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It is very important to have a theme picked out for camp. It helps in giving direction and purpose to the week. Theme's help organize what is happening. Themes are important for informing the parents. Parents want to know where they are sending their child, and what their spending their money on so it is important to be able to show them what the focus of the week is about. There are different themes that the book points out. such as; Church Lock-in, Special days camp, Parent-teen Camp. All of these have a certain focus and theme of what they are trying to build.
ReplyDeleteWhen picking a theme for a camp or retreat it would be wise to plan the theme around the type of group you have. If the group of students you have are "churched" students then the theme may be more about discipling and growth rather than evangelizing. The theme should be in correspondence with the purpose of the camp or retreat.
I think that the Theme is just as important for a camp as your mission or vision statement is for your youth group. Like my good old pal Doug Fields says when he loves to beat his dead horse called "purpose driven" we need to have a purposeful theme inorder to have direction to the week.
Themes provide you with a catchy phrase a lot of the time - hopefully that also helps your student remember what was taught too.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I've noticed in my camp/retreat experience is that the theme isn't always explained well to students. So while students may remember the theme it doesn't necessarily help them recall what was learned. It's SO important to revisit your theme and show how it connects with what's being taught.
P.S. our Dr. Seuss theme for kids' camp is BRILLIANT! :)
Themes are important because it helps students remember what the week was about, unless it was not conveyed to them very well - as Liz has seemed to have experienced. Themes also give a sense of direction and not just chaos during the week.
ReplyDeleteBerb makes a great point in that you should pick a theme that revolves around your campers. However, a theme may also be selected on the resources that are available to be used.
Themes are also great reminders for anyone! they are fun easy and vital to camps, i believe. as kids or anyone really. one of the best things about themes i think is that they do give you a direction to take your camp! it all comes down to what you want the campers to take away from it.
ReplyDeleteThemes can also be bad and unhelpful when they are not stuck to or beat in to the ground as it were. they leave trying to remember what it was about and can't. (just a lil nugget for all ya'll to chew on)
btw our camp idea is amazing! and just to leave you with another tid bit from the Dr. himself
"And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed."
-Dr. Seuss-
If you have a cool theme it can make your brochure for the weekend really cool. haha.
ReplyDeleteNo but seriously, i agree with everyone else has been saying. They give the group you are with a direction for that week or weekend or whatever. It gives you some structure and it helps whatever speakers coming in or bands to relate their messages and words to that theme.
In January i went with my church youth group as an "adult leader" to the Dare to share conference in Columbus. The theme was invincible and they would talk about the movie Iron man and they would relate it to the full armor of God. Basically stuff you would expect from a youth group retreat. It seemed to really work though and stick in our heads. One thing i thought was even better than that was another theme or phrase one of the speakers was saying all week, "Shred the Gnar!" He told us that Shredding the Gnar is a surfing term for just going all out, going out there to get the biggest wave possible and not having any fear. He related this to sharing Christs love with others. So if we shred the gnar with our friends we are going all out with no fear and telling them about Jesus(something i feel like we forget the importance of alot)
So ya, all that to say i think themes are vital and can be very beneficial on our retreats and camps.
As usual, great comments from everyone else in the group. I didn't read all of them because I just don't have that much time...
ReplyDeleteNow, my thoughts on the issue:
I think it's important to pick a theme for a camp or retreat so that EVERYONE knows what's going on. Teens, helpers, staff and volunteers - you want everyone to be on the same page with the direction you're heading.
For instance, our theme for our retreat is "Phoenix". The phoenix is a bird that dies in a fiery blaze (which is the name of the youth group, ironically), and is reborn again from the ashes. We're using the idea of the phoenix to illustrate the idea of being reborn again in Christ.
To decide upon an idea, there are several things that are important to remember. The first, and most important, is to think about the needs and the direction of the group that the retreat/camp is for. When we talked to the youth pastor we are doing the retreat for, he talked about how they were all very new in their faiths, and were looking to make more solid commitments, while gaining an understanding of what it meant to have this "new life" (The name of their church - I'm all over this play on words).
So, to sum this all up: Think of others when putting something together. Their needs, their understanding of your actions, etc. Keep everyone that should be involved in the loop, and you should have a successful camp/retreat.
:)
As Brent said, themes can be as important as a mission statment, but I feel sometimes it is the mission statement. The theme sometimes gives the focus or mission of the camp. If your theme is Purity: God's Gift, you see the mission statment to teach about how purity is God's gift. That is why it is so vital. You do not want your theme to seem like something you are not planning on teaching that week.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think i have ever been to a camp/retreat that didn't had a theme. The theme gives some order to the whole thing. The games and other activities can all be related to the theme.
ReplyDeleteI have also seen how the theme can be what brings people in. Take for instance on my district they attempt to do a ski retreat. The whole theme is skiing, snowboarding, and all the other fun things you can do in the snow. Well i feel that one of the main reasons that the theme was "ski" retreat was because it got teens to come who usually would not attend a church related camp/retreat.
So i guess the theme could be seen as kinda the glue that holds the whole camp/retreat together.
Themes give a central point to a retreat or camp. A well organized camp or retreat uses relativity between its sessions and messages, which creates continuity throughout the event. Sticking to a general word or idea or phrase can help the students who attend to remember the content when they return home. Driving home a specific point can make that point stick with those who attend for the rest of their lives. Anytime they are confronted with that word, phrase, or idea, a well-planned retreat or camp that was based on that word, phrase, or idea should come flooding back to them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think a "theme" can be important in a youth group. Like other people talked about it being a mission statement, I think that a vision for a youth group can pull your group together and make you more focused toward a common goal. A theme can bring unity to any event or group, and should be well thought out so that it portrays all that you are attempting to portray through your ministry.
A theme can serve a similar purpose to a vision or mission statement, as has been stated above, or it can serve as a memory aid. I agree with those who said that it is important for a theme to be explained and developed so that the teens or children know why a certain theme was chosen, otherwise it just becomes a gimmick and will be quickly forgotten.
ReplyDeleteThis is just like the principle in developmental psychology that states that a child will develop in the most helthy way when a parent's decisions are explained to them whenever possible. In the same way it would be healthiest for a teen or child in our care's development if they understand what it is that we've chosen as a theme and why.
Just as everyone else has been saying, a theme gives you a direction. This lets you start moving into an area where you can focus on what the youth that attend will be learning this week. It will give you an opportunity to narrow the field of what your focus is. When picking a theme you have to think what you want your main focus to be. What scripture you're going to use to back this and what kind of crowd you are focusing on. All of this and more should be considered when picking a theme.
ReplyDeleteon other occasions(in papers and conversations) the thought that everything has to be done in the name of a theme has bothered me. It may be that I feel worship should be something between God and the audience. Though the band should be decent, the point is not how good the music sounds. Otherwise, what is the difference between a concert and a worship session; is it the level of excitement generated? Is it the stage presences and passion of the musicians? I have seen the teens that I have been a leader for go nuts over a head lining band and be completely removed from worship in the church. I like music, I play music, it is great, but music is meant to change emotions. In an emotional state, teenagers especially find it easy to step outside themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn all this rambling I have not said anything that I really needed to say about that main topic. Themes generate structure and focus on discussions and sermons. The theme is derived from the needs that the teens are showing at that point in time. For the camp we are leading here soon, the youth pastors have informed us that the teens are dealing with a lot of shame and guilt over what they have done in the past. Being new Christians, this is understandable. We assembled our speakers to discuss what needs done. We felt that the students need to know that those of us who have been at this christian thing a long time still struggle, but we also have things we let go and buried. We are a new creation in christ. This allows what we want to say to be calibrated and focused. I think with the diversity of our testimonies, we can relate to most of the students.
Themes are good :)
picking out a theme for the camp can really help set the tone for the camp. Theme's seem to relate to the everyday life of a teen, and something that may even be popular today. Getting their attention is a great way to attract them through a theme.
ReplyDeleteWhen choosing a theme, it is important to think it through and let the Holy Spirit move. A central theme should set the tone for the weekend and relate to the kids, and also touch on my key spiritual aspects of the retreat.