The Kingswood Youth Center

Summer Programs Continue! Hike to Mt. Roberts!

i Jul 11th w x by Zachary Porter

Today was our second day of summer programs. We hosted a hike to Mt. Roberts in the Ossipee Mountains.

Many Lakes Region views along the way!

Everyone’s sweet shades came in handy on such a nice summer day!

Zachary addressed the group during one of our stops.

Mission accomplished! Our entire group made it to the summit. After many views south to the Lakes Region, we were rewarded with a final view north to the White Mountains!

A great day out with the KYC! Next week we hit the trail on our brand new bikes! Please contact the KYC to learn more.

Summer Programs Begin!

i Jul 11th w x by Zachary Porter

Last week we kicked off our summer programs with a hike to Devil’s Den Mountain in New Durham!

A great group of high school and middle schoolers set off up the woods road which leads to the trail.

A fun and careful scramble to reach the namesake cave on the side of the mountain: ‘the “Devil’s Den.”

A highlight of the trip was ‘spelunking’ in the cave!

Thanks to all who joined us. Programs will continue each Wednesday!

The Best of the 2017-2018 School Year

i Jun 6th w x by Zachary Porter

Thursday, June 7 is the last day of the after-school program for the 2017-2018 school year. On Wednesday June 27 we will launch our full schedule of summer programs. Then in September, we will begin another year of our after-school and BTAS! (beyond the after school) programs.

During the 2017-2018 school year we spent 121 afternoons in our after-school program; in addition to that, we offered 143 hours of BTAS! programs (hosted during vacations, weekends, evenings, and holidays). That’s roughly 450 hours of fun, games, life-skills, learning, creativity, field trips, substance misuse prevention, time with new and old friends, and so much more!

The KYC reached over 300 students this year! Some we saw just once, and it was a pleasure to meet them! Others have joined us for over 100 programs! Anyway, enough with the numbers, please sit back and enjoy The Best of the 2017-2018 School Year!

We played group games during the first week of programs and throughout the year. As usual, the school year flew by!

Each Monday we offered “Science with Shelly.” We learned and we laughed!

Egg drop contest!

It’s not rocket science!…oh wait, yeah it is!

We played tons of games with Brandon from Camp Sentinel!

Thanks Brandon!

Eric Moran CRSW of White Horse Addiction Center is our substance misuse prevention guy!

We celebrated Red Ribbon Week!

In the fall we planted tulip bulbs during Red Ribbon Week as part of Plant the Promise.

In April, during National Alcohol Awareness month the tulips came up as a reminder that our substance misuse prevention work is a year-round effort!

Guest speakers supported our prevention efforts in the ‘Perspectives on Prevention Series.’ We got perspectives from law enforcement, an MLDAC, an adult who is in long-term recovery, and a parent who’s adult children have had challenges with substances. Thank you everyone for your support! (above photo: Kevin Sanzenbacher, retired Chief of Police and current KYC Board Member sharing the law enforcement perspective).

We had no shortage of occasions to celebrate! (Halloween!)

Thankgiving dinner!

Holiday gifts from Project Blanket and a White Elephant Gift Swap!

We celebrated birthdays three times, hitting on all twelve months!

We gave back to our community! (volunteering at the Food Pantry Garden)

We volunteered at the Brown’s Ridge Farm Spooky Maze…

… and the Lakes Region Humane Society…

… and we were speakers at the Eastern Lakes Region Coalition for Healthy Families forum!

We handed out candy for Trick or Treating!….

… and cookies and cocoa at Santa’s Hut!…

…and our tree was in the Festival of Trees at the Wright Museum!

We learned and practiced life skills! Mock job interviews!…

…career exploration with Community Landscape Company…

… leadership with Darrin!…

… job application scavenger hunt!…

… Cheffing-it-Up; prepare a meal!…

…building a clothing rack for the KYC Kloset!…

and we set SMART goals and worked towards them.

Yes, there really was a wallaby in the KYC!

We hosted the “Substance Free Me” essay contest and the participants were invited to White Horse’s Freedom Event Dinner! The winning student read her essay to the crowd and chose to donate her $100 prize back to White Horse!

We spent tons of time being active…

…in all seasons!

We climbed mountains…

…and our brand new bouldering wall!…

We sat around the fire…

…and we rode our new bikes.

We exchange art with global peers in Bulgaria!

We took three overnight trips! Fall overnight to Camp Sentinel!

Spring overnight to Camp Sentinel!

Overnight to Cold River Camp!

Can anyone guess what KYCers like most about the KYC?

Hangin’ out with friends (‘positive peer engagement,’ in boring grown-up speak), no doubt!

Did we miss anything?..Of course we did, we did SOOOO much MORE!!!!!!

Have a great Summer Brandon

i May 24th w x by Zachary Porter

On Tuesday, we said, “so long, for now!” to our program facilitator, Brandon. Brandon will be super busy over the coming months in his full-time role as Camp Sentinel’s Guest Services Director. Camp Sentinel has hosted the KYC for three overnight trips and several day programs! On Brandon’s last day for the school year, he led a game of ‘death by wink!’ Thank you Brandon!

Brandon Woody is the Kingswood Youth Center’s Program Facilitator from Camp Sentinel. Brandon enjoys leading outdoor games and helping members to explore their individual interests. Brandon was born in Asheville, North Carolina, but was raised primarily in Concord NH. He recently completed his associates degree in Business Administration through Southern New Hampshire University, while working at Camp Sentinel. He has worked at Camp Sentinel since 2011, serving in many roles including maintenance, a counselor, and Boys Unit Leader. He has recently taken up a role as Camp Sentinel’s Guest Services Director. In his free time, he enjoys, woodworking, reading, and hiking in the great outdoors.

Global Art Project for Peace

i May 22nd w x by Zachary Porter

This year we participated in the Global Art Project for peace. Through this project, groups of students from different countries are paired up to exchange works of art with one another. Last month we sent a work or art representing peace to our counterparts in Bulgaria. We just received the package from Bulgaria and unveiled the students’ work of art!

Students eagerly opening the package!

The masterpiece revealed!

A big thank you to the creative and talented students from Bulgaria! This exchange occurs biannually. We look forward to participating in 2020!

Overnight trip to Cold River Camp!

i May 21st w x by Zachary Porter

This past weekend were were invited to take an overnight trip to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Cold River Camp. Cold River Camp is located in Chatham, NH in the Eastern White Mountains. Thank you Cold River Camp for sharing your wonderful space with us.

We started by going over rules and taking a full tour. The tour ended with a demonstration of Cold River Camp’s famous fog horn.

Participant’s got to sound the horn!

A little drizzle did’nt prevent us from taking a hike to Little Deer Hill!

Crossing the Cold River on the dam.

Cold River Camp is situated just a ‘stone’s throw’ from the ME/NH boarder. On our hike to Little Deer we crossed into ME. Our participants in two different states.

A fine view on the way up.

Our group at the top of Little Deer Hill.

We brought ingredients to make pizza. Zachary and Mara had fun making pizza for everyone!

Job exploration! We live in a region known for it’s summer tourism. A lot of teens get summer jobs washing dishes in the Lakes Region’s many busy restaurants. Zachary talked a bit about what it’s like to wash dishes in a commercial kitchen.

We enjoyed evening group games around the fireplace in the lodge!

7:00 wake up to the CRC horn! Zachary made us all pancakes! He felt right at home in the CRC kitchen…almost like he’s done this before!

Morning trip to Emerald Pool! Zachary stood on a rock at ‘Circle Junction’ and told the group a bit about the geography of the area and went over the rules for a safe and fun swim!

Emerald Pool; one of the region’s many scenic spots! It’s know for its green color and great (albeit cold!) swimming!

Some ‘took the plunge,’ (nice action shot!) others enjoyed the scenery, dipped toes, and encouraged peers. Fun was had by all!

Picnic on the porch and farewell to Cold River Camp!

We concluded with a discussion about recreation, conservation, and education. We all reflected and shared our ‘peaks and valleys.’

What a great opportunity to explore new places, spend time with friends, disconnect from our electronics, and have fun! Thank you Cold River Camp for sharing your beautiful space!

Career Month Continues with a Visit from Community Landscape Company

i May 16th w x by Zachary Porter

It’s career month at the KYC! Last week we learned about the restaurant business at Garwoods Restaurant http://garwoodsrestaurant.com/ . Yesterday we learned about the landscaping business from Community Landscape Company http://communitylandscape.com/ .

After making our property look beautiful, our guest speaker, Harry provided an inside look at the business. Harry noted a few key advantages to getting into the industry: you get to spend time outdoors; entry level positions are available with opportunities for growth; there’s lots of work available; there are entrepreneurial opportunities for ambitious individuals who want to start their own companies.

We took a look at some of the tools of the trade. These mowers get the job done for many customers in the community, including the KYC. Harry is on a mow crew, which makes for a very busy summer!

Other tools of the trade: Weed whackers and a blower. A close look at the equipment gave us a feel for what it’s like on the job.

A Ford F-350 with a dump bed and trailer is used to transport the hard-workers, the tools, and the materials around our community. Despite the fact that it was a nice spring day, we also talked about the plowing and snow-removal aspects of the business.

Key take-aways: Harry has been in the business for over ten years and says that he loves the job! Harry says, “two of the most important attributes of a good landscape team-member are hard work and willingness to learn and take direction.” When you’re a landscaper you spend your days working hard outside. When you finish a job you get the immediate gratification of leaving your customer’s property looking beautiful.

Thank you Harry, Community Landscape Company Owner, Phil, and everyone at Community Landscape Company for giving us a glimpse into your business and for working everyday to make our community more beautiful. To learn more about Community Landscape Company, please check out their website http://communitylandscape.com/.

Next week, we learn about careers in banking from TD Bank!