Youth Frontiers organization to present Kindness, Courage and Respect Retreats for ACSD students
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) will once again be sponsoring a number of retreats for its students in November. Youth Frontiers, an organization from Minneapolis, MN, will host the retreats. Youth Frontiers is a nonprofit organization in existence since 1987. The group delivered over 861 retreats last year to over 130,000 students from 775 schools.
Youth Frontiers’ retreats act as a catalyst for students. By taking an entire grade offsite (to Village Creek for ACSD students), Youth Frontiers challenges them to bring respect back to the hallways of the school. These retreats will focus on Kindness, Courage and Respect. Ultimately, students become engaged in making the school a place where students and teachers are respected and both are challenged to learn to maximize their full potential.
The positive peer interaction from each of these retreats is essential for both adults and students in building positive skills that allow the school and community to be a better place to live and learn. The retreat schedule is as follows:
KINDNESS RETREAT: November 7 (fifth grade students) - This full day retreat for students inspires character by engaging students in activities that emphasize the value of kindness. Kids are empowered to be “everyday heroes” by using kindness to include others, be respectful, and make their school a better place. Students learn that some peer pressure can cause fighting, verbal taunting and social exclusion. The retreat teaches students a positive and safe way to handle these difficult situations with their peers. This retreat will include adult and ninth grade student leaders.
COURAGE RETREAT: November 8 (seventh grade students) - This full day retreat inspires character by empowering students to act with moral courage and identify the social fears and peer pressures that impede responsible decision-making. The retreat encourages them to take positive risks that make a healthy difference for themselves, their peers and school. This retreat will include adults and 11th grade student leaders.
RESPECT RETREAT: November 19 (10th grade students) - This full day retreat will give students a day to experience what a school could be like if everyone is respected. It will also challenge students to respect themselves. The vision of the group is to help students resolve conflicts without fighting, insults and threats. This retreat will include adult and 12th grade student leaders.
One of the unique things about Youth Frontiers and these retreats is that they have a lot of follow-up material that includes tips for educators, conversation starters, character challenges and other reflective pieces for student, staff and parents. Parents and teachers can access information about Youth Frontiers and the retreats that are to be held from the Youth Frontiers website at www.youthfrontiers.org.
As mentioned previously, the retreats will be held at Village Creek Bible Camp in rural Lansing. Youth Frontiers is not a religiously affiliated or religiously based organization, but is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with the main purpose to make schools and communities a better place to live. The school will transport the students to Village Creek and back for their retreat. The school will also bring sack lunches for the students from the school cafeteria. The retreat will be held during normal school hours.
