Maggie is the mother of one of members who participated the Mother’s Day event on May 11, 2019. She is the author of this post.
Alongside my sixth grade daughter, on the weekend of Mother’s Day, we participated in a multievent weekend camp organized by Link CC. It provided me with the opportunity to interact with Link CC 一 a very active youth organization in the Chinese community 一 and to also experience what the event is about.
Below is a brief introduction to the activities of the multievent weekend camp:
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Link CC team planning and operation, with the professional Pioneer Camp team participating in the implementation of those plans
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“Secondary School- University- Growth Trilogy”
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Two days and one night, May 11-12, 2019
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Daytime activities: horseback riding, archery, treasure hunting with maps, and rock climbing
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Evening Lectures: Parent Forum, Essential Financial Knowledge for Youth, Effective Communication and Time Management
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More than 70 middle school students from Edmonton, Calgary and surrounding cities and their parents
01 Carefully planned and organized
It could be seen that the Link CC team has made careful and thorough preparations for this event, from the early fundraising, camp selection, topic selection of lectures, group travel, coordination of volunteers, and accommodation arrangements to the clean up of lodges, returning to the city safely, and ensuring the safety of the children.
02 Teamwork and Leadership
An event is perfect with good planning, clear instructions, and cooperation.
The biggest highlight of this activity is that children worked together as a team, not only being highly cooperative in action but also taking the initiative to take responsibility.
As “old” members of the team, the accompanying parents are also very thoughtful. Just as they have discussed in advance, they withdraw from the child’s sight and give the initiative to the child, providing assistance and safety monitoring only when necessary.
When the parent backs off, the child naturally stands in front.
A few stories to mention:
A girl in high school accompanied and looked after the youngest girl in the team.
As soon as the lights were turned off, the girls who were laughing and joking before immediately became quiet and slept.
Before breakfast, the luggage had been packed neatly with mattresses moved to the attic. The ground had been cleaned up, the activity room was restored, and the toilet was cleaned.
We saw both independence and self-discipline in our children, as well as cooperation and shared responsibility.
03 Experience and Growth
The activities are a physical and mental experience for the children.
Two days and one night away from parents provides a space for children to manage themselves and grow.
The finance and time management courses created specifically for youth helped them to make personal plans in life.
Horse riding, archery, axe throwing, rock climbing, physical challenge, and self-challenge are the physical and mental experiences that have laid the foundation for children to grow.
Through interactions with outstanding peers and the power of role models, it stimulated the inherent motivation of growth.
04 Meeting the Mentor, Making Good Friends
Mentorship is another aspect of this event.
The speaker of the financial management lecture was very attentive. Although finance and budgeting is an abstract and boring concept, she was able to attract the attention of the youth by using images and jelly beans as learning tools. She guided the children step-by-step to complete their task of using a limited budget. This helped children separate between NEED and WANT.
The speaker for the time management lecture is a graduate of Waterloo Engineering and a senior MBA. As someone who has similar backgrounds, he has taught and shared successful learning and work techniques, combined with practical explanations, which practically guided students on how to manage time in the current multimedia and electronic social age. “Not for parents, Just for YOU “.
The young volunteers at the event presented to children who wished to join the volunteer team. Through the help of adult and youth volunteers in the event, people could truly get a sense of what it meant to help someone to the fullest.
This event served as a good way to make new friends. At the beginning of the event, there were several sixth-grade children who did not know each other. Even through the parents’ efforts, they were still unwilling to take the initiative to talk to each other. However, while participating in the events, several children would stick together automatically, like in the case of signing up to wash dishes after meals. It is more exciting to have good friends to participate in events together.
Children can have the opportunity to play in groups, whether they are volunteers or participate in activities. As parents, we are definitely at ease.
This event was also beneficial to the parents. The Parent Forum 一 which was specially prepared for parents 一 shared experiences opened the parents’ mind. This not only broadens the perspective of parents for further education but also expands understanding of future education. In addition, even the parents have become friends! Everyone added each other on WeChat. Parents have the opportunity to sit together offline, meet them,discuss education, and share experiences. This is great!
Thanks to the Link CC team, the event was very successful. Both the adults and children benefitted from this event and I look forward to seeing more creative activities organized by them in the future.
We are very fortunate to have such an active youth organization in our Chinese community.
TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
May this enthusiastic team continue to radiate positive energy to the world, influencing more like-minded young people to participate in giving back to the community and making a change.
As their vision says:
TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
