Mastadons looking in the rearview mirror
I am writing this column in the wilds of CampFIRE, our annual youth leadership camp above Buffalo at the YMCA’s Camp Roberts. That’s right. My job allows me to sit in a camp chair at 7:00 a.m. on a Thursday in the middle of the Bighorn Mountains and write my column for you—yet another perk of my fantastic job.
The same job that, when asked if one of the fourteen-year-old campers would want to go into the future or the past, they answered, into the past. Their version of the past was 50 years ago. Julie and I fell over as we realized that 50 years ago was probably the Dark Ages for these kids. At the very least, mastodons probably roamed. But I digress. The birds are singing, the marmots are chirping, and the creek is rushing. I am the embodiment of a Life Is Good t-shirt.
This is the 15th year for CampFIRE and the nearly 25th anniversary of the CVC. How time flies when you’re having fun! There will be future columns with wistful remembrances of the years gone by, but for now, I’d like to give you an idea of what we did this past year. Our official year “ends” on June 30, so it’s the perfect opportunity to check the rear-view mirror.
Fall kicked off with our back-to-back business and nonprofit AI training. Daniel Ross, our new best friend, brought his energy and expertise to each sector, starting with the basics of how AI can improve your efficiency and creativity, while diving into its applications for everything from letters to emails to social media posts, to information seeking. The participants were blown away, and we look forward to co-hosting an AI Masterminds class with Daniel this fall to take the learning to the next level.
Fall was also when we tried to prepare ourselves for the insanity of the first five months of 2025. Because we can never do anything the easy way, we packed three Essential Photovoice projects at three different schools on top of a county-wide Study Circles initiative with all that entailed. We mean well and had Sylvia the Super Incredible Intern to help with EPV, but wow. Just trying to keep the snacks straight was a feat, let alone the rest of the key logistics.
Study Circles focused on middle schoolers started at the beginning of this year, when it was very cold, and we traveled to Clearmont and Ranchester weekly. Now I remember why we usually do Circles in the fall. Yet despite the frigid temps, people came out for the kickoff events and the Circles themselves, every week for six weeks. The Action Forum was well-attended, with over 75 parents, teachers, students, and invested community members learning about the initiatives that came out of the Circles and signing up to become involved.
The CVC hosted Essential Photovoice (in Tongue River High School, as part of their art class, and Sheridan High School, a new student club) during the spring semester. Essential Photovoice (EPV) uses amateur photography and reflective structured dialogue to facilitate group discussions and capture people’s perspectives on a chosen subject. The project unfolds over six weeks with a group identifying, photographing, and discussing strengths, challenges, and themes.
Both sets of students chose The Story of Me for their theme and took photos in response to prompts. In the fourth quarter, we were at the Schiffer Collaborative School’s journalism class, where they chose the theme, Connecting with Your Peers.
At the end of the semester, each group had a choice about how they wanted to present their photos, themes, and experiences. All three decided on wildly different methods. Tongue River High School chose a gallery-style exhibition to go along with their other art pieces. The Schiffer students had a newspaper printed with their chosen photos and wrote articles about the project. Sheridan High School EPV club members wanted to host an interactive EPV session with seniors at The Hub. The students would explain the process and their collective experience, and then facilitate small groups of seniors who brought their own photos to discuss. I’m not overstating when I say it was pure magic.
If that wasn’t enough for us, the CVC hosted a one-day, interactive workshop called Legacy – harvesting the wisdom of your years. Over 20 local elders with some ‘youngsters’ thrown in (those born at least 50 years ago, so probably ancient in others’ eyes) spent the day considering their lives, impact, and legacies. The collective wisdom in the room was incredible.
Preparing for the celebration of our 25th year, the CVC staff will be dialing it down somewhat; if dialing it down means adding a fourth school to our EPV work. But there’s never a dull moment or the same day twice at the CVC. It’s ideal for us prehistoric creatures.