Elisa and friends on the way to C.A.L. (Creating A Leader) Conference
Walker Creek Ranch
January 22-24, 2016
I attended the CAL Conference on January 22 through the 24th. It was a very enjoyable experience for a number reasons. For example, it allowed people from all counties and age groups to socialize, it gave valuable information in an interesting and interactive way, it had fun games to keep us from getting bored of lessons, and it had a very fun dance.
The CAL Conference this year allowed people of all areas and ages to get to know one another. The cabins were very well organized in a sense that younger kids and older kids were placed in the same cabin. Plus, all cabins had a wide variety of representatives from each county in them. Personally, I think that I was able to make a lot of new friends that I may not have gotten to meet if the cabins had been organized differently. While cabins were assigned, tables for meals were not. I think that that was a good idea because people who may not have been in the same cabin as their friends, could still enjoy meals with them. I think that having the ages and counties intermixed was a very good and effective idea.
Information was not lacking at the CAL Conference this year. There were a couple of speakers who came in and all talked about different, yet still important, aspects of being a leader. All of these speakers included the audience in their presentations. Along with the speakers, the workshops that were held were fun and easily got their points across. For example, there was one where the participants had to create a stack of blocks with their team to match the example. The hard part was that each member only got 10 seconds to look at the example stack. This was a clever and simple way of showing how teamwork and taking control of a group, if needed, is important if you hope to be an effective leader.
Games were played at recreation times on all of the days. These games included “pull ups”, “rock paper scissors”, “murderer”, and “evolution”. The games were fun and allowed everyone to learn each other's names and play in a large environment. The games were entertaining and were well explained. They were also strategically placed throughout the days in order to let everyone get out some of the energy they had stored during the assemblies and workshops. I think that this made the whole experience a little more enjoyable.
The dance at the CAL Conference this year was very fun. It had good music selections and a laid back kind of feel. I also liked how there were other options for the kids who didn't want to dance. For example, there was a game room, a movie, and a snack area. I had a lot of fun at the dance and hope it is the same next year.
The CAL conference of 2016 was a ton of fun. I am looking forward to attending again next year. I recommend this to any looking to enhance their leadership skills. I am really happy that I went this year. My mom would like to add that this a great event for adult chaperones as well.
Thank you CAL Conference! – Elise Wacha, San Carlos/Eaton Hills 4H Club