PAL Leadership Team: Learning To Lead

Megan Weidner, Senior Counselor

Last week, 6 of our senior staff members chaperoned our 3rd annual leadership retreat. The leadership retreat is designed for our PAL Leadership Team (PLT). PLT is made up of high-school aged students who wish to continue to be involved with the PAL organization, however not yet old enough to be a camp counselor. 
This year, there were 15 PLT members that participated in the retreat weekend. 

During this 4-day retreat, they were tasked activities to help develop leadership:
​

• Create, organize and run a new camp game that can be played with 15-20 kids
• ​Counselor scenario game: the senior staff give PLT members scenarios of hardship as a counselor, and together they discuss possible resolutions
• An overnight camping trip in which they had to pitch their own tents and prepare their own food. 
  
  

Although the weekend was focused on growing leadership skills, the retreat also included many outdoor adventures and unique opportunities for this group:

• Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore Sand Dunes
• 2 mile tubing/float trip
• Zip-lining 

You can’t always take 15 high-school aged individuals of separate social groups and expect them to work as one cohesive group, but they did! It was rewarding to watch them use their imaginations and create brand new camp games and run them with only minor hiccups. Additionally, these kids love camp and it showed in their efforts to participate and willingness to reach outside their comfort zone to grow this weekend.

"Working with PLT kids is like looking into a crystal ball and getting a glimpse into PAL's future. After working with these kids this past weekend and seeing them problem solve, work together and encourage each other, the future looks very bright. "
- Blain Gauthier, Senior Counselor

We look forward to seeing the flourish in this program and eventually at camp as our next generation of counselors.  Learn more about what they do over here.

If your high-schooler is interested in participating in PLT, please reach out to PLT Advisor, Jason Hundey at [email protected]​. ​​