Farmers Union State Leadership Camp Promotes Friends, Self Confidence, Leadership & Cooperative Education

July 27, 2016 – By #South Dakota Farmer Union

South Dakota Farmers Union State Leadership Camp is a summer tradition for Jonah Murtha, 17. 

 Since he was 12, the Parkston High School senior has made the trek west to Storm Mountain Center just outside Rapid City to spend a week engaged in hands-on cooperative education, personal leadership development and reconnecting with friends he has made from across South Dakota.

 “The people I have met here have become life-long friends,” explains Murtha, who gained leadership experience serving as president of the camp’s coffee cooperative. “Leadership camp has also given me a better understanding of cooperatives. I think they are very interesting because they help solve problems and provide necessities to rural communities.”

To immerse youth in cooperative education, campers work together to form five working cooperatives during the weeklong camp. “Over the years of coming to Farmers Union camp, I have learned a lot about how to understand other people’s personalities and the fact that you need to respect everyone’s opinion and work together,” says Murtha, who was one of six teens selected to serve on the 2016-2017 Junior Advisory Council.

 Junior Advisory Council members help plan the next year’s camp and serve as role models to other campers. Other Junior Advisory Council members include:

Abbey Tschetter (Huron), Madelyn Kline (Huron), Shawn Snedeker (Woonsocket), Cole Van Gorp (Stickney) and Al Jordan Schoenfelder (Parkston). 

 “This year’s Junior Advisory Council and Senior Advisory Council did a great job planning camp,” says Rachel Haigh-Blume, SDFU Education Director.

 “Ultimately this is the camper’s camp; this is a camp planned and implemented by the students it serves. The students work very hard on relevant programming and developing leaders for tomorrow and it is amazing when it all comes together and you witness the impact it has on those who attend ­ especially first time campers.” Camper, Kathryn Nightingale, would agree. “I really look up to the members of the Junior Advisory (JAC) and Senior Advisory Council (SAC),” says the White Lake High School freshman. “It’s my goal to be a JAC someday.” Growing up on a ranch, Nightingale explains that she also appreciates being able to connect with other farm kids from across the state. “It’s easier to relate to kids who also live on farms. At Farmers Union Camp no one excludes you. It’s easy to make friends here. Seeing my old friends has to be my favorite part of Farmers Union camp,” Nightingale says.

 Connecting with their peers from rural communities across the state not only results in friendships, but also helps expand campers’ outlooks, explains Haigh-Blume.

 “Getting to know people from other communities and backgrounds is a good way for teens to learn to look outside themselves to the larger world around them and better understand how everything is intertwined,” Haigh-Blume says.

 “Learning to communicate with a broad group of people is just one more step in building a strong foundation as they continue on the path to leadership development.” New Underwood teen, Taylin Montague, 16, agrees with Haigh-Blume, explaining her personal growth through connecting with other teens like this. “Through the camp experience, you build a great sense of compassion for other people and find so many ways to connect with kids older than you, younger than you and your same age. I’ve really gained a lot of people skills and learned a sense of respect for others over the years of coming to camp,” says Montague, who has been attending Farmers Union camps since she was in elementary school. This is her fourth year to attend State Leadership Camp.

 The camp experience has helped Matt Olson, 13, break out of his shell.

 “Before I came to Farmers Union camp, I was the kind of person who had to grow up with a person before I would visit with them. Now I can approach whomever I want to,” says the Frederick eighth-grader who has been attending Farmers Union District camp since the fourth grade. This is his first year attending State Leadership Camp.

 Growing up on a farm, Olson said that although his dad purchases some inputs from the local cooperative, everything he knows about cooperatives and how they work he has learned from Farmers Union.

 “I learned that there are many different types of cooperatives ­ they aren’t just for farmers.” In addition to hands-on cooperative education and leadership development, campers had the opportunity to learn from a strong line-up of speakers including: Lisa Snedecker, Understand Your Personality Style; Scott Jensen spoke about his time in the service and what it means to be a Veteran and a leader; two highway patrol officers presented on safety practices and the importance of smart decisions; Malcolm Chapman discussed leadership and motivation; and Amy Provechek presented on Winter Storm Atlas. The Junior Advisory Council and Senior Advisory Council members discussed national leadership opportunities and Kiana Brockel presented on cooperative principles and the impact it had on a neighborhood in North Carolina experiencing a food desert.

 Campers also toured the Black Hills, visited the Journey Museum, participated in the Mount Rushmore lighting ceremony and enjoyed outdoor activities like hiking and canoeing.

 Bob Janish Memorial Friendship Award

Samuel Schumacher of Stickney was awarded the Bob Janish Memorial Friendship Award during State Leadership Camp. Each year this award is given to a camper who exemplifies the most friendship toward other campers throughout the week.

 It is given in memory of a former state camper and Junior Advisory Council member, Bob Janish, who was killed in a tragic accident in 1980.

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Last Modified: 07/27/2016 8:16:36 am MDT