September Mentor Meeting

This was kind of a big meeting, as it was our first one, so please read through carefully as we tried to solve different concerns and problems that have come up, as well as celebrate all the awesome things that we are doing right :)!

Opening Song: "Abide with Me" pg 166 -God will be with us, even when we feel alone or inadequate
Opening Prayer


CALENDAR ITEMS:
4 pm today: Outdoor committee plannning meeting
5-7 Family Opening Social
7-8:30 Dance practice
Temple Trips will be on Saturday mornings now or Friday evenings: the Tindalls will call the temple to schedul those and let us know which one we will have which month
Family Pioneer Trek for all Vanguard Groups: May 22-24th  RSVP and more information to come

COMMUNICATION ISSUES:
1. Discussion of yahoo group, pros and cons: for now, if we can just have people add to the monthly calendar on the blog site in the reply or in the post itself to keep it updated, people can check on that weekly;  still awaiting further idea solution to problems of yahoos groups.  For now, please email Lisa if you need direct emails if you are not on the k2vanguard yahoo group, so we can know who to include directly.

Martina requested that we snip the posts when we reply(delete the extra info "below" emails in each email that is attached and unnecessary).

2. Blogs:
-We would like to have the info from emails updated to the blog asap; is there a mom who could take ownership of this?  Everytime you see anything calendar related take the time to update the "monthly calendar post"

-We will have a link on the blog to the Student Accountability Reports for students to print up with their parents. (It's there now.)  Please take the time each week to help your youth print out a form so they can set weekly goals.  Even if they don't get them all done or even down, the act of writing down things is powerful!!!!  Be an encouraging force in their lives, supporting and loving them through this process of accountability and preparation for class.

-There was a request that we change the font on the Leadership Academy blog to make it more readable.  Will do :)!

-There were also a few requests on the way the mentors post inspirements:
 #1 to have the format consistent for all the blogs:
Know:
Understand:
Become:

#2 include features like Karianne has on her blogs with the dramatic bolding and organization of what the youth need to do

#3 clearer lists of what the youth need to do each time...to have them all together in one section.  I would like to have us all use the following format.
sample inspirements page
 (On the blogs, you can include the links where you feel are appropriate.)

This leads me to the next item of business:
3. Newsletter
We decided to have a newsletter similar in format to the following two examples:

Example #1--everything but columns

Example #2 Simpler, with Master inspirement included

The link to it would be sent out and it would be included on the blog.  The mentors for the class will need to have their inspirements for October to me asap so we can get going on that :).  We need someone who loves doing formats like this to take the information the mentors give them and compile it into a newsletter.  The secretary would be in charge of getting the information together, and the Vanguard History adult mentor would supervise the formating and publishing of it (see below).  We would like to see youth participate in creating this newsletter if they are interested in doing so.  (Miriam?  Sherrie Hatch?)

ADULT MENTORING
Youth Presidency feedback:
TENNESSEE: 
#1-With the large tomes, it is hard for the youth to utilize it in such a small space.
Solution: We decided and voted to move Wednesday Vanguard to the Presbyterian Church on Mountain Road in Fruit Heights as soon as they would let us.  We will be holding all classes up there on Wednesdays.  If you have any concerns, please let me know.  For many reasons, we felt that the benefits of moving to a larger location with our larger group offset the benefits of having a home environment.  The church is very nice, and was available earlier in the year, and hopefully will be available now.  

There will be a monthly fee, payable per semester, per person in the building, including litttle kids.  We will organize it into a semester fee per family, payable to Lisa a couple weeks after we make the move.  I hope we can get in as early as this next week.  In the past it has been $1-2 per person per month, including, again, the littles..

#2  The youth would learn better in the last hour if they have had the chance to get up and move around doing activities or other such things mid-way in class...allowing the blood to circulate, the minds to have a little break, etc.
Solution:  Adult mentors, please be mindful of this while planning your days, to allow for this concern.

1. Adult Mentor Positions:  See tab at top titled "Parent Mentor List" for the complete list I have to date.  If you are still interested in helping in a particular lens, please contact that lens mentor or committee leader that you are interested in.  Many of you selected many areas you could help...thank you!  I am continually grateful that God sent me so many wonderful parents and youth to work with!
Please feel free to offer your experience and ideas to an area, even if you are already doing something else, or especially if you feel you are not really helping enough for your own liking yet.  Thanks!

We still need help in the following areas:
a) the Vanguard History Adult Mentor, although we had a suggestion of Sherrie Hatch for that....Sherrie?

-Vanguard History Adult Mentor: Guides and helps youth with collecting pictures throughout the year; and putting together the monthly Vanguard Newspaper, the end of the year slide show, and a yearbook (if they choose to have one).

b) the Littles supervisor (Elizabeth is coordinating this so contact her if you are interested)
c) Fundraising adult mentor: can organize a youth committee to help up with this

organizes 2-3 fundraisers, at least one personal (for individual needs for expenses like outdoor activities, tuition, or books) and one group one (like car wash or yard sale, when all the funds go toward Vanguard cost)  Everyone is expected to contribute to the group ones.

2. Sibling Mentor Care: After a couple of weeks, trying to figure out what we are doing, we will need to go back to the bylaws for sibling care:

Section 5. Sibling Care:

Should it be necessary, all parents of Vanguard youth (with the exception of the

head and class mentors) must help supervise/teach the children of those mentoring the classes.

The secretary may set up a rotation for the year. If the parent is unable to complete their

assignment, they will be expected to take care of alternate arrangements.

We will have a group for parent who are participating in the rotation (except for the weeks they are mentoring in upstairs Vanguard), called Vanguard Jr. for approximately 8-11 years old mentored by Brenda Black.  Elizabeth Tindall will be organizing the watch for the younger kids who are there for the week the mentors are mentoring.  If you are specifically mentoring that week, then you may leave your kids with the littler group.  Everyone, even if you do not have younger children, will be expected to help with the babysitting of the younger group, as per the bylaws.  Please email me if you have any questions.

3. " Teaching moment"
-Please check out the following links
https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/learning-teaching-ideas/method-videos?lang=eng
Please peruse the side tabs on the left to remind us why we teach the way we do:  to first teach them knowledge, then encourage them to ponder and understand it, then do become intelligent in it by doing something to act on it, to set goals to improve in a God-inspired way in that area of their lives.

2 min video about how to encourage "acting" or setting goals
This video contains some ideas of how to do the above.

It has been amazing what we have accomplished and got in motion these first 6 weeks of knowing each other!  Thanks for your ongoing patience and willingness to give feedback and make things work.  I love these youth and am so grateful that they came with such amazing parents :).