Blog Masonry

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February 12, 2015

Practice Compassion and Kindness this Valentine’s Day

Recently, on a Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat, our Retreat Staff met a sixth-grader named Alex. As kids entered the gym for their retreat and congregated with their small groups of friends, you could tell that Alex was a bit of an outsider. Alex has special needs – some of which are apparent simply by looking at him – but that didn’t stop Alex from being fully invested in the Courage Retreat. During breaks in the day, Alex would often seek out our staff and strike up a conversation. He was charming and sweet. And he seemed to be encouraged by the message of the day. On the Courage Retreat, we challenge kids to be themselves and to follow their hearts, rather than follow the crowd. We also ask kids to make a change and stand up for others – even when it is hard.READ MORE

Joe and Tess
February 5, 2015

Declaring Humility in Vogue

At dinner the other night, we were sitting around our table and my wife, Jane, and I sensed that our 4th-grade daughter’s spirit was a bit melancholy. We thought something must have happened to Tess at school. As the daughter of an Irish-Italian father and a French-Bohemian mother, being quiet is a bit unusual in our family and raised a bit of an alarm. As any parent would do, we launched into a typical parent-child “self-esteem” soliloquy.READ MORE

Griffin
January 29, 2015

The Final Phase Before Launch

This post was written by Todd Hansen, Programs and Experiences Director at Youth Frontiers. Todd is married with one daughter and lives in the Twin Cities area. He has worked at Youth Frontiers since 2005 and brings his skills in business, culture development and management leadership to the organization. READ MORE

Peter Yang
January 15, 2015

Our 2014 Character Award Winner

Remembering our history matters. It matters to remember the challenges we’ve overcome and the challenges we’re still faced with. And while it’s important to remember the big players in history, like on Monday when we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it’s also important to recognize those in our community who help affect change in smaller ways.READ MORE

January 8, 2015

Acting with Wisdom

While I was out at a shopping mall recently, I saw a young mother tell her four-year-old, “You’re acting like a child.” I wanted to say, “Excuse me, your child is a child,” As a father, I can understand her perspective. Parenting would be so much easier if children acted less like children.
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