A Sweet Camp Experience Recipe

The stake has organized Young Women Camp this year to do all of our certification AT camp.  There will be no precertification required before arrival.  However, for your own ward’s sweet experience at camp, we recommend at least one mutual to be dedicated to the camp specialist and YCL’s meeting prior to camp.  At this meeting the following items should be discussed and decided upon:

1.     Final names of all girls attending in your cluster.  If you are combined with another ward or branch, all YCL’s and ward specialists should be somehow present at the meeting.  Whether by phone or in person.  All girls attending in a cluster should be documented and ensure paperwork has been gathered.

2.     Finalize and plan your sweet cluster name. This is the name we will refer to when listing your clusters at camp.  Decide if any additional flag or bandannas (not required) will be used to identify your campers with this name.  This will be a ward expense and is not calculated into the camp fund.  

3.     Plan your cluster’s skit that will be presented opening night at camp.  There will be some time allotted to practice your skit at camp once everyone arrives.  If you would like to practice with your ward before arriving, please feel free to do so.  The skit should be anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes.  The skit should appropriately introduce your cluster name and the fun personalities of your campers and leaders.  

4.     Plan your cluster activities for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  This time allotment is around an hour and a half.  During this time you can plan an activity with your secret cluster or do a fun service for them.   You can plan some fun games.  See pages 50-65 in your camp manuals for some great ideas.  You can also plan a sing along or camp fire activity.  This is time that your cluster gets to spend time together so come up with appropriate activities to help you bond and enjoy each other.  

5.     Assign which YCLs will lead the devotional each night.  See p 68 in the camp manual for ideas.  The YCL should come prepared with a short devotional (scripture, personal experience, reference to Christ’s life) that she can present to the Cluster.  If you have more then four YCLs you can assign two to work together.  Keep in mind the camp theme and daily themes.  They are: Monday – Sweet to be a Mormon, Tuesday – Know it, Wednesday – Live it, Thursday – Love it, and Friday –Share it.  Try to incorporate these into your devotionals.  

6.     We would love some great pictures of YCLs in camping clothes that fit the standards of the church.  Could you snap some pictures for us of these lovely girls in their camping clothes while at the meeting?  Make sure shoulders are covered and shorts come to the knee.  We are making an effort to eliminate "work out" shorts that are just a little too short and blousy so we could use some great representations of capris and knee length cutoffs.   Remember to remind the girls to come to the meeting ready to pose.  

7.     Decide if there is any additional things you would like to do in your cluster to help the girls draw closer to Heavenly Father, appreciate and feel reverence for nature, respect and protect the environment, serve others, build friendships, and enjoy camping and have fun.  

Once this meeting is held before June 1, we would like the notes of the meetings including all the names of the girls planning on attending camp in your cluster and the great camp clothes pictures.  Thank you for your dedication and preparation for Girl’s Camp 2013.