Youth learn leadership, make memories at REACH Camp

by bel Reyes, Community Schools Program Coordinator
UC Davis Center for Community School Partnerships

For the past two years, Sierra Health Foundation’s REACH program hosted a youth leadership camp for diverse teams of youth and adults, representing each of the seven REACH Community Action coalitions. Each year, the REACH campers anticipate the excitement of seeing friends from the previous year and the chance to make new ones. To add to the excitement, this year’s camp welcomed the Vacaville Youth Roundtable REACH Coalition and the Youth Development Community Action Coalition of Yuba-Sutter to their first ever “REACH US” Camp experience!

On July 27, as the first bus pulled up, the camp planning team could vaguely see the silhouettes of those inside through the tinted windows. Our enthusiasm jolted us onto the bus before a single camper could take their first step toward fun, challenging and memorable leadership experiences. The first bus carried teams from the Woodland Coalition for Youth, Sacramento ACT Meadowview Partnership, South Sacramento Coalition for Future Leaders, West Sacramento Youth Resource Coalition and Galt Area Youth Coalition, with the arrival of Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills soon after. As we greeted the first bus, we received text messages telling us the second bus had mechanical problems. Would the teams from the Cordova Community Collaborative, Vacaville Youth Roundtable REACH Coalition and the Youth Development Community Action Coalition of Yuba-Sutter ever arrive? After a few stops and the help of some camp planning team members, the bus and all those on board finally reached their long-awaited destination of Grizzly Creek Ranch in Plumas County. The mechanical difficulties became one of many unforgettable stories that youth would share from their five-day camp experience!

Youth were enthusiastic as they engaged in highly interactive team-building activities and outdoor activities such as swimming and archery. Campers also participated in interactive workshops based on this year’s camp theme of Youth As Community Leaders. Workshops included Myspace, Facebook, Twitter OH MY!, What’s the Plan Man? and Who Makes the Rules? Campers learned the importance of creating change by changing policy and learned ways to use social networking as a tool to support their coalitions’ community change efforts.

No one will ever forget the laughter that echoed throughout the night during the talent show. The show displayed heartwarming, hilarious, creative testaments to the relationships developed within coalition teams and across coalitions. See the West Sacramento Youth Resource Coalition’s talent show performance on the REACH Web site.

With hugs and phone number, MySpace and Facebook exchanges, campers said goodbye to each other on July 31. Where only a few days earlier buses had delivered eager youth, they now awaited the boarding of inspired campers. The experience left one youth to describe REACH Camp as a place of “meeting new people and getting out of your comfort zone to cooperate and work as a team on any and all types of challenges.” Others shared these thoughts:

“I loved the ropes course and the free time to hang with new people.”

“Best part was Thursday ropes course. It was great getting on top of the Alpine Tower.”

“I grew closer with everyone from my coalition.”

“I learned that some people’s power can be shifted and used to make a difference.”

Grizzly Creek Ranch is a project of Sierra Health Foundation and is available to organizations in Sierra Health’s funding region. Learn more about the camp on the Grizzly Creek Ranch Web site.