Tom gets trained

We picked up Tom at NYLT yesterday.  NYLT is the Boy Scouts National Youth Leadership Training. A group of boys spent a week at a fairly primitive camp site (they had a shower,  but no flush toilets). The week was crammed with learning and fun activities.  Each group of 6-7 boys had a campsite, and functioned as a separate entity (patrol).  Cooking was left up to the group (although the ingredients were provided).

Along the way the boys learned concepts such as the EDGE method of teaching others.  (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide and Enable).  They also learned and experienced the stages of team development:  Forming, Norming, Storming and Performing.

I can tell that it stuck with Tom - because he said "Well, our patrol yelled at each other at first, but we were just storming."

Tom did a great job.  He was still enthusiastic in the end.  I feel like he has grown a lot this week, and I am very proud of him.

It was an entire week of fun, and learning.  That was time well spent for a 14 year old on summer vacation.  It would be time well spent for someone of any age, at any time.