Share Your Girls Camp experiences!

So I find myself with so many great ideas for girls camp that I am stumped.  It's a common paradox of life for me :)

So I thought I would take a poll and ask YOU about your girls camp memories.  I am not about reinventing the wheel, since it's been perfected many times over by great leaders everywhere!  Girls camp is such a fun experience for most girls (ok, honestly, as a girl, I did NOT have any fun at Girls Camp, but that's another story, and I'll be nice.)

Here are my questions, please reply on this blog, or by email if it's easier.  I really look forward to hearing your answers, because I know it will help me know what works and what doesn't.

1.  What is the most important/memorable thing you ever learned at Girls Camp?
2.  What traditions did your ward/stake have for Girls Camp?
3.  Was there anything you remember that wasn't enjoyable about Girls Camp?  What was it and why was it not fun?
4.  What is the most important thing that you think youth today need to be reminded of?  (This can be a principle, a YW value, etc.)  How would YOU teach it at Girls Camp?
5.  Was there ever a Girls Camp Devotional or activity that really hit home for you?  Please describe it.
6.  What could have made Girls Camp more powerful for you, if anything?
7.  What are some of the things you STILL remember and use all the time from girls camp?
8.  What was your favorite craft?

Oooh, I'm really excited to read your replies.  I feel so strongly that Girls Camp is one of the most important events of a Young Woman's life, and I want to be sure to make ours awesome this year (and next...and the one after that...then maybe they'll be sick of me.)

Thanks for your help! 

Movies that teach values

Every summer, LDS girls from age 12-17 have a summer camp.  We call it Girls Camp, and it is the best event of the year when you are that age.  It's a rite of passage.  It's a time to bond with your peers and your leaders.  It is time to be away from the world.  I did not so much enjoy my years of Girls Camp, but that's another story.  As a leader, I believe in it wholeheartedly as a means of sharing testimony and the spirit with the young women.

I was recently chosen as the Camp Director for my Stake (which consists of 7 Wards from 2 small towns.)

I am so excited, and I feel like I am pulling things together for it.  There's a lot left to do, but we are getting this elephant ATE!

As soon as I received the call to do this job, I became overwhelmed by it's hugeness.  I am in charge of arranging for speakers & activities and creatively sneaking in spiritual experiences.  I know I can do it and am looking forward to the challenge. 

The purposes of camp in general are to help young women to come unto Christ by:

• Confirming their identity as daughters of God
• Recognizing and cultivating the Spirit.
• Keeping baptismal covenants.
• Preparing for the future roles.

(Taken from a Camp handbook put out by the church)

So, my mind has been racing about, seeking great ideas and inspiration.  I have had my theme for some time now:

It is from the movie UP, combined with a talk from General Conference a few months ago. 

I ended up with this theme because the theme for the church worldwide is Arise and Shine Forth.  I think UP is a great theme for this!  And watching the movie, I see so many great applications. 

Up is one of my favorite movies.  I absolutely love it, and was so touched by the many lessons I saw when I watched it the first time.  Here are just a few:

1. I love Ellie's attitude.  "Adventure is out there!"  Isn't it true?  Life is the greatest adventure of all.  I am going to tie in different adventures, such as a temple marriage, motherhood, etc.
2. The world built up all around Carl's home, and he didn't want to sell or to give in to the developers (the world), so he lifted himself above the world, and set off to find Paradise.  (Paradise Falls that is...)
3. Carl and Ellie were dedicated to each other.  Their relationship was loving and selfless, which is so rarely portrayed in movies these days.

I am really excited.  I feel like we have good material for devotionals here.

So we are going to decorate with lots of balloons, and fun things that go UP.

So, here is where we get to the Movies that teach values issue.
I have been worried about how to do the Skits that are a tradition at every girls camp.  The camp director before me had so many fun ideas, I feel like she used them all up :)  Last year, she had them draw a plot (based on traditional fairy tales), a setting (such as a farm, a hospital, etc.) and a movie genre from hats, and she gave each ward a skit bag with props to use in their skit.  So they were kind of impromptu and fun.  How could I top such a thing?

Well, tonight I came up with a good plan I think.
Here's what we'll do:

Each ward will be assigned a Young Women's Value (There are 8 values that the girls recite each week in church.  They are great values that we each should be striving to live.)

Each value has a corresponding scripture and value color.  The wards will be identified by their value color throughout the weeklong camp.  For the skit, they will be assigned a fun childrens movie that (hopefully) will correspond with their value.  They will use one of their midweek activities to watch this movie and then have the girls analyze it to see how their value was shown in the movie.  Then they will create a Mormon Message using that information.  (If you don't know what a Mormon Message is, or if you haven't seen one in a while, take a moment to watch one here:  Mormon Messages .  They are awesome!

So, here is my list so far.  It is in the idea stage, and may be changed.  I will probably watch each movie over to make sure it is safe to recommend for a church activity.  (i.e. would I watch them if the Bishop was in the room?)

Faith - A Bug's Life (because the ants had to have faith in Flik in order to be saved from Hopper.)
Divine Nature - Tangled (because Rapunzel finds out who she truly is...her "divine nature")
Individual Worth - Horton Hears a Who (Because a Person's a Person, no matter how small!)
Knowledge - Enchanted (I am not sure about this one.  I was thinking Enchanted because she makes the house all clean and redecorates and makes herself a dress using knowledge she must have gained somewhere....is it too much of a stretch?)
Choice and Accountability - (because Cuzko makes choices and has consequences)
Good Works - I am thinking Incredibles (because the Incredibles favorite thing is to serve others.  I wish there was one a little better....suggestions?)
Integrity - Cars (because Lightning learns the importance of being a good person...er...um...car)
Virtue - Cinderella (because Cinderella is such a good person!  Her price is far above rubies....)

So, what do you think?  That's what I did today.  I guess I could have done some other things, buuuuttt I didn't.  :)