Sun, Sand, and Smores...

We're just a couple of weeks away from Campfire, our final trip of the summer. [Note: I am disappointed to be writing "final" and "summer" in the same sentence. I must make the most of the weeks I have left]. I look forward to this trip every year, since it's a chance to take our youth out of their usual setting, and to do something different with them. We also get to see youth that we see once a year at Campfire, and it is a great time to catch up with them.

Campfire is a pretty special setting, it's not really anything to do with the physical setting, but more with the environment and feel that the youth and leaders bring to it. For some kids, it's the rare chance to get out of Collingwood. For others, its reconnecting with friends they made at Campfire last year. Others are there for a completely new experience, meeting new people, trying new things, and experiencing the Youth For Christ family in action. Campfire is a crazy place, with people playing goofy improv games at the campfire, or plotting ways to prank their friends. It can also be a really meaningful time, where tent conversations or afternoons spend on the beach can lead to discussions that leave a profound impact on both youth and leaders alike. 

This year, we are excited for the youth that we have at Campfire. We are praying that sponsorships come through and that they follow through with their registrations. We know that God has got exciting things in store for the youth who are attending, especially as we enter into lots of discussions about life and Jesus. Campfire is a chance where we can just be together, enjoying nature and each other, and through that, God is present in a very real way.

Summer in the City... or town

So I'm in summer mode. I know exams don't start for another week, and that this weather is barely hitting the 20s, but June just kind of does that to me. I've already been to Canada's Wonderland, our golf tournament is this week, and then next week we go for a few days of holidays in Algonquin Park, so summer is here. 

This summer we've really made a point to be intentional with our schedule. Often many youth programs shut down for the summer, or at least pare back a little, but we take the opposite approach. The youth are out of school, and there are some who work and some who don't, so why not take advantage of the time that they have free? We talked about how that would look for us; last summer we were so ridiculously busy with camps, family weddings, and a mission trip that we barely had room to come up for air, and we didn't want to drop the ball on this year. 

We are excited to be able to be open five days a week from Tuesday-Saturday. Our drop-in will remain open most weekends (with the exception of holidays and Elvis fest), and we will offer programs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We've had lots of youth asking about DJ classes and jam sessions, so on Tuesdays from 12-3 we're opening "The Drop", which is a music and art program, it'll give the youth a chance to hone their craft, have some free healthy snacks, and our staff will be able to interact with them in a really meaningful way through it. Wednesdays we start early with The Breakfast Club, which is a free breakfast and a Bible study, and then we go somewhere to do something (ranging from the beach to the Science Centre to the bowling alley). Those days are super fun, and often we join in with our other youth centres on them. Thursdays are Sports at Sunset Point, where we go to play pickup sports and enjoy the weather (I'm stoked for endless hours of beach volleyball!). Then drop-in on Friday and Saturday rounds out the week. 

Summer is a sweet time for relationship building with the youth. Our times with the youth aren't so much programs in the sense that we have endlessly planned our time to the second, but more open environments where we have something to do, but where the focus is really on building relationships and memories with the youth. In August, we have Campfire, where we take the youth to Goderich. This is a highlight of everyone's summer, and we do crazy things together, and have amazing conversations about God and life. 

And at the end of the day, that's why I like summer so much. I am able to hang out with youth all the time, to live our lives together, to grow, to laugh, to hurt alongside one another. We do crazy things together, but it makes all of our lives interesting, and it definitely keeps us off the streets in the summer. So I know, I'm a week ahead of the "official" start of summer, but it my mind it's wll underway. 

Changes, ch-ch-changes

I read somewhere once that 75% of blogs started with, "it's been a while since I've posted...". And I think I've referenced this before, which is a whole new level of sad. But, the fact that I haven't posted in a month has been for good reason, and I'm excited to share it with you! 

This past weekend, our local churches hosted "We Love Collingwood Day", an opportunity to do community service projects throughout the town. The Door was one of the beneficiaries of this day, and we were really excited to have a team of carpenters join us, as well as offer a free BBQ for our youth. We were able to make some pretty significant changes to the centre, including the addition of two custom entertainment units to store and secure our gaming systems, and the installation of a stage. My last post on here was a pictoral tour of the youth centre, so please use that for comparison. Here is the new layout of our back half:

Our stage can function as a stage when we are DJing, or have a coffee house.

Here we are setting up for program, just a couple of hours after we set up the stage.

Then when we don't need the stage to be a stage, it is a functioning seating area.

And here's our entertainment unit, and we have another identical one. They're mobile and lockable, and hold stuff!

 We're really stoked about the potential that this brings us for future programs, and with our summer schedule being released soon, it comes just in time for movie nights and open mic events.


And a big THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU to Journey Church, Greg and his crew, and all who were involved in We Love Collingwood, you have helped us continue to grow in the programs we can offer, and our youth think that this is pretty much the coolest thing ever! We are glad to be a part of the community with you!