The Always There Field School for mentors of the Pathfinder (children aged 10–15) and Adventurer (6–9) clubs was held from March 31 to April 2, 2023 at the “Your Camp” grounds. A total of 163 leaders from all over Ukraine joined the training, engaged in inspirational communication, and experienced exchange.
Many of the workshops at the field school were aimed at overcoming various challenges related to the ongoing conflict. In particular, medical doctor Volodymyr Matsyo conducted a practical workshop called "Premedical Basic Life Support," where the participants learned and updated their knowledge on how to help victims before the ambulance arrives. Vitaliy Neroba spoke about camping and survival in extreme situations, how to make camping interesting for teenagers, and what to take with you.
Valeriy Glushchenko taught the basics of marching; Philip Schubert encouraged creative tasks to develop out-of-the-box thinking; Oleksandr Melnyk shared his experience in organizing a tracking club in a Christian school; Anton Chumak spoke about new and interesting specializations; Maksym Buha played the game "Shapes and Forms"; Olena Nosova presented the program "Exit," which helps teenagers overcome difficulties, especially after a trauma.
At a meeting of the Adventurers' mentors with Vitalina Neroba, they outlined plans for the clubs and developed a strategy for the group to fill with teaching materials for different levels and discussed the development of specializations. They also talked about useful literature for club members and the need for mentors to study the psychology of child development.
Speakers Alisa Dubrova and Oksana Magdych (part of the Association of Christian Camps of Ukraine) shared their experience in organizing camp ministry. Magdych, a psychologist, revealed the value of true mentoring with the topic "Geometry of Mentoring," emphasizing that the most important mission of a mentor is to develop trusting relationships with children and reveal to them the character of the Creator and Savior, and this can only be done by those who are filled with the love of God.
Magdych also shared the importance of psychological safety in the camp, and the leaders learned about the important topic of today's post-traumatic stress disorder and ways to help children and adults. In turn, Dubrova spoke about the philosophy of sports programs and games with instructive conclusions. Participants of the field school immediately took part in the practical portion—active games that will be used at camp and club meetings.
The club leaders also learned how to develop and implement club projects together with Kairat Grayson and Maksym Karpenko, students of the Theological Faculty of the Ukrainian Adventist Theological Institute. Everyone looks forward to the creation of innovative, effective projects that will encourage Ukrainian teenagers to join the worldwide clubs of Pathfinders and Adventurers.
The organizers of the field school hope the leaders will translate the valuable lessons learned into practical club ministry and the field school will facilitate the ministry of responsible, dedicated mentors, the organization of cohesive teams, and the creation of special camp programs tailored to the specifics of the time.
At the end of the field school, two leaders of the Adventurers and two leaders of the Pathfinder clubs were solemnly initiated, and four leaders were also initiated as master guides.
The original version of this story was posted on the Ukrainian Union Conference Ukrainian-language news site.