Challenge Camp: Better Life for Children

In the Mustard Seed Youth Home, the annual bicycle riding camp is one of the most anticipated activities for teenagers. During the riding, the hot weather and physical strength are good challenges to hone their endurance; they can also build self-confidence, symbolizing a breakthrough the plight of life.  Since last year, a task that teenagers have never tried before has been added to the riding camp:  learning to serve.

Teenagers visited ShouFeng Presbyterian Church to serve a group of lively children, who are younger than themselves, from the tutoring class of elementary school. In this service event, the youngsters witnessed and learned the meaning of the phrase "the more mature and plump the wheat, the more it knows how to bend and stay humble."

In the face of elementary school students younger than their age, the arrogant teenagers in the Youth Home became moderate team mates to drive morale, cordially and patiently led the naughty children to achieve the missions. If a team loses the game in the process, teenagers will reassure and persuade the team mates, just like the teacher patiently teaches them at the Youth Home. It turns out that what was taught a good character by the teachers was fully demonstrated when facing people who are weaker and disadvantaged. They learned to see the needs from disadvantaged people, and more importantly, are willing to serve. 

The Youth Home expects that in the process of serving the learning camp, the teenagers will learn to be humble and bend down just like mature wheat. They will be wholeheartedly devoting themselves and serve others. This will become an important nutrient for cultivating good character in life, furthermore in the future, help to build confidence and affirm oneself when facing difficulties.  This will allow to develop a strong foundation of confidence, not to be overthrown; to be inspired and break through one's life with a positive and optimistic attitude. 

Looking back at your youthhood, have you ever felt lost?

We held a Life Career Exploration Camp at Yilan High School this summer. Through the six lessons must be learned in life -- interpersonal influence, communication and coordination, analysis and evaluation, conflict management, problem solving, and career planning -- the 30 young participants were guided to explore themselves and cultivate their work capabilities.

"We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience."

- John Dewey, a famous American educator

The famous American educator John Dewey believes that "experience" plus "reflection" equals "learning." Education is the transformation of experience, and the progress of life depends on human thinking and reconstruction of life experience. Therefore, through the collocation of rich and diverse activities, the training of situational thinking allows young people to gradually open their hearts from shyness and timidity, to express themselves actively and bravely, breaking through the many obstacles set in their hearts, so as to cultivate the difficulty and problem-solving ability.

Whether it is a working experiential activity or a board game for career exploration, young people can fully "practice deliberately" under professional guidance, and share their "detailed observations", "profound feelings" and "thinking ideas" with each other through groups, "implement actions". The skills learned can not only be applied to the current team tasks, but also to their future lives.

In the 3-days camp, this group of teenagers went from being shy and afraid to express themselves, to naturally showing a bright smile and bravely expressing their yearning for the future blueprint. The positive impact of life career exploration is demonstrated on today's youth. It is hoped that through the camp, the seeds in the hearts of young people will germinate and grow up, and find their own talents and passion, bravely embark on this rich journey of life, and become a blessing to others in the future.

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