Youth Leadership Camp 2010

NAD Miss Deaf America, Rachel Mazique, visits YLC

2010-08-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

The NAD Miss Deaf America, Rachel Mazique, shared her interesting story about herself and her various experiences. She actually lured us into her background by explaining how she got involved in the Miss Deaf America Ambassador Program (MDAAP). Through her mother's encouragement, her mother said, “you can succeed after trying something and there’s no reason to say no to something,” meaning that other people or even you should jump at any opportunity and do it. In that same moment, she said that she finally followed her mom’s instincts that she should try and get involved in MDAAP. On another note, she won the title as Miss Deaf Latino in Chicago. From that experience, she decided to participate and compete for the Miss Deaf America title.

The reason that Rachel has made her appearance at YLC was to teach us important value-based lessons such as the ripple effect, sharing the importance of making a positive influence. In addition, she also explained her trip to the NAD Conference, competing at the NAD Miss Deaf America competition in Philadelphia. Our favorite quote from her was: “The small action you take can create a lasting impact on others and your life.” She taught us that we can always try something new and keep an open mind and an open heart.

She also mentioned about receiving wonderful support from her family, friends, and members of the community. She encouraged us to ask for support, give support, and believe in yourself. Giving support is what keeps the community strong.

It was really nice to have her come and stay with us for two days and she went to Silver Falls with us. She had a pleasant time interacting with us! We wish her all the best during her journey as NAD Miss Deaf America.

We learned many things about Rachel's journey to winning the MDA crown.

Rachel interacted with the campers and enjoyed watching them grow.

Rachel talked about her trip to the NAD Conference in Philadelphia.

The YLC audience watched Rachel's presentation and was very fascinated.

NAD Miss Deaf America, Rachel, shared several tips about making a positive influence on others.

Silver Falls and Fireside Presentations

2010-08-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

Many campers were looking forward to that one particular day - Silver Falls. When the day came, we were all excited for a day of hiking, exploring, and swimming. Silver Falls has 14 waterfalls along with beautiful views of nature. It took us all about two and half hours to hike the beautiful trail. After eating late lunch, we took off to swim in a freezing creek. Some of us enjoyed the water temperature and the others definitely did not. All of us had a great time there and we bonded on a deeper level.

All campers and staff smiled for the camera!

Smiling and cheerful campers!

Cooling off at Silver Falls

Later that night, Luba Douziech gave a phenomenal speech about her life at Fireside. In Edmonton, Alberta Canada, her parents came to a decision - “It would be better for Luba to attend a mainstreamed school to obtain better education.” Years later when she got older and have tried various learning strategies, her father decided to bring her to Alberta School for the Deaf to expose her to the deaf community, so Luba can reach her potential. After interacting with some deaf peers, Luba started to realize that she felt that she shared a lot of similarities with her peers. Several weeks before summer ended after her senior year, her father encouraged her to check out Gallaudet University to experience a deaf-friendly atmosphere. After contemplating her academic choices, she has made a decision to attend Gallaudet University. Luba shared that she had grown into a more confident woman. Being a staff here at Youth Leadership Camp has also made a lasting impact on her. She encouraged all of us to particpate more in organizations while we all are in high school so we can learn and grow into stronger and proactive leaders. We all sure were blown away by her story, a presentation we all will never forget.

Luba Douziech presented her speech at Fireside.

Campers were fascinated by Luba Douziech's life stories.

Andrew Bottoms gave a speech about his experience at Gallaudet. To be more specific, he explained about his memories of the Gallaudet protest for a deaf president. Andrew was involved with the protest because he believed that he was doing a good deed; promoting a better deaf community. We listened to his amazing presentation and we have to remind ourselves to stand strong and support our beliefs.

Bottoms shared his experience.

YLC: Stronger Connection

2010-08-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a calm, chilly, and sunny morning. Some of us brushed our teeth while some others stretched and changed their clothes. After a good, hard routine of exercise and running, we were sent off to Leadership Hall where we had biscuits and gravy, yogurt, and assorted fruits. Yummy! Group B introduced their show after breakfast. Despite their effort, the staff gave a thumbs-down because they felt it was not enough to exceed their expectations. Group B gracefully accepted and went to work on another idea. Subsequently, Casper went to clean the bathrooms, Group C stayed in Leadership Hall to tidy up the cafeteria mess, and Group B and D went to their cabins to take care of any mess left. Next, another Camp Council!

We took our seats in Leadership Hall to see and hear any more news, nominations, and proposals. A proposal to elect a new banquet co-chairperson was offered and approved. Five contestants entered the competition and they are the following: Montana Murphy and Raquel Grindstaff, Nia Lazarus and Ryan Poindexter, Jenna Smith and Alanna Laughrey, Gina Curry and Isbella Natalie, and Chelsea Morris and Angel Ortiz. After an extensive discussion, we voted Jenna Smith and Alanna Laughrey to be our new co-chairpersons. Congratulations to them!

We renewed our energy by munching some appetizing ham and turkey sandwiches and chips. We left to our classes afterwards. Group C exited to Daily Drum, Group B and D switched OLS (Outdoor Living Skills) and Discovery Class, and Casper went to their Blog/Vlog class. We enjoyed our snack break, wolfing on trail mixes, beef jerky, yogurt, nuts, and fruits. During recreation, several of us chatted, others played basketball, and a handful of us wrote letters.

During dinnertime, we took off to Leadership Hall, where Group C graced us with their theatrical production. They called themselves “Tetris” and the show went fantastic. The staff debated for about fifteen minutes before approving the name, much to Tetris’s delight! As soon as Tetris got their play done, Group D stepped on the stage to show their performance presenting themselves as “Voltage”. After a brief ten-minute discussion by the staff, Voltage, the group name, was accepted! We then scrambled to get our mouth-watering Philadelphia “Philly” cheese steaks and luscious homemade French fries!

Sitting in a circle, we curiously looked at each other without any clue of what was going on. Bregitt Jimenez, Dean of Girls, and Mark Ramirez, Dean of Boys, announced that the original plan was changed. We were supposed to run the evening program tonight. They recognized that our bond as a team was not there yet, including trust and communication. Our unspoken feelings, emotions, secrets, and thoughts were bottling inside every of us. Bregitt and Mark opened up the discussion with goals and rules shared by us. We desired to have good feelings with each other and we agreed to promise each other that we were there to listen to each other without judging. As we established our goals and rules, Bregitt and Mark strongly encouraged us to share our thoughts and feelings to develop a stronger team and group dynamics.

At the beginning of the discussion, many of us were quiet and sitting still, however, our minds were racing with undeclared thoughts and maddening emotions. In the next moment, we started to express our feelings about getting to know each camper, besides our teammates and we want to leave YLC with good feelings. Some of us narrated how they got accepted into YLC and got thrilled with the news. Some of us thought that YLC was just a camp. However, when we got here, we realized that our views of YLC have changed so much in ten days. We were filled with various emotions that we feel like one big family and this is our second home.

This discussion was not just some discussion; this brought our memories, feelings, emotions exploding out. One camper mentioned that she was quiet and humble her whole life, but she has numerous sides that everyone had not seen. She was tired of being labeled as “boring” and she decided to come to YLC to improve herself and attempted to be more assertive. She was glad that she has friends here to find her fun, awesome side. One camper was from a mainstreamed school; she was accustomed of just facing one interpreter and does not have any friends in school. She came to YLC and she was not used to seeing everyone talking in ASL, but she quickly felt she belonged here. The most inspiring part was seeing some of us cry with pride and happiness, realizing that they can speak up for themselves and share how they felt.

After the group process, Chef Clint Woosley gave us ice cream to enjoy! We and the staff started to cherish each other more, making us one, big, happy family! That night was truly a night to remember.

This night was very emotional for every one of us. Some of us were crying and some of us were inspired, but every one of us were touched by the discussion tonight. One long, meaningful discussion brought us closer to each other. We learned a lot from each other and we feel comfortable expressing ourselves for the rest of the camp.

Another Day at YLC

2010-08-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

After running and some stretching, we were comforted by delicious blueberry pancakes and sausages. Group B was called to do a play and they did wonderful, although the staff felt that it did not exceed their expectations, they accepted the decision and kept their faith alive. After some cleaning assignments, we had a Camp Council meeting.

There were two proposals and they were: to purchase a stereo system for Leadership Hall so we could benefit from the beats and rhythms of the music during some events and for future YLCers to use, and to move Laundry Day to an earlier date because several campers felt that their clothes were too dirty. The stereo system proposal got accepted, however, we had to wait and do some research about funding. On the other hand, another proposal got declined because the schedule was full.

After a refreshing snack, we played Camp Bowl; it is a game where the staff members ask us some random questions about current events and facts of everyday life. Group D won the event, with Group A going second, the third place went to Group C, and the last but not least, Group B. Then, We were dismissed to Leadership Hall for lunch. Group C did their play and the staff took a serious thought about it and had a 40-minute discussion about their play. The result? They felt that it did not meet their expectations. But, Group C accepted the fate and continued to develop a new play. After a satisfying meal of corn dogs, we went to our classes, with Group C doing Daily Drum/Yearbook, Group D working on Blog/Vlog, and Group A and Group B switching Outdoor Living Skills (OLS) class and Discovery class.

Later that afternoon, we had recreation. Most of the campers swam while a few others sat outside and chatted. A while later, it was dinnertime! Group D took the stage with their show before we had dinner. It went well but the staff decided it was not enough to award a thumbs-up. Group D learned what it takes to persevere and they gracefully accepted the loss. We had tasty cheese ravioli and some mixed vegetables for dinner. Group A performed their play after the dinner and the staff took a 45-minute debate whether to approve their name or not. The staff dramatically made a line, indicating that they had made their decision. As the members of Group A waited anxiously to find out, the staff gave a thumbs-up! Group A gave an ecstatic cheer and hugged every counselor in the building. Group A has a new group name - Casper!

During our evening program, we did a game called the Hideous Counselor game. It is an event that we decorate every counselor with oodles of ingredients in an effort to make them ugly and gross. The team with the most hideous counselor wins. All of counselors’ names were labeled on a piece of paper. Who got picked? Casper got Jesse Jones III, Group B got Maurice Abenchuchan Jr., Group C got Allie Rice, and Group D got Andrew Bottoms. Then, each of four groups decorated each of their counselors’ faces in an effort to win. We had materials for decorating and they were the following: M&M, peanut butter, cottons, color markers, wood sticks, feathers, and trash bag. The groups gave each counselor a nasty makeover. The result? Casper won first place, Team B went second, Team D placed third, and Team C finished fourth. “I thought it was fun. I was drenched in peanut butter! But, it was a funny experience for me, ” commented Andrew Bottoms. Jesse Jones then added, “Wow, I felt funny because I thought they would do something drastic to my head.”Allie Rice then quipped in, "Campers truly showed instant creativity by working together in mere five minutes.” “I felt energetic because they showed it all through this game,” replied by Maurice Abenchuchan Jr.

After the Hideous Counselor game, we went to the campfire. Casper created the fire successfully with two matches, much to everybody’s delight. Our counselors, Shannon Bertling and Larissa Clapp, shared their life stories and experiences. Larissa explained us the world of being a vegetarian, giving us her point of view of animals being abused and battered. By seeing animals being abused, she was in shock. She was determined to join the Humane Society to help animals that were ill-treated. Next, she explained to us different groups of vegetarians: flextarians, vegans, pesticitarians, and several others. We learned some horror stories about animals, and we looked at each other, thinking about all the pain animals have experienced.

Subsequently, Shannon Bertling greeted us with her experience travelling in Taipei, Taiwan for her media job. She gave several points that people care about deaf people in other countries, treating us Americans as if we were kings and queens. She emphasized the importance of giving respect to various cultures and their people. We really appreciated the speeches given by Larissa Clapp and Shannon Bertling.

Joshua Weinstock holding the white board while Bregitt Jimenez and James “Jimmy” Wilson watch.

Dolan Edney giving his opinion during a proposal.

During the Camp Bowl, Andrew Morrill answers a question while Bradley Chappell, Ryan Poindexter, and Hillary Peters watch. Andrew Bottoms, Samantha Bulewich, and Jesse Jones surveyed the contestants.

Andrew Biskupiak, Andrew Floyd, Kaitlin Newhard, Jose Castillo, Tiffany Bridgett, and Trey Gordon discuss the best answer to the question.

Christine Gerard looking on anxiously and Minwook Cho hoping that he got his answer correctly.

Renca Dunn introduced the crowd about the “Hideous Counselor” game.

Maurice Abenchuchan Jr. getting a makeover from the rest of Group B.

Kaytlyn Johnson and Isabella Natalie giving Andrew Bottoms a new hairdo.

Jesse Jones, Maurice Abenchuchan Jr., Allie Rice, and Andrew Bottoms being humiliated by the raucous crowd.

Shannon Bertling giving a lecture about her experience in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Organizational Day

2010-08-13T16:59:00.000-07:00

After breakfast, the four groups have to do various chores such as cleaning up cabins, Leadership Hall and bathroom. When we were done cleaning, we were told to meet at Fireside for announcements by Jesse Jones. As Jesse Jones was explaining the schedule for the day, Allie Rice quickly interrupted for an important announcement. She stood up with a stern look and said it in a serious tone, “It is just the beginning of THE ORGANIZATIONAL DAY.” The day was fun-filled.

Global Perseverance for the Deaf organization helped each other.

Deaf Education Advocate Services’ members: Brandon Washburn, Bradley Chappell, Brianna Crayton, and Alanna Laughrey looked and discussed about the case they needed to solve.

Andrew Morrill, Brianna Crayton, and Tiffany Bridgett looked at Nia Lazarus, as she explained about their case.

Deaf Youth LifeSavers members, Andrew Morrill and Brandon Alberti, tolerated with one of their crazy co-workers.

Andrew Floyd and Lukas Morkevicius struggled to get their lunatic co-worker to cooperate to keep their organization running.

The groups were waiting for their judges to come.

Trey Gordon gave his speech to campers about how to run an organization.

Deaf Education Advocate Services members ate their meals during lunch.

Thinaja Nadarajah and Camilla Crump discussed with the judges about their organization.

'Pop the Balloon' Game and Wilderness Philosophy

2010-08-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

We were sitting and chatting as we were eating our big delicious breakfast! They were pancakes filled with blueberries with syrup and different kinds of cereal! Our drinks were punch, lemonade, and milk! Our stomachs were full when breakfast was over, and we were summoned to clean up Leadership Hall for our next workshop presented by Clint Woosley. Campers were wondering what was going to happen next, as we looked at each other. Clint got up on stage and said one sentence, “Do humans connect to nature more than animals?” Campers were confused and they really did not understand why Clint had asked this. So Clint gave out more information than necessary for campers to know about how nature works in the world. Clint really wants us to know about why it is important to understand how the world works because some campers do not learn this in their schools, homes, and/or different places. At one point during his presentation, Clint mentioned about the lie detector that he tested on plants and, on the seismography, plants have showed feelings such as fear and joy.

He explained the story of how the “water” does have feelings, even though if it does not have any oxygen or cells. Because one man did an experiment on water and he wrote down two words “bad” and “good”, then he put the paper of both words on each of two cups of water and then put in a freezer overnight. Next day, he took out both of the cups of water and look down on both of them with a microscope and recognized the difference of both waters. Water that was insult by word “bad” showed that the pattern inside the water is so blurry, and water that was grateful by word “good” showed the pattern of beautiful snowflakes. So that proves that the water does have feelings and can respond to humans.

Later that afternoon, campers gathered around after dinner for the evening program. The evening program coordinators, Luba Douziech and Renca Dunn, organized this program for campers to play in! Campers were excited because Evening Program is one of their favorites! The Balloon Game was one of games campers played, it has many and many balloons and inside there are some notes, some without notes. Campers must follow the rules of this games and act out what the notes said. They had a blast! This game is similar to the musical chair game.

During the fireside, Clint has wrapped up day and night by telling his stories of his life. Campers were amazed by his words. It was short after all, but Clint was more than happy to answer all of the campers’ questions that campers wanted to know. He closed the night by doing the usual YLC Good Night tradition. Campers were tired and went to their cabins for a good night's sleep.

Clint Woosley's workshop about Wilderness Philosophy.

While Isabella Natalie is multitasking, she is fascinated by Clint's workshop.

Before the Balloon game, campers listen as Luba Douziech gives instructions.

Christine Gerard, Gabriel Carino, and Nicole Strom laugh as they play the Balloon game.

Angel Ortiz tries to act out for 30 seconds during the Balloon game.

Ricardo Smolik is acting out as a rockstar - go go Ricardo!

Kaytlyn Johnson laughs as everyone cheers on.

Raquel Grindstaff laughs as she tries to act out.

During our fireside chat, Clint Woosley shares his life stories.

Clint answers one of the campers' questions.

iDeaf News Visits YLC

2010-08-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Please check an amazing video produced by iDeaf News, http://vimeo.com/13944309. A virtual tour of NAD Youth Leadership Camp!

Debate Time and Outdoor Games

2010-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

On our seventh day, we had a Camp Council, and Brandon Alberti and Camilla Crump were elected to be the camp Pageant Directors. Brandon and Camilla asked some of the campers to sign up as a pair to become the Masters of Ceremonies (MC). They also asked the campers to sign up to complete in the Pageant as partners. Brandon and Camilla had received many sign ups for the pageant which brought them more excitement. We also voted Cindy Siebert and Justin Bergeron as the Co-Chairpersons of ASL Night.

As the day went on, we went to Debate Time. There were four groups ( A, B, C, and D) at the Debate Time area, debating about Private Schools, Public Schools, Residential Schools, and Home schooling. Each group had an opening statement, opinions, rebuttal and closing comments to discuss the issues of their subject. We had break time and during our break time each team showed their team spirits by cheering aloud. Whoever had the loudest team of all won the bonus point.

When our heads were buried in Vlog and Blog class, we learned how to set up a place for vlogs and how to edit vlogs to make them good short movies. While all campers in class are working on the vlog, three team D campers got glued on keyboard with their hands and learn some different techniques of making a blog and those three campers ended up with close to perfect blog.

After we got tired of being stuck on the keyboard and video camera, we got an hour and half break until dinner so we decided to spread out and some girls went to take shower while all other boys dashed to open grassy field back of Leadership Hall. They started playing a game called, “Steal the Bacon” in which the boys were divided into two different teams and assigned different numbers. When a staff called out the numbers matching the numbers that boys had, boys who had the number called were challenged to capture the ball in the middle of field and dash back to their own finish line. We played for a whole hour and half! Some of us were worn out and not able to run quickly anymore. By that time dinner awaited us.

After we gained 10 pounds from eating delicious spaghetti with meat, vegetables and tomato sauce, the evening program started. We got a mystery presenter who is from Poland and his name is Johsua Weinstock. We got some laughs from him because his signing was different and funny. But then, wait an minute, he is not even from Poland, he is one of our staff. We all felt foolish for believing the staff for saying that there was a person that came from Poland. He explained to us a fun game called, “Polish Kickball.” We, campers, got very excited to play the game. We started off teaming up with team C. There was a funny part when Kylei Brooks tried to catch the ball but failed and then Alanna Laughrey ran to catch it and made it. Thanks to them for saving the ball that gave us something to laugh about. After the first game, we won together and got 25 points while the other team A and team B got 24. It was really a close game. After we all switched to play a different game, Team D got to be with Team B while the rest of us got teamed up together. We played for long time until James Wilson who had caught the ball and when the second kicker had kicked it out top the field, we all wanted to get it and again James missed it, then Travis Waala caught it and flipped into the grass, which was so hilarious. It was amazing that we won again 24 to 15, we cheered and won first place.

It started getting dark so we decided to go in Leadership Hall to have our delicious vanilla ice cream! We loved the cold thick vanilla and the taste of frozen silver spoon. Soon, Group A were called to attempt to start the fire in Fireside for our special guest. Unfortunately, the Group A were given three matches and failed three times. We had no fire for the night and it was the fourth night in a row with no fire. We were sad that we could not get the bugs out of our way because the fire was not there to protect us from those nasty bugs.

Later that night, all of the campers and the staff sat by Fireside. At the Fireside, there were two presenters Maurice Abenchuchan Jr. and Joshua Weinstock. Maurice Abenchuchan Jr, told the campers about his experience growing up. When he was little he said there was a protest at Florida School for the Deaf. Deaf people tried to protest to keep their school open. His parents, friends, and other people were at the protest. A lot of people had signs at the protest and gave some signs to children. They walked around smiling and laughing, they did not understand what the protest was all about because they were too young to understand things. Maurice’s parents and the other young children's parents fought for their deaf child’s rights to keep their school going and won! While Maurice went to a mainstream school, he had an interpreter and he felt embarrassed. He went home and told his parents to get him another interpreter because how humiliating he felt at school. As soon he got another interpreter he was not satisfied with the interpreter he had, so he continued to get another interpreter. His parents wanted to send him to a residential school with all of the other deaf students. But the state did not allow him to go to a residential school. His mother fought for his rights to get him into a residential school. Finally, he got into Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, he met other students and had the opportunity to socialize more with them. Many students asked him questions about the protest that has happened several times.

The second presenter, Joshua Weinstock, told the campers about his experience as he was growing up in school. When he was in school, he said he was one of the best writers in his class but he admits he disliked writing. When growing up, he told the campers writing is important because it helps you read better and there’s more chance that people can get into college or get a job. He asked many campers if they disliked writing, many of them raised their hands. He went to Deaflympics in Taipei, and said it was one of his best experiences. There, he learned a lot about writing skills and explained why it is important. He gave the campers his best advice: Never give up anything that you are good at because it can apply for your future experience.

When he went to Youth Leadership Camp in 2004, he learned a lot about life and how important it is growing up as a teenager entering adulthood. Before going to YLC, he did not care much about nature, school work, and the environment. While he was here he realized how much it meant to be at Youth Leadership Camp.

After a crazy and busy day at YLC, we went over to Leadership Hall to finalize everything up after Fireside’s presentation presented by Maurice Abenchuchan Jr. and Joshua Wienstock. Before we went back to our cabins, we gathered and did our tradtional 'YLC 2010, Good Night!'

Brandon Alberti, Brandon Washburn, and Lily Horta listen as Jamie Utzman shares her group's point of view during Debate Time.

Angel Ortiz, Kylei Brooks, Alanna Laughrey, and Jenna Smith are thinking and developing rational ideas.
Iris Wigley shares her group's point of view as two staff members, Mark Ramirez and Bregitt Jimenez, watch.
Keaunna Bolden and Tory Sampson are glued to the computer as their Blog Advisor, Luba Douziech, watch.
During recreation time, Angel Ortiz attempts to go after Justin Bergeron during the 'Steal the Bacon' game.
Campers are anxious to run and steal the bacon as two staff members, Mark Ramirez and Maurice Abenchuchan Jr., observe.
Nicole Strom's smile is contagious!
The energy is high - campers play Polish Kickball.
Campers cheer as Bree Crayton runs during Polish Kickball.
Campers share their positive energy!
During the Fireside chat, Maurice Abenchuchan Jr. shares his experience as a child at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.Campers watch as Joshua Weinstock talks about his experience with writing.

Beach Day

2010-08-03T21:14:00.002-07:00

The day dawned with excitement swirling in the air.

The campers glanced at each other, knowing what would happen. Some conversations included words like waves, sun, water, sand, rocks, and boats. The campers rushed through breakfast, wanting to get to the beach as soon as possible. The campers flocked to the fireside and kept a lookout for the yellow school buses scheduled to rumble up the gravel road towards us. After roll call by the staff, the buses were loaded and we were off!

As we left Camp Taloali and embarked onto the highway, the isolated campers finally saw signs of civilization, such as houses, cars, and stores. Campers started playing games such as Captain Ship, the Hat Game, Black Magic, and luckily, Mary Beth ‘Mabe’ Baierl brought a game, called ‘Skipbo’ and other card games; the buses were loud with excited campers yelling and hooting.

After two painstaking hours of bus riding, the campers and staff finally arrived at Newport Coast, where campers grouped up then set out to explore the coastal town. Some of them went to look at sea lions, some of them went to look for something to eat for lunch, and some went for a walk and many went shopping. But that wasn’t what we were really waiting for! After approximately two hours, the campers met up again, ready for the BEACH!

Again, after another roll call by the staff, the buses were alight with the chattering, screaming, and nervous faces trying to get a peek at the next destination of the day. As we entered Newport Beach State Park, all the campers faced towards the coast, straining to see the endless Pacific Ocean, but that was not possible. A grassy, sandy hill rose, blocking our view of the ocean. The campers and staff labored up the hill of loose sand, and several campers marveled at the sand. “The sand was the best thing to touch!” Camper Amy Hesser said. Several campers and staff who arrived at the top first gasped.

Thighs burning, the travel-weary campers and staff ran down the hill, screaming and laughing. They had overcome several obstacles - the long ride, the anxiety leading up to the moment, and the hill - and it was definitely worth the wait.

The ocean was shimmering, but to our disappointment, the weather wasn’t very good, it wasn’t sunny as we visualized. But some campers, such as James Wilson, remained optimistic and said, “the beach was an enchanting place!”

As everyone ran to the shore of the Pacific ocean, many of the campers shed their clothes! Some eased themselves into the glacial waters, but most simply plunged themselves into the salty ocean and splashed about as if it were a hot day! The campers who stayed dry called the crazy swimmers the “Polar Bears of YLC ’10!”

After all the fun, the evening program coordinators, Renca Dunn, Luba Douziech, and Mark Ramirez announced that all of us have to do our group skits. After several impressive skits, the results were - Group A, B, and C got the cruel thumbs down, while Group D got the modification sideways thumb. Group D was both joyful in that they didn’t have to create a whole new profile, but disappointed because they thought that their performance should have earned the thumbs up.

Next up was the sandcastle competition. The groups dispersed to create a sandcastle that represented who they are. But as the groups started forming the base for their castle, the staff called the campers to pose for the traditional ‘YLC’ picture. The groups were frustrated but trudged up near the hill. The campers arranged into the letters, and the finicky staffers took forever to adjust the angle of the ‘Y’, the straightness of the ‘L’, and the curve of the ‘C.’ Finally, the picture was taken to our relief!

The campers ran back to our sandcastles and toiled on the sandcastle so hard that we even sweated in the cold weather! Finally, time was up. All the groups took pictures with their mighty sandcastles. We’re looking forward to tonight to find out which one of the groups is the winner. The campers then spread out to have a conversation with friends, or take pictures together, or play games.

After an hour, dinner was served, and all campers ran to line up for the deliciously grilled kabobs and vegetables, and watermelon slices. Some campers sat on the floor, some sat near the fireplace, and some sat on wooden picnic tables. For dessert we were surprised to get rice krispie treats!

The lucky birthday girl of the day was Bree Clayton, and we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her! All of the campers were visibly satisfied with smiles and full bellies. After dinner, Staff Joshua Weinstock announced the policy of ‘LNT,’ and after several guesses to what it meant, he told us it meant ‘Leave No Trace’ so the campers then proceeded to clean up. After the park was cleared up, the shivering campers ran up to the bus, the source of warmth, where they would chatter quietly and nod off to sleep. The environment in the bus was very tranquil and the feeling of satisfaction was in the air.

After we arrived at the familiar Camp Taloali, many campers were either falling asleep or very energetic despite the spent energy at the beach. We resumed our ‘YLC 2010 Good Night’ tradition and the day ended with marvelous memories.

Campers are clustered around the buses, ready to go!
The cute sea lions that were resting by the Newport pier.
Eating at the locally famous Mo's!
Dan Brubaker decided to join us on our field trip!
Campers of YLC 2010 at the beach!
Some of the Polar Bears wanted to immortalize their sheer bravery with a picture!
Most of the Polar Bears of YLC '10!
Each team took turns enacting group name skits!
Skye Dreumont, Bradley Chappell, Kylei Brooks and Nicole Strom for Group B.
Group D presenting their fortress of a sandcastle!
Group C standing by their sprawling sandcastle.
Group B reveals their creativity with their sandcastle.
Group A proudly showing off their sandcastle!
The wonderful, spicy staff of YLC 2010!
Campers of 2010 doing the traditional YLC pose!

Camp Council and Fireside Gathering

2010-08-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

After all the campers were done eating breakfast, many of us campers were very excited to start Camp Council. A lot of campers were motivated to participate and make the best out of our experience at YLC. A lot of campers stood up and nominated a few campers for presidency. There were a lot of good presentations. We had a hard time deciding who would be camp president for YLC for the rest of the month. We decided to vote for Jimmy Wilson from Arizona School for the Deaf, because he had a lot of experience with JrNAD, also knew the basics of parliamentary procedures, and he had a good vision for YLC and the NAD. After Jimmy was selected, we went through nominations for the vice presidency and the result is Bradley Chappell from Kentucky School for the Deaf. Most campers are excited to have him as a vice president because he showed good spirit as well as another great vision for YLC. Nikki Gleicher from Maryland School for the Deaf is our new secretary.

On this hot day a lot of campers felt so hot, so many went to swim in the pool to cool off. Girls were excited it was their turn to take a shower. Some campers did not go swimming so they chatted until dinner time. After dinner time we did not expect to do the group name skits and we all had only 15 minutes to discuss the group name, motto, sign name and plan the skit. We all got “thumbs down” from the staff for the group name, motto, sign name, and skit. We have to continue thinking of new ideas!

After relaxing for a while and playing a game of charades, it was finally time for our nightly fireside gathering. But to our dismay, the group responsible for starting the fire used up their three matches allowed for that night. Reluctantly, we sat with our groups around a fake fire made of wood and red paint. Without the warm flames to keep the irksome bugs at bay, we had to deal with them dive-bombing into our faces, creeping all over our skin and biting while we patiently watched a staff member, Rupert Dubler, recount to us his fascinating life experiences: his travels to China, his experience in hiking through Alaskan bear country, and of biking nearly 600 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He related the idea of fear to all of these experiences and mentioned their role in them; saying that if he had not overcome his fears, he would not have all these life lessons that made him whole.

Hungry for more stories, we welcomed Shira Grabelsky to the stage to discuss her passion for drama. She related to us her successes in the area such as being chosen for an important role as Helen Keller in a play. She told us how she came off track for her focus on drama but still held on for passion’s sake to this day. That night, we went to bed smiling, with a new resolve to overcome whatever fears we had and to never give up our passion for whatever it is we love to do.

The boys of cabin M are cleaning up before inspection.
See how Jonathan Ruiz is rapt with attention?
Newly minted NAD YLC President Jimmy Wilson leading his first Camp Council meeting, with staff Joshua Weinstock giving a helping hand.
Group C acting out a skit in hopes of getting a thumbs up!
Justin Bergeron hoping his trusty sweater will give him magical skills onstage!
Group A in the middle of their skit as Cindy Siebert says "Grab every opportunity!"
Matching geek girls: Raquel Grindstaff and Sara Selzer both break out their Spongebob t-shirts
Group D in the middle of an emotional guessing during Charades for Evening Program
Brandon Washburn trying to clearly explain what he was assigned to earn group C some points!
"Oh, why didn't I think about acting that way?" Charades can be maddening!
Staff Mark Ramirez and the wooden "fail fire" dampens the environment for fireside. The campers have a challenge: only three chances to light a fire!
Staff Rupert Dubler in the middle of giving his fireside story.
Rupert was followed by Staff Shira Grabelsky who also gave an excellent fireside story!

8 Parables of Leadership/YLC Treasure Hunt

2010-07-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

The second guest speaker to visit us was Dan Brubaker! He has a lot of experience with giving workshops, and is at YLC for the 18th time! Dan’s workshop was about the eight Parables of Leadership. There was one part, “U1, M2” which explained to us that other people should come first and the leader second. There were more topics he discussed, like, “Wizard of Oz,” “Smart Fool,” and so on, which means there is more for you to find out! Dan gave out many examples of leadership, using both deaf and hearing people, and liked to use stories with morals, such as “nail in the wood.” There was a boy who was living on a farm and because he got angry many times every day, he went to his father for some advice. His father replied that he could hammer a nail on a board of wood each time he got angry. So, every day there were a few new nails hammered into the same piece of wood. One day, the board of wood was plugged all over with nails, so his father went over and told his son to get the nails out of the wood. The father showed the piece of wood to his son. The father explained about the holes in the wood left by the nails and explained about how it could cause scars in everyone’s hearts and minds each time the son got angry and hurt others. The boy learned a big lesson about how angry words can leave invisible scars.

For the evening program, we played a game called “Treasure Hunt” and teams were split up in order to solve clues and solve the puzzle! All four groups were required to hold hands at all times, so it was funny to see each other running everywhere, holding hands the entire time, trying to find the gold before everyone else! Finally, Team D arrived at the Leadership Hall and received their “Gold!” The gold was actually our camp t-shirts and we were thrilled to get them.

Happy Birthday to Alanna Laughrey and Brandon Alberti! Alanna just turned 16 and Brandon just turned 18. Our amazing chefs baked 2 deliciously BIG cakes—lemon/blackberry and smore-flavored-- for the special campers, and everyone was stuffed by the end of dessert time!

Then at the Fireside, we got a chance to learn something about Dan Brubaker’s life: he’s been to 62 different countries and went on a long bike journey! He biked across America with a friend, and it took them 2 ½ months to finish 4,200 miles. He told us of many funny stories that happened during that trip, and throughout his presentation he kept saying inspirational things like “Follow your instincts” and “do it!” We went to bed with dreams of doing the impossible.

Dan Brubaker and his 8 parables.

Group B at their Outdoor Living Skills class, learning how to make a proper campfire.

Teammates Travis Waala and Keaunna Bolden are thinking hard of group name ideas!

Claire Tucker has regressed into infanthood, apparently, and is depending on her group for food.

Christine Gerard is leading her group's Vlog brainstorming session.

Thinaja Nadarajah is consulting with staff Luba Douziech in the Leadership Hall.

Jose Castillo, Denisse Robles, Jamie Utzman and Bridget Glynn are brainstorming for their group's Vlog.

Group C playing the treasure hunt game!

Group B members are figuring out their most recent clue.

Group A is working hard to find that gold!

Group D is inching closer to that X'ed spot!

Iris Wigley is suggesting that everyone use hand sanitizer!

Group D is thinking with many heads, not one!

Happy campers with their shirts of gold!

Brandon Alberti and Alanna Laughrey blowing out the candles atop their delicious birthday cakes!

Dan Brubaker telling stories of his adventures by the fireside.

Day Filled with Action, Classes, and Debates

2010-07-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

Today, the campers exercised early in the morning and though we were tired, we acted tough and went through it. We were taught that exercise is important because it is beneficial, in that it boosts our energy and helps us stay in shape.

During Snack time, all the campers went to the canteen to get their own snacks or buy snacks, and chatted and laughed for a while. Jesse Jones informed us that we would need to set up a name for our individual groups, then we discussed almost all day to find the best name that would fit our group theme and spirit, and to find a purpose for the name and name sign. Each group did great because they put a lot of effort into creating their own name and improved their respective communication systems. An idea for more effective communication was to have a numeric system of taking turns when raising hands so that everyone can participate. That’s what teamwork looks like, sharing ideas and keeping discussions open. We all put a lot of effort into working together and listening to each other's ideas, and it was a good start for us.

At Debate time, staff members Mark Ramirez and Bregitt Jimenez explained what debate time means and led us through the process. A formal debate means there is a open but strict discussion with ideas, opinions, and rebuttals. Today we talked about the animal groups Dog, Cat, Bird, and Hamster. The dog group is A Group. The cat is D Group. The bird is B group. The hamster is C group.

At the evening program, the camp staff explained to us about the mix and match game, which grabbed our attention. Luba Douziech and Mark gave an example of a certain funny pose that all campers must copy. Bregitt divided the campers into 2 groups, then she assigned a number to each person in the first group, and then Maurice Abenchuchan Jr. did the same thing for the second group. We had to find the other matching number then quickly do the pose that Luba and Mark did. It was a blast and we all enjoyed the game.

At the fireside, Mark Ramirez and Bregitt Jimenez talked about how they helped other people. Bregitt joined Global Reach Out, to help other countries improve their educational system and produce better leaders. She went to the Honduras and their definition of leadership is one person runs and does everything. So she and a few people showed them various ways to express leadership and promote it. Mark joined a group called Global Deaf Connection, he went to a Kenya Deaf school and taught subjects like math, English, science. He was very sad to see that their teacher would beat the children with sticks and that would knock them to the ground. His favorite question from one of the kids was “can I go to America with you? “ After their speeches, the campers felt inspired into doing that one day.

Some of the favorite quotes at Fireside.

“There’s no point to have a life unless you live in it.”

-Bregitt Jimenez

“Add life to your years, not years to your life”

-Mark Ramirez

Christine Gerard asked the five campers, what’s your favorite quote of the day?

“Leadership never ends”

-Tyler Hetu

“Live blonde or die trying”

-Montana Murphy

“Beauty is skin deep”

-Sara Selzer

“It is what it is. I am who I am.

-Ryan Poindexter

“It’s better to try than never even try at all”

-Iris Wigley

Campers decorate the side of fireside, YLC '10!

Staff Group Advisor Andrew Bottoms leads group A's morning check-in discussion.

Jenna Smith and Kylei Brooks both have different reactions on what is being discussed.

James "Jimmy" Wilson is trying to point out the importance of the letter "Y"

Camp Council Advisers Joshua Weinstock and Bregitt Jimenez give a workshop on Parliamentary Procedure to the campers.

Brandon Alberti closes his eyes, trusting his group mates in the trust circle discovery activity.

Kaitlin Newhard working on an article for the Daily Drum with Hillary Peters.

All eyes are on Angel Ortiz as he gives his argument for Debate Time.

Members of group C debating on what argument to present.

Campers listening intently to the endless debating!

A candid shot of the entire Debate Time setting!

Chelsea Morris and Joshua Weinstock sharing a laugh together as they play the "Mix & Match" game

Group D is in the middle of a group skit in where campers goes through a haunted forest!

Group B performing their group skit, apparently too much talking is going on at once! They have a lot to learn about on-stage etiquette!

First Day of the Camp

2010-07-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

In the first morning, it was so cold, and we were wondering what the day would be like. All campers were really tired, but we exercised with two of the staff members guiding us. After that, campers felt pumped and ready for the day. The breakfast was delicious: we ate bagels, oatmeal and bananas. First, the campers went to sit by the Fireside, and watched our staff’s play, called SPICES. So now we know that the staff’s group name is SPICES. S stands for strength, P stands for persistence, I stands for integrity, C stands for curiosity, E stands for empathy, and S stands for spark. This will help us for the rest of month because all of those words make us grow and be better leaders and build confidence. This means we will help and spread the importance of leadership among deaf people in the world.

Campers went to the basketball court to play the game called Dragon Tail. We loved playing this game and, hopefully, we will do that again. We ate grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. After lunch, we played a game where we had to remember other campers' names. One guest, Maureen Behrens, “Mo,” came from the state of Washington to explain about bullying. We learned that bullying could start in pre-school and during middle school. Then, Mo put us through a game where we had to act as if we were either one of the three: popular/snob, neutral, and friendliness. The staff gave each of us a card which we cannot look at, while other people can see each other’s card. The A-10 cards means act popular/snobby, 9-6 means stay neutral, and 5-2 means we have no friends. So all campers walked around and had to look their cards and act different related to the cards held by each person. It taught us how to see things in perspective.

When that was finished, we made a sign that says “This is a bully free zone” and all campers signed their names as a promise that we will not bully. For dinner, we ate white rice with delicious chicken which looks like it’s from Thailand or China (it’s Tandoori). Later, after dinner each of us got a stick with names on it, we could not look at it until the staff told us to, and then we had to find the person whose name was on the stick - there were four different colors on it, and then we found out who our team will be for the rest of month! After that, each team had to play the bed sheet name game, which means there has to be one person on each side of the blanket, and when the blanket goes down, we have to say each person’s name fast. Later we all played game called “I said go." Staff members played with campers, the game was very fun and we had to scream when our “B-shaped” hands pointed at each other. We had lot of laughs and some of campers got headaches and sore jaws from shouting. After that we ate ice cream, yummy! We had our first Fireside and a nice bonfire. During our Fireside chat, Mo explained her personal life, and how she adopted her daughter from India. We all met her daughter, and she’s adorable! Later during the night, there was a cabin that got infested with termites so the girls who slept at Cabin T had to sleep in the Leadership Hall. The girls were so scared from bugs. We’re so exhausted from a long day and we are excited for a new day tomorrow.

23...24...25... to get the blood racing so early in the morning, do jumping jacks like the campers!

Nia Lazarus quickly says Skye Dreumont's name in the bed-sheet name game

As soon as the sheet drops, the camper on the far side, Ricardo Smolik has to correctly name who is sitting on the other side - Jonathan Ruiz!

Angel Ortiz poses for the camera with his million-dollar smile as the campers mingle during a break

Campers listening to instructions on how to play the "I Said Go" game.

Kaitlin Newhard performs the "Said" portion of the "I Said Go" game as Denisse Robles tries to contain her laughter

By saying "Go" Trey Gordon points to the next person to continue the game inside the circle

"I Said Go" provided plenty of laughter for the participants, especially Brianna Crayton

A moment of laughter from Amy Hesser and Gabriel Carino is captured

Guest speaker Maureen Behrens shares her fireside speech to the campers and staff as the fire roars

The Day is Finally Here!

2010-07-28T01:53:00.000-07:00

The night before Youth Leadership Camp, some of us campers did not have a good sleep as we were getting antsy about YLC. Even though some of us didn’t sleep well, we still were so excited and curious to find out what YLC had in store for us. On the way to the camp, we each were trying to visualize many things like what the campground looks like and what would happen. One thing we all knew was that YLC would be a rich experience and that we all would have a blast while being in YLC for a month! When we arrived at the Portland airport, we finally encountered the kids and staff that we will be living with for a month! When we got on the bus, we travelled from Portland to Stayton for approximately an hour and 15 minutes. While on the bus, we were chatting and making new friends. When we got off the bus, we finally saw the campground. The camp ground is in the middle of the woods, it has cabins, a leadership hall, a basketball court, a swimming pool, and etc. We were bewildered that the campground wasn’t what we expected but we were very happy to be here. We met more staffs and more kids. We all gathered to listen to YLC’s rules and expectations. When the lecture was finished, we chatted for a few minutes--it was hard to believe that we actually are at YLC! We were so worn out and tired. We were so ready to say good night to YLC and we got in our beds and had a long good sleep.

Eager beaver campers!

Camilla Crump is ready to check out the cabin and claim her bunk!

Dolan Edney is meeting his new YLC mates after months of anticipation.

Campers interacting outside of the Leadership Hall while getting checked in....

Tory Sampson is about to get her first taste of camp grub!

Keaunna Bolden and Shanice White know not to talk with their mouths full!

Campers doing the famous YLC chant for the first time!

Jesse Jones III, The Camp Coordinator outlining Camp Policies for the campers.

Travis Clevenger, Camp Director and campers watch as Allie Rice, the Coordinator of the NAD Youth Program and Jesse Jones III introduce themselves.

Greetings from 2010 YLC Staff

2010-07-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2010 National Association of the Deaf Youth Leadership Camp (NAD YLC) session! We, the staff team, have been hard at work, planning and preparing for a productive month, and we are thrilled that the campers have arrived and that the fun can finally begin!
One of the many YLC traditions is to come up with a team name that will reflect the goals and energy of each group, and for the rest of the session, our staff team is called SPICES. If you're wondering why on Earth we would name ourselves after culinary additives, think of how spices add zest and flavor to each special dish! So, accordingly, our motto is "Spices: ingredients of life."
The acronym SPICES really stands for:
Strength
Persistence
Integrity
Curiosity
Empathy
and that Spark we all need!
One of our many goals is to build Strength in our future leaders, so that they can readily tackle tough tasks and strive to overcome a variety of challenges. The steely determination of Persistence will enable, for all who adhere to it, the ability to succeed; even when encumbered by any kind of hardship, never give up. The virtue of Integrity is a notable characteristic of every admirable leader in the history of humankind, and every single person benefits from its merits. Curiosity is a quirky attribute that we believe each person should retain throughout life, because it requires an absorbent brain and an open mind, and that will help leaders accumulate knowledge and learn from experience. Understanding another being's emotions and feelings through Empathy is yet another critical trait we believe all persons should have. And lastly, to combine all of these characteristics, a Spark will ignite that fire smoldering inside each of our special campers, and propel them into doing those great things we know our campers are capable of achieving!
Members of the SPICES team bring in their own unique spice to the mix, be it their range of experiences, personalities, and ambitions. We come from various parts of the country and we have converged to bring to YLC the ingredients of life. Here we are!

Allie Rice- Coordinator of Youth Programs

Travis Clevenger- Camp Director

Jesse Jones III- Camper Coordinator

Shira Grabelsky- Staff Coordinator

Joshua Beckman- Business Manager

Michelle Young- Nurse

Clint Woosley- Chef

Shay Bertling- Assistant Chef/Lifeguard

Sheila De La O- Assistant Chef

Maurice Abenchuchan Jr.- Camp Counselor

Andrew Bottoms- Camp Counselor

Larissa Clapp- Camp Counselor

Mary Beth Baierl- Camp Counselor

Samantha Bulewich- Camp Counselor

Luba Douziech- Camp Counselor

Jesse Dubler- Camp Counselor

Renca Dunn- Camp Counselor

Bregitt Jimenez- Camp Counselor

Mark Ramirez- Camp Counselor

Joshua Weinstock- Camp Counselor