SheJumps "Fly Freestyle" Jump Camp! (by Berenice)

A couple of weeks ago She Jumps invited us for yet another fun adventure.   Did we go skiing in the snow?  No, but we did ski.  Kind of.  Amber, Cloris, Diego, and I had the chance to ski off ramps into water at the Utah Olympic Park.  And we got to jump on trampolines for half the day.  All of that is fun and exciting in itself, but what made it better was the people we got to hang out with.  Unfortunately Hannah Whitney wasn't able to make it but Vanessa and Catie were there along with other enthusiastic and cool people.  Among them were Jen Hudak and Ashley Battersby, part of the U.S. Ski Team.  We had no idea who they were until later in the day when Vanessa told us.  I've been doing things with She Jumps for two years now and they always have really interesting people like that for us to meet.  Claire even showed up in time to see Diego and me in the aerial show at the end of the day.  Diego was the only boy in the group  and had everyone's attention.  Being the cheerleader that he is, he was amazing on the tramps and tried a back flip on the ramps, which is a lot more than Amber, Cloris or I dared to do.   Making the day even more memorable was the quick rainstorm at midday that delayed our water fun and the hula hoop and Pogo stick characteristic of all She Jump events.   To sum up, we all had fun and love being with the She Jump people and their friends because we know we are going to do something new, challenging, and rewarding.  And we know we are going to be in a supportive group of people that make us feel comfortable and able.  

-Berenice (Club Teen)

Hike to the "Y" in the Rain! (by Bree)

I'm a BYU Alumni and have wanted to take the teens on a hike to the "Y."  I told them it wasn't the most fun hike in the world, but everyone needed to hike to the "Y" just to say they did it.  After weeks of dry, hot days, the one day it decided to POUR RAIN ALL DAY LONG was the same day scheduled for the hike.

As we drove down to Provo I secretly hoped the rain would magically stop as soon as we got there.

Nope.

It was raining harder and harder and definitely no sign of sun and blue skies.  I almost wanted to just give up and turn around, but I decided this could be a completely awesome adventure.  I didn't expect us to even make it all the way up to the "Y" but just encouraged the teens to do their best and we'd go as far as we could.

 You can see that we're completely soaked and the rain is dripping off our faces!  :)

 Embracing the smearing make-up.  She later wiped mud across her face as "war paint." 

 THEY DID IT!  Mud, rain, fog, and cold weather... they were champions.

 This is evidence of falling and slipping in the mud.

 Checking out the view below.

 Appreciating the warm shelter of a little cave area.

 Catching a little drink of water off the leaves.

I was so proud of them by the end!

I told them I'd buy everyone lunch if they made it to the top, so... we all went out to lunch before heading home.  :)  It was a great adventure and I'm so glad we didn't give up!

Teen Director's New Office (by Bree)

After working at the Boys & Girls Club in Midvale for 3+ years, I decided it was time for me to make the office MINE.  That included a huge paint job and complete change of decor and set-up.  

If anyone knows me, they know I'm obsessed with ORANGE.  It is a happy and playful color and I think it adds a huge burst of positive energy to the teen center!  With a good amount of left-over turquoise paint from another room in the Club, I accented parts of the office and I think it looks amazing.

I'm in love with my office!  But what I was really hoping was the teens would love it too.  And they do.  :)

 Gotta love the random window cut-outs.  "Lumpy Space Princess" is a character on Cartoon Network's "Adventure Time" that many of the teens love to watch and quote.  I love to imitate her voice.

 All my little couch friends.

 More random window cut-outs!  Gotta have a little bit of Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber.

 I was a little unsure about the placement of the desk at first, but I really like the way it divides the room and creates a safe, comfortable place in the corner. It also provides for more privacy as I'm working.

 Some of the photography on the wall was done by one of our Club Teens.  Impressive!

 I love the addition of the small couch in the office!

This is the wall you see when you first walk in.  I love the "Rules" and artwork.

I'm really pleased with how the office turned out.  It definitely contributes a good and happy vibe to the environment in the teen center and allows teens a comfortable place to "hang out" when the time is appropriate.  Some have said it feels like a bedroom, and I am totally okay with that.  I'll enjoy these next few years working in my happy place.  Let's just hope the future teen director likes bright colors!

--Bree (Teen Director)

Motivated by MONEY! (by Bree)

So check this out!  We had a surprise visit from a guest that came to the Club during the school year.  We'll call him "Jimmy".  He grew up going to a Boys & Girls Club in New York and now enjoys giving back to an organization that he cares so much about.  This time he came with money to hand out!

Jimmy divided the teens into 3 groups and did 6 rounds of trivia questions.  For each question they got right, he contributed $5 to the pile.  We were all working towards a cash goal to go towards a special event for the teen program.  By the end of the activity, the teens had earned $65 from the game.  Exciting!  But Jimmy was nice enough to throw in even more money just for fun.  

The grand total was $125, which was way more than I was hoping for.  We will use the money for some special events at the end of the summer.  THANK YOU JIMMY!!!

"Earn-a-Bike" SLC Bicycle Collective (by Bree)

The Midvale Teen Program has developed a great partnership with the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective.  Hailey, who works at the shop, really enjoys working with our teens and allowing them to participate in the "Earn-a-Bike" program.  She also has young children who attend the Midvale Club program and she is a huge supporter.  The teens were able to do a 4-session program that taught them proper bike maintenance and simple "fix-it" procedures.  They got to wear aprons, get greasy, and do hands-on tasks to learn something new each week.  Hailey is great with the teens and has a lot of fun with them.  She even surprised them with delicious donuts on the last day when they got to choose which bike they wanted to take home.  I love this program as it gives many teens an opportunity to earn a bike--FOR FREE-- when they would not have been able to have a bike otherwise.  This program teaches them useful maintenance skills, team work, responsibility, patience, respect, and commitment!  We already have more teens who are anxious and excited to do the program in the future.

Thank you Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective!