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Ramstein Youth Programs announced the launch of a community wide children-helping-children campaign Dec. 10.
This campaign is a part of the national project for the Torch Club, a service and leadership club for youth ages 10 to 13 sponsored through the military partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Linking Hearts & Hands campaign will strengthen Torch Club members’ knowledge of the needs of children — locally, nationally and globally.
The Kool Kidz Express Torch Club, located at the Ramstein School Age Program Annex, is one of many clubs in the states and on military bases around the world that are initiating children-helping-children projects.
“It is important to teach all citizens, particularly young people, the importance of children helping children in need,” said Angela Mackin, Torch Club adviser.
As military youth, the members of the Kool Kidz Express understand the unique needs faced by children whose parents are protecting the nation’s freedom and wanted to do something to reach out to other military kids.
“We chose the In It Together pen pal program as the focus of our campaign because some military children like kids of the Coast Guard and Reserves do not always understand life as a military child because they may not be close to a base,” said Torch Club member Rebecca Williams, 11. “Some of these kids may not have even been around other military kids. It is kind of awesome to be a military kid in the civilian world, but it can be hard, too.”
Through an online program, youth can send questions, ideas or just a note and the Torch Club members will respond with stories, suggestions and ideas so other military youth know they are not alone. The group understands what it is like to have parents deployed, to live far away from family members, to move so many times and to try and adjust to a whole new culture. They want to make sure other kids know there are ways to make it through the challenges and appreciate all the great things about being a military child. The Torch Club members have assisted with other deployment initiatives including Breakfast with Santa and Super Deployed Family Night Out. As they were trying to decide on a national project, they began discussing how much it helped them to have friends around they could talk to and who understood what it was like to be a military youth. Through discussions with their adviser, the youth began to talk about kids who did not necessarily have the support network of a base or close friends, such as children of Guard and Reserve members or those who are not able to participate in support programs. They decided that they wanted to be the friends who really understood for those kids and wanted to use the power of the Internet to offer a way to connect.
“We discussed a lot about safety as we developed the idea for this program,” Mrs. Mackin said. “This is a direct e-mail program, so nothing is posted online. We have a box for parental permission and require the military e-mail address of the sponsor to verify eligibility. The entire program is verified by adult staff to ensure the Torch Club members are protected, as well.”
The goal of the national project is to provide an opportunity for members to work together to plan and implement a project that addresses important issues in their personal communities. In the process, Torch Club youth learn about community needs and share their knowledge and experiences with their fellow members and their communities, as they are guided by adult mentors who empower them to make a positive difference in the world. The Torch Club knows that deployment, frequent relocation and being far from family are concerns in the KMC community.
As military families, they also know that the “community” extends around the world as they move from base to base. This project will be a great way to bring kids together. Staples Inc., which has made a multi-year commitment to support the growth and expansion of the Torch Club program through Staples Foundation for Learning Inc., is supporting the Linking Hearts & Hands Torch Club National Service Project across the world. For more information about Torch Club or other great programs for youth in the KMC, call your youth center today.
