Here we are at the end of our first full day! After parents left yesterday, delegates got a tour of the campus and played ice-breaking games with their teams.  Then they had their first workshop, “What Is Leadership?” where they explored what leadership is and how it applies to them. They also identified leaders in their lives and discussed characteristics of good leadership.

After dinner in the dining hall, delegates were treated to a decades-old MLW tradition called Visions, a candle-light ceremony held outdoors after dark. Delegates sat in silence while staff members, one at a time, recited a poem or song lyrics that has meaning to them personally. This provided delegates an opportunity to learn a little more about their staffers, and it was a nice way to settle down after a very active day.

This morning after breakfast, delegates enjoyed their very first Morning Sing of the week with an old favorite, Baby Shark! The purpose of Morning Sing is to get delegates energized and excited first thing in the morning before we start our formal activities of the day.

Today was the beginning of Workshops Round One:

  • Self Awareness: Delegates explore how their upbringing and environment have contributed to what they believe and value in the world.

  • Basics of Communication: Delegate gain an appreciation and experience with different contexts and forms of communication to maximize the effect and appeal of their message.

  • SMART Decisions: Delegates create SMART goals that help to maximize their efforts towards goals, big and small.  They also discussed how values influence the decisions we all make daily and over the years.

After lunch, delegates met with their Regions for the first time. They were introduced to all the delegates at the camp from their county/region. They played get-to-know games to begin with then shared what they considered various strengths of their county or region. This committee will, by the end of the week, identify issues that impact their region and work towards creating solutions.

Delegates then spent time with their teams working on their REALITY project. Each group has a different project to work on either in partnership with a non profit or advocating for a cause.

Prior to dinner, we held our first seminar called Finding Your “Hype.”  In this seminar, delegates were encouraged to think about what is important to them, what energizes them, and how to put that energy into their own communities for the better.

After dinner, delegates got to blow of steam at our Monday Night Activity where they played fun games  – Steal the Bacon, Lava, and an MLW favorite – SPOONS! Staff took this time to observe how delegates work, play, and solve problems together.

Next was what typically turns out to be everyone’s favorite activity every day – Tuning –  where delegates worked in small groups with out staff to set their S.M.A.R.T. goals for the week, leading to the creation of stretch goals for when they get home.

One last group meeting of get-to-know games rounded out the evening. More tomorrow!