2012 Young Women Camp Theme and Subthemes:

Light the Fire Within

Light Up Your life......Faith & Virtue

Be the Light..............Divine Nature & Individual Worth

Walk in His Light......Knowledge & Choice and Accountability

Radiate His Light.....Good Works & Integrity

This great article on YW camp was published in the Church News on 9-17-2011.

Young Women: Let's give them s'mores'

By Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women general president

Definition: a s'more is a traditional nighttime campfire treat consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker.

Recently, I met with a Young Woman camp leader from Chicago who wanted to share with me what they had done at camp this summer. She said, "There was a noticeable difference this year. It seemed as if the young women were more hungry than ever for spiritual food." Then she shared that the Spirit seemed to pour out on everyone. I know what she said is true because as I have visited camps and I too have felt that strong spirit. Then this Young Women leader described the detail that went into the planning and the many people who were called upon to help, including and especially the Laurels as Youth Camp Leaders. Then she shared with me some of her secrets, which I would like to pass on to you. She said, "I believe what made all the difference in camp is that our theme and everything we did focused on the Savior. It was all about Him."

These leaders had used the 2011 Mutual theme as their focus and the theme of their camp was "The Power to Believe" and each day had a sub-theme. Their five days at camp included: "Believe in Yourself" (a focus on identity as daughters of God), "Believe in His Love," "Believe He Has a Plan for You," "Believe in the Atonement," and "Believe He Will Come Again." These young women were changed when they departed camp and I believe their relationships with their families, with their friends and with each other will remain changed forever. Through their experiences at camp they were strengthened for the coming school year.

Indeed, this wise Young Women leader knew what each of us know — it truly is all about the Savior. Everything we do in the Church is to help individuals "come unto Christ" through receiving the saving ordinances of the gospel by the proper priesthood authority. "Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and His holy house" (Elder Russell M. Nelson, "Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings," Ensign, May 2001).

This Young Women camp leader, Cindy Harris of the Naperville Illinois Stake not only helped kindle the fire of testimony in each young woman's heart, but she was on fire! She was not exhausted, but energized. She said the exhaustion she felt after camp was akin to a spiritual exhaustion. The Spirit was so strong that it was exhilarating. So what do we, as leaders, do after such a spiritual high? May I suggest what Sister Harris suggested, "Give them s'mores!" In other words — don't stop now. After all you have done this summer to create a setting where the Spirit can create a mighty change of heart, give them "some more!" Continue to prepare yourselves spiritually so you can build upon the experiences you have had at camp, youth conference, trek or in a cultural event. Don't let the event end. Don't let the fire of faith flicker and become faint or extinguished. Give them "some more."
Just like the marshmallows roasted over a fire, the fire of your faith will soften hearts. The gospel will become delicious to them. And they will remember these preparatory years with joy. So in the coming year, give them s'more!

Give them s'more opportunities to feel the Spirit.

Give them s'more opportunities to bear their testimony.

Give them s'more opportunities to accomplish hard things.

Give them s'more opportunities to serve others.

Give them s'more opportunities to lead.

Give them s'more experiences with the Book of Mormon and the words of the living prophets.

Give them s'more temple experiences.

Give them s'more love.

In the 2004 Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said it best, "… do everything you can to create or to provide the circumstances for a spiritual experience. … Nothing we do for them in our various programs will matter as much as that, and I promise you it is what they will remember and treasure the most" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Bishops and the Aaronic Priesthood," June 2004, 15).

Each young woman in the Naperville stake came away from their camp experience changed. At the end of camp, each young woman was given a card with her name on it and a picture of the Savior. On the back were scriptures that had been shared at camp for them to keep close and to remember. I too received a card. It is a treasure to me. It contains scriptures that answered my personal prayers and I now carry it with me in my scriptures. Each time I see it and read a scripture, it warms my heart. Here are a few of the scriptures on my card: Doctrine and Covenants 6:36, Doctrine and Covenants 19:23, Doctrine and Covenants 24:8, Doctrine and Covenants 25:3, Doctrine and Covenants 38:7, Doctrine and Covenants 64:33, Doctrine and Covenants 68:6, Doctrine and Covenants 84:88, and Mark 9:23.
What I have learned this summer is simple — you have changed the world! This summer you have hiked, unfurled virtue banners, camped in rain and snow, trekked and pulled handcarts like pioneers, forded rivers, cooked on campfires, danced in dance festivals, made scenery, and borne your witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in word and deed. You have loaded and unloaded your car filled with food, camping equipment, dusty shoes and dusty, tired young women. You have done things that have stretched you personally and taken you beyond your comfort zones. Many of you have involved your husbands and your entire family in helping you fulfill your callings — you must be exhausted! Once you get home, you still stay up late on Saturday evening to prepare yet another lesson to be given on Sunday — why? Because you love the Lord. You have a testimony of His divine Son. You love the young women and see the hope of the future and their divine potential in their eyes. As Young Women leaders, you have exemplified what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. You have kept your covenant to "always remember Him" (Moroni 4:3). You are extraordinary!

Many of you will never know the difference you have made. Many of you will silently keep doing what you are asked with gratitude that you can be a part of this great work. As a Young Women presidency, we want to personally thank each one of you and pray that the Spirit will convey to your hearts the gratitude our presidency feels to be your associates in this great work.

Thank you for your lives of preparation and devotion to the Lord. Thank you for your examples to the young women and to us of faith, hope, charity and virtue. Thank you for being women who have accepted and acted upon the Young Women values and exemplified them in your homes and in your lives. Thank you for being virtuous women who are modest in dress and actions. Thank you for being women who have made sacred covenants. You are spiritually sensitive women of faith. Thank you!
President Gordon B. Hinckley once said, "When we save a girl, we save generations" ("Our Responsibility to Our Young Women," Ensign, September 1988). And it is true! Keep loving them, keep mentoring them and keep smiling while being secure in the knowledge that this summer you have changed the world!

© 2011 Deseret News Publishing Company

Documents and Important Dates on the Blog

We've changed the look and organization of the blog so you can access information easier. We've also deleted some old documents, left some that are still relevant, and added a whole new list of important dates to our blog. You'll find all the downloaded documents or web links or dates to the right of the screen.

Please us know if a link doesn't work and we'll fix it.

The first important camp dates you should be aware of are for the MIA Shalom Regional Workshop on January 29 and the YCL Retreat on February 26 at President Day's house. All the particulars are in the agenda Annie emailed to the YW Presidents on January 6th and under Important Dates on this blog.

Camp Documents Updated on the Camp Blog

Hello Again,
I've fixed a few problems with some of the documents on our blog and updated information, so if you've had trouble previewing or downloading try again.

IMPORTANT: We are meeting at the Stake Center at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday; the old schedule had us meeting at 6:30 a.m. but that's not correct.

Best,

Cheri

Post Your Great Camp Ideas on Our Stake Blog

Hello Busy Camp Directors,
Camp is coming in two months and I know you have all generated some great ideas for your girls. Would you mind sharing some of those ideas on the blog with your fellow camp directors? And of course, if you need some good ideas or maybe a little advice, let everyone know in a post and maybe we can all help.

A LITTLE CAMP BUSINESS: Because our amphitheater in the North Area has no shade, I suggest you and your girls bring umbrellas to camp and make your own shade. I happen to know that some of the girls in the stake are already planning to decorate their umbrellas . . . I'll let you decide if you want to follow suit; however, your stake YW leaders are thinking only of helping you to stay cool in the hot July sun. In what style you do so is up to you and your girls.

I look forward to hearing from you on the blog. If you have other YW leaders who would like to subscribe, send me their email addresses and I'll send them an invitation.

Cheri

Regional Workshop--Using the YW Values at Camp

I've misplaced my notes :( but here is what I remember:

Emphasize a different value each day. Crafts, meals, scriptures, etc. revolve around that value.

If you do secret sisters, the daily gifts or thoughts can be themed around one of the values.

Have a "Value Meal" each day, with value-colored food.

Give a reward for memorizing the color and scripture associated with each value.

Plan a value hike--approx. 2 hours. Scout out a route and stop at various points along the way to have games, snacks, 5-min workshops, etc. that highlight the values.

Teaching With the Scriptures - Camp Regional Workshop

* Draw upon the experiences you've had and apply them to the scriptures
* Use imagery from the scriptures. Have YCLs or Young Women find scriptures to go along with different imagery such as:

* water - John 4 woman at the well
*blanket
*matches
*1st Aid kit
*star
*rock

Regional Workshop - Stories at Camp

* Use Mormonad cards as prompts for Young Women to use to tell about their own personal stories.
* Tell stories about yourself.
* Be in tune to know what stories to tell.

Children's Books Recommended

*The Three Trees
*Paperbag Princess
*Daughter of a King

Scripture Stories Recommended (I hope I wrote these down correctly)

*Numbers 20:8-11 - Moses smites rock- miracles
*1Kings 17:12-16 - Elijah
*2 Kings 6:6-17 - Elisha
*2 Samuel 23 - Daniel

*find ways for the Young Women to apply these stories to their lives

Hail Storm in July at Shalom

I just found this video of a hail storm at Shalom in July 2009 taken by another stake in our region (obviously). You never know what the weather will do . . . show this to your girls who don't think they need to pack warm clothes for camp.

Camp Web Sites

www.cheaptotes.com

www.craftbits.com

www.orientaltrading.com

www.ywsuggestions.net

www.theideadoor.com

www.ldssplash.com

www.marthastewart.com

www.familyfun.com

www.lightplanet.com

www.lds-yw.com

www.ywconnection.com

Book

Bright Ideas for Young Women Leaders - Deseret Book

Girls Camp Made Easy - Deseret Book

Sharing Ideas for Camp

Notes from Regional Meeting:

• Charm bracelets from ldscharms.com
• Virtue flag - gold - all the girls signed on overnight hike
• Industrial strength ziplocks bags can be obtained from BISCO - Bonneville Industrial Supply on Geneva Road
• T-shirts "Daddy's girls"
• Magnet boards
• Dinner bell
• Wallpaper stores sell books for $1 and can use for crafts
• Modge Podge pictures of Christ on tiles or boards with glaze finish
• Necklaces with odd trinkets relating to your activities
• Pre-camp booklet explaining beginning to end camp experience for girls
• Scrapbook covered journals with composition notebooks
• Start with hugging each girl at camp
• Heart cookies
• YCL's given frame "Love" to remind them of their responsibilities prior to camp
• Make bear and have each girl sign the bear - pattern can be available by e-mails listed below
• Nalgene Bottles double as hot water bottles for cold nights
• Fabric Mill and Cotton Shop have lds themed material for pillow cases, etc.

Confidence Course

Notes from Regional Meeting:

See handout on CD given to Stake. Not noted on handout, was the A-frame where girls work together to make the A frame walk. Also, the two boards to work together to walk - see picture inserted by our camp in a earlier blog. Most of the ideas on the handouts are also in the Handbook for Camp.

*special request to put the items back after use and not leave in the trees or other areas so we may all use if desire.

Camp Food

Notes from Regional Meeting:

Get Handout on CD. Excellent for new and returning cooks which includes certification level for girls.

www.scoutscan.com/pdf/dutchbeg.pdf

recipes.lovetoknow.com/make_a_charcoal_chimney

recipes.suite101/article.cfm/simple_camping_food

Ideas shared for cooking:

• Pasta, Tacos, Hamburgers, Hawaiian Haystacks, tin foil dinners
• Google: snacks, campire, kids
• Freeze sauces in ziplock bags on cookie sheets-then you can stack ziplocks in coolers
• Anything you see in a store that is frozen-you also can freeze.
• Freeze h20 jugs for at least 2 weeks and use in cooler for ice
• Freeze juices before camp - dump out some juice first - then can also be used for ice in coolers.
• Higher altitudes = longer boiling time
• Freeze pasta in al dente form, put in cold water to cool, then put in ziplock bags on flat cookie sheets, freeze then finish cooking up at camp.
• Costco has hashbrown in large cardboard containers which you only need to put hot water in and close top back up.
• Label coolers for each day so girls do not open up cooler before needed to keep cool.
• Milk and eggs can also be frozen. Eggs can be cracked and put in container and freeze
• Cover dutch ovens with foil for easier cooking.
• Shared idea: use mineral oil for cleaning dutch ovens - less rancid smell for long term storing - also place crumpled newspaper inside dutch oven for long term storage.
• Use salt to assist with cleaning out dutch oven cookers - no soap to be used.
• Charcoal - do not use store brand - it cooks too quickly. Also do not use Matchlight brand due to charcoals heating up too quickly for cooking
• Enjoy! Practice meals before going up to camp!
• Encourage girls to drink 1/2 gallon water before lunch and 1/2 gallon of water before dinner for hydration. Leaders found girls to have less falls and were healthier during camp with less trips to hospital.

Waterfront

Notes from Regional Meeting:

Ideas for Canoe Activities:

*Race across lake. Give new beehives a chance to figure out rowing.

*Use plastic balls for objects to reach for. Some balls may get you more points.

*Capture the flag. Tie flag onto back of boat loop. You cannot hide your flag. Once you get a flag, you can tie it onto your boat. One with the most flags wins.

*Relay races

*Freeze tag

*Have YCL's plan out games

*Take 5 mins and just lie back and relax in canoes

*Have leader in middle of lake with cooler and girls can come earn treats (ie. ring pops)

*Leaders only use Super Soakers and visit girls' canoes

Hints - Girls to have warm clothing ready upon return, extra shoes necessary, cold water and mud under lake = difficulty in rescue attempts if girls fall in. Leaders to show example of "obedience" to camp rules, esp. while on the lake. Respect Life Guard - she rules the lake!

Have Fun !!!

Knots

Notes from Regional Meeting:

*Kindling - bring your own from lint, pruned branches or newspaper

*www.animatedknots.com - the bowline knot will be found under climbing section at this web site.

*Stake Leaders have handout on CD on knots/fire/shelter broken down by girls' years.

*Encouraged leaders to use actual rope and stay away from snack building fires and knots

Cheri: Is there anyway we can do Archery at camp?

Camp Shalom - very beautiful, very peaceful, very clean

What worked: Crafts, Hidden Talent Show, YCL's teaching certification with poster visuals I made and laminated, Canoes, Confidence, encouraging girls to memorize a daily scripture pertaining to theme (reward given afterwards), Parent letters to girls (given after testimony mtg), Lunch/Activity by Relief Society, Makeover Time (lots of nail polish and head bands), Secret Sisters, Waterbottle holders (ribbon with o-ring sewn at ends - slips over waterbottles), Name tags above girls beds (Cami strung string through holes above shelves and name tags clipped with clothes pins, pockets for secret sister notes, help getting equipment up, set up and taken down with priesthood help, great support from ward YW leaders, Testimony talk and time with Bishopric, "All" the Stake Workshops were excellent.

What didn't work: Ugh! Don't like to think about that one but....overplanned with large amount of girls and fleeting time. First day count on late start to everything - maybe make journals before coming to camp, more journal/scripture time needed, don't wake up Laurels or leaders with Laugh Yoga, more pre-camp certification, oops - missed star observation - miscommunication, canopies not working and using duct tape with creativity, forgot snack box but girls survived, forgot to make special treats for priesthood 'guards', tooo exhausted for bedtime stories for girls (6-11pm sends me snoring :) More lanterns for night, Count on buses arriving late to camp on Saturday, more time for the girls to just hang out and PLAY!

All in all it was a fun first time camp experience for me. My favorite....the secret sister reveal (hugs all around) and testimony meeting! Although being ambushed by the girls for their parent letter was amazing - they really do care!

Ideas: I will post places where I found ideas and crafts off the internet another time.

I hope you have received some ideas...I look forward to seeing your ideas :)

1) Girls all seated for testimony meeting

2) Bishopric playing along with our Alice "Curiouser" theme at our Unbirthday Party where the girls ended up playing 3 legged croquet with the Bishopric and their wives. Cami made their hats - seamstresses can do that kind of thing!

3) The girls in a spontaneous game which I will make more time for their year. Play!

Another look at the pots on Friday after they have "bloomed. Friday they were able to decorate their pots with colorful $1.00 store stones and cement grout.

Some Fun Ideas We Did:
Ty-Dye Shirts were so successful

Hidden Talent Time was hilarious

Making modge podge lanterns that

lite up our night with battery

$1.00 store lights was exciting

We also made the girls grown in their pots and added inserts like "temple, scriptures, Christ, etc on how they are growing each day