KEEPIN' A POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE

"The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don't have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it." - Chris Pine

This year The YMCA of Central Stark County hosted a State-wide Teen Leaders Rally. The event was called the Middle of Nowhere and it was a first time the YMCA of Central Stark County hosted a Rally and it was held our YMCA Camp Tippecanoe. Over 100 Teens had come from all over the state, and a club that came all the way from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to participate the weekend of September 19-21st.

Our Leaders Clubs help develop youth as leaders while fostering a culture of service. With adult advisors, teens have role models and mentors who can have a positive impact on their lives as they grow in their desire and ability to be a positive force in the community.

This weekend our Teen Leaders came together for fun, service and fellowship. They had the chance to participate in classes such as ‘A Sticky Mess' where they were able to use their creativity to make items out of duct tape; took a ride on our Zip Line in ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah'; and were able to ‘Take a Hike' to enjoy nature around our beautiful camp!

Our theme was to ‘find yourself in the middle of nowhere'. Our Leaders watched out for Sasquatch as they participated in the weekend event. Our guest speaker Gary Broadbent, better known as the Boomerang Man, showed us his awesome skills with boomerangs as well as giving a strong message to the youth. His shared his life story, of having several children, two of whom had cystic fibrosis, and his wife had passed away while they were all young. He encouraged the youth by sharing that despite his circumstances he remained positive and believes that perspective helps you rise above your circumstances. He challenged the youth with the thought of being able to achieve anything you set your mind to. Gary's story not only inspired the leaders, it inspired the staff and volunteers as well.

As the weekend came to a close, the hope was that everyone walked away with an awareness that you always have a choice on how you can respond in any circumstance and that choice stems from your perspective.

Leaders clubs that were in attendance:

Akron Area YMCA
Defiance YMCA
Lake County YMCA
Parkview YMCA - this was the branch from Fort Wayne, Indiana
YMCA of Central Ohio
YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo