Team Seymour teens learn how to “Make It Better”

Photo By Ashley Maldonado-Suarez | Make It Better 4 Teens campers play games, July 28, 2016, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The MIB4T campers spent the first four days of the camp learning about the four pillars of comprehensive Airman fitness: mental, physical, social and spiritual. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ashley Williamson)  

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, NC, UNITED STATES

08.01.2016

Story by Airman 1st Class Ashley Maldonado-Suarez 

4th Fighter Wing   

Make It Better 4 Teens is an annual camp for military youth, ages 10 to 17, and teaches teens how to cope and be resilient throughout the ever-changing lifestyle of the military.
“Our goal is through the fun and the lessons we taught will be something that’s always there in the back of their mind, so the instances that do come up where they do need resilience something may trigger to help them,” said Master Sgt. William McDougle, an MIB4T instructor. “I hope that they take a little bit of the messages we were talking about throughout the week. We tried to give them a lot of information that is practical every day.”
The resilience instructors help the youth look at the pillars of comprehensive Airman fitness (mental, physical, social and spiritual) in a different perspective to see how each one corresponds with the other and how to make theirs stronger. This is done with different trust and communication exercises.
The students exercised their resilience by playing a game of memorization and communication, writing nice things about the other students, building their own superhero with resilience powers, designing a tree of things they are thankful to have and their goals for the future.
“What we found with the camp is it helps the kids realize that even though they may have a plan and everything goes wrong, that’s alright,” said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Vaughan, MIB4T director. “They have been given certain skill sets that they can take away from the camp that will help them cope and get back on their path.”
This year approximately 30 children and teens attended the Youth Center sponsored camp. Any Team Seymour parent can sign their child up for the free week-long camp where they will learn their strengths, values and various ways to handle stress.
“I’m looking around at all the kids, and they have smiles on their faces,” said McDougle. “They look like they’re having fun, and even the older and harder to impress teenagers are having fun. So I think the program is a success.”
For more information about youth programs and camps call [phone].

• Date Taken: 08.01.2016
• Date Posted: 08.01.2016 12:44
• Story ID: 205683
• Location: SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, NC, US