Welcome to the July 2005 edition of Camp Fire USA's Youth Connection! This newsletter is brought to you by members of the National Youth Advisory Cabinet (YAC) and other youth around the country.

We welcome any feedback or thoughts you have about the newsletter because, after all, it is created for youth by youth, and we want it to be as useful as possible. If you would like to share feedback or ideas, please contact Youth Connection.

It's That Time of Year, Again—YAC Applications Are Due!
Now is the time to put the finishing touches on your application to be a part of next year's national Youth Advisory Cabinet.

If you haven't started, don't worry; you can download a PDF of the application.

If you have started your application, make sure that you submit it (and letters of recommendation) by August 19, 2005.

Good luck to all!

Summer is a Time for Camping!
Summer is the season of camping, and we all know that some of the best stories in the world can come from Camp Fire USA camps—resident camp, day camp, overnights—any time one spends at camp yields memories that will never be forgotten.

Stories involving Rice Krispie® treat sculptures, camp songs till dawn, your favorite counselor, the awf—I mean awesome—food, learning how to tip over a canoe…and doing it exactly eight more times to be sure you've got it down…, can stick with you forever.

If you would like to share any of your great camp stories with other Youth Connection readers, we'd love to include them in future issues. Just e-mail your tales to yac@campfireusa.org, and we'll do our best to include them in upcoming issues.

National Youth Advisory Cabinet Update
The members of National YAC met in Kansas City, Mo., June 24-26, to not only discuss the upcoming National Leadership Conference in October 2005, and the National Youth Leadership Forum in summer 2006, but also to discuss how to better serve the youth of Camp Fire USA. We want to give youth more say in the programs we help run, and that's why we'll begin to put a few new ideas into motion over the next several months.

First, we want YOUR help in planning Forum 2006! We'll ask youth that attend the National Leadership Conference to sign up for committees that will assist in planning speakers, the service project and other important parts of Forum to be planned by youth, for youth.

Second, we want to make the national teen Web site a more accessible forum for the youth of Camp Fire USA. This means much of the content will be supplied by youth. So, right now, we're working on creating online forms for youth to tell us about the things they've been doing in their councils: service projects, fundraising ideas, etc. Also, we'd like your overall input about the teen Web site: what do YOU want?

As members of the National Youth Advisory Cabinet, it is our job to make sure this organization knows the wants and needs of its members. Therefore, please e-mail us at yac@campfireusa.org with any questions, concerns, ideas, problems, issues…anything. We'd love to hear from you!

National Leadership Conference Update
This year's National Leadership Conference (NLC) will be held in Kansas City, Mo., from the evening of Thursday, October 27 until Sunday afternoon, October 30. This is to be a combined event for both youth and adults, although separate training tracks will be held on Friday.

The conference will commence Thursday evening at the opening session with addresses from the National CEO, Stewart Smith; National Board President, Jim DiVirgilio; and NFL superstar and youth leader, Haven Moses. On Friday, youth will spend the day choosing the national youth campaign issue for the next two years and discussing networking, forming local Youth Advisory Cabinets and other issues of interest to Camp Fire USA youth.

This year's choices for the national youth campaign issue are Health and Wellness, Abuse and Literacy. Members of National YAC will present background information on each topic before the youth vote to choose the national youth campaign issue for 2005-2007 and the focus of Forum 2006. (See the second issue of Conference News for more information.)

There are also plans in the works for an exciting service project Friday night, to be followed by a busy Saturday workshop set up by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a day that will focus on family strengthening. The biennial business meeting, also known as "Congress," will take place on Sunday morning. This is a time to talk about proposed resolutions, amendments, new officers and any other Camp Fire USA business.

We would love to see you at this year's NLC, so register online as soon as possible at Conference Central, or call your local council for more information.

Did You Know?
Did you know that at the biennial business meeting, also called "Congress," each council is entitled to have one youth vote on behalf of his or her home council?

Camp Fire USA's "Articles of Incorporation" states that councils may have one delegate per every thousand members served by their council PLUS one youth delegate. Therefore, it is to a council's advantage to bring along youth to the National Leadership Conference, not only because it connects the youth to other youth nationwide, or because the youth gain an important understanding of how Camp Fire works on a national scale, but also because it allows youth, the foundation of Camp Fire and the reason it exists, to have a say in the direction of Camp Fire USA as a national organization. The only clause is that the youth must be between the ages of 16 and 21 (must be born between January 1, 1985, and October 30, 1989).

Also, as a youth delegate, like any other delegate, you are allowed an alternate (who must also be a youth). However, councils cannot count this youth vote as a "proxy" vote if they do not choose to bring youth to the National Leadership Conference; that is all the more reason for you to contact your local council for more information about becoming your council's designated youth representative.

Delegates forms must be submitted to National Headquarters no later than August 5, 2005; so the sooner you talk to your council, the better.

National Youth Leadership Forum 2006
Start fundraising now, for we're beginning to plan the location and date of Forum 2006! If you have any ideas for the location of Forum, please let us know at yac@campfireusa.org. We love to hear your suggestions!

The WoHeLo Award—A New Way
This past May I received my WoHeLo Award at a ceremony held in the lodge of the camp in my council. Not only was I the first person in my council to receive the award using the Teens in Action guidelines, but arguably I was also the oldest person in my council to ever have received the award. Last week I turned 21 years old, which is the cut off for being considered a youth in Camp Fire USA programs, and this fall I will be a senior at the University of Washington.

Most youth complete their WoHeLo while in high school; many complete it their junior year before they send out their college applications. When I was in high school, I was actively involved with the Teens in Action (TIA) group in my council, but at that time the curriculum available was limited, and the WoHeLo Award earned through the TIA programs had not been widely adopted yet. It was not until after high school and my involvement with the National Youth Advisory Cabinet that I learned about this alternative opportunity to earn the award for someone who had not gone through a traditional Horizon program. While intrigued by the potential opportunity, I always came up with some excuse as to why I didn't have time to go through with it.

Then, about a year and a half ago I changed my mind. I realized I was running out of time and that there was no reason that someone who had been involved with Camp Fire USA for as long and as passionately as I had should not put in the effort to receive the award. My college applications were long turned in, and I knew that earning the award would bring a sense of personal achievement, but little in the way of recognition for colleges and scholarship. I was okay with this, knowing that if I did not put in the effort when I had the chance, I would forever regret it.

I encourage every youth in Camp Fire USA to consider going for the WoHeLo. If you are in a classic club program, Teens in Action, or some other program specific to your council, there is a way for you to receive yours as well. I won't deny that it was a lot of work and that it took a significant amount of time, but I will never regret making the decision to put in that time and effort. Even if you have already graduated from high school, it's not too late.

If you have questions about my personal projects or my experience with earning my WoHeLo post high school graduation, please e-mail me at yac@campfireusa.org, and I will help you in any way I can.

Kelly Ronan
National Youth Advisory Cabinet
Camp Fire USA Snohomish County Council, Everett, Wash.

Check back next month for the next issue of Camp Fire USA's Youth Connection. If you would like to receive subsequent issues by e-mail, please contact Youth Connection.