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:
- Link CC team planning and
operation, with the professional Pioneer Camp team participating in the
implementation of those plans
- “Secondary School-
University- Growth Trilogy”
- Two days and one night, May
11-12, 2019
- Daytime activities: horseback
riding, archery, treasure hunting with maps, and rock climbing
- Evening Lectures: Parent Forum,
Essential Financial Knowledge for Youth, Effective Communication and Time
Management
- 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.
