploration 

Camp is, in short, about learning: learning about oneself, learning about others, and learning about new ways to approach the world. Self-confidence leads to learning through exploration of one's interests, abilities, and relationships. To maximize exploration, young people need to feel safe — free from fear of ridicule, sarcasm, or insult. Creating a community of caring where young people feel comfortable moving beyond their "comfort zone" to the "challenge zone" promotes exploration.
Counselors at Swift are always there to make children feel safe yet, in their own ways they encouraged kids to step outside of their comfort zone and take a risk. This creates a developed of trust with staff and in turn with the entire camp community. Whether campers on the water, on a field, or in a cabin, they always know that the counselors and the camp would be there fore them.

Responsibility 

Beyond the buddies, baseballs, and bonfires lies the true value of the summer camp experience: a heightened sense of personal responsibility for the well-being of others. Research from Students Against Destructive Decisions points out that young people who have attended summer camp are significantly more likely than those who have not to feel good about their relationships and to take positive risks.
At Swift our campers tell us that Swift is their summer home with the greatest people in the world. In fact, campers have made such real friendships that the time they spend at camp each summer was enough to make me feel good the entire year. One of many lifelong things most campers learned at Swift is a conscious responsibility to always be there for my friends and for others.

Life Lessons Learned at Camp 

The benefits to young people of a summer at camp have long been discussed and more recently evaluated. What are they? Simply put, they are opportunities. Opportunities not exclusive to camps but rather concentrated at camp, where under the direction, supervision, and influence of caring counselors, young adults can learn to become more independent, more confident, more self-aware, and more giving toward others. These are just some of the life lessons learned at camp says 
Stephen Wallace, M.S. Ed.

Swift Nature Camp works hard to promote these qualities in all children that attend. Our Tree of Values helps bring these values to forefront of each child. So much so that each cabin is given a value that they live daily and give skits about. THey even hang a sign on the from of the cabin. See more about this wonderful Children’s Summer Camp .
 

A camper's enjoyment at camp can be increased with preparation, and this is the intent and focus of my letter. 

First and foremost I wish to encourage children to come to me when they have a pain, scrape or just not feeling well. It’s best to take care of these situations quickly so campers can get back with their group and go have fun. Although injuries at camps are 25% less than organized sports, unfortunately, illness at camp is consistent with general population. 

The same practices that increase health at home increase health at camp. We ask you to go over these with your children before they leave and we will be reinforcing them with their stay at camp: 
1. Avoid fatigue. Take naps, sleep at night. 
2. Hydrate. Drinks lots of water. 
3. Nutrition. Eat, eat, eat. 
4. Wash hands frequently and use hand sanitizer when available.
5. Sneeze and cough into elbows or sleeve.

During Orientation Day I will do a brief health screening to ensure that all campers are healthy and isolate any potentially communal diseases. This is just smart for everyone. 

Absence of family, group living, and inability for campers to have mental privacy can also be factors that lead to a child's increased stress. Discuss how your child may deal with loneliness, tolerating annoyances, and inability to just chill and be left alone. One of the best things campers find to do is talk with their counselor- after all they are like a big brother or sister that want to help. From there they can work on issues together and come up with workable plans. If that does not work please have your children come see me or Jeff & Lonnie. 

I love to meditate and do yoga and I plan on offering classes to help campers learn life long skills that can reduce stress. So be sure to encourage your child to join one of these classes if they are having a difficult time with stress or anger. 

Counselors will encourage children to try new things but never push children to do things that they may feel uncomfortable with. So it’s important that if your child feels unsafe in an activity they talk with the leader and express their concerns so we can address these and help your child take safe new risks. 

Finally, I realize that the health form is a pain and not much fun to complete. However, every piece of information you put on this form only helps us better care for your child's physical and mental health. We need helpful hints in every aspect of your child, how they deal with others, how to encourage, how they eat, severe allergies, sleeping habits, how they deal with anger, how they relax, any and all information is confidential and can only help your child have a better time at camp. 

My goal is to help each camper have a safe, happy camp experience. I will be moving to camp in early June and you can call me at 715-466-5666 to further discuss your child’s needs.
Thank you,

Thomas Lynch, RN.
Big Uncle

As parents we have to remember that as much as we love our children our goal is to prepare them to leave the home and be a productive part of society. Summer Camp is a basic part of the growth process. Try it this summer.

Enhanced Self-Esteem

Camp offers children many opportunities to become competent. Practicing both new and old skills on a regular basis, it makes sense that there will be improvement. Novices have chances to learn, while those who are more experienced can improve. Learning new skills and improving on old ones builds self-esteem. Children become more independent and self-reliant at camp with their new-found skills.

Trying New Things

Sending your child to camp is giving them an opportunity to try something new. No matter how many after-school programs or lessons a child takes, its likely they will never have the opportunity to try all that is offered at summer camp. In a supportive environment, the child can try at something new. The interesting twist to these activities is that, since campers often don’t know anyone else at camp before they go, they are more willing to try activities that their friends at home might not expect them to. The athlete can try out for the camp play, while the artist may dabble in sports. At camp, children can try new things and set their own goals for success.

Life Skills

Though years later, your child may not remember capture the flag games or the words to a camp song, the life lessons learned at camp will remain. At camp, a child learns how to take responsibility. The child who has never before made a bed, will learn how to smooth out sheets and blankets and tidy up a cubby. Though counselors will remind and encourage, campers quickly take responsibility for personal hygiene, and for more minor health issues, a camper learns to articulate what hurts and how to get help. All of this personal responsibility further fosters a sense of independence and self-esteem. Camp also improves a child’s social skills by making new friends and learning how to reach out to strangers. At camp, children learn to get along with others, all while living together 24 hours a day, learning about courtesy, compromise, teamwork, and respect.

Hidden Benefits of Camp

The benefits of overnight camp are not limited to children, but extend to parents as well. There is relief in knowing that your child is in a safe, exciting environment for the summer. Even if child care isn’t an issue, it’s often hard to find suitable activities for the summer, as well as finding peers for children to interact with. Camp offers entertainment and constant peer company. For parents that have more than one child, camp can give a younger sibling a chance to shine in the older one’s absence. And if you Homeschool camp is a wonderful way to help your child socialize. For families where all the children go to camp, parents have a chance to do things that would not interest the children. When a child makes it clear how excited he or she to go to camp, these parental excursions are guilt free.