Open Book Adventures Camp 2019

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How might we help reverse the ‘summer slide’ in literacy skills of local first and second graders?

Open Book Adventures Camp is a free, three-day long summer camp experience for first and second graders in the greater Boise area. During OBA Summer Camp 2019, 28 little buddies were paired one-on-one with high school “Adventure Guides” for an unforgettable journey in reading, writing, phonetics, penmanship, and exploring the world through a literary lens. 

Campers spent the mornings reading with their big buddies in areas around the One Stone building, which were decorated as various nature scenes. As the pairs dove into stories, they were transported to rolling hills, mountainous terrain, roaring rivers, mysterious caves, and peaceful campsites – a reminder of the power of literacy in taking people to unexpected places. In the afternoons, campers took daily excursions to the Discovery Center of Idaho, the Idaho State Museum, and Zoo Boise to inspire imaginative stories, build connections through play, and expand vocabulary. Encouraged by near-peer mentors to look at every moment as a learning opportunity, participants were eager to grab a book to continue exploring the world or a pencil to capture a new adventure.

By supporting their young buddies, One Stone Adventure Guides gained valuable mentorship experience while developing skills in empathy, creativity, problem-solving and leadership. Guides voiced their amazement in seeing how much their own behavior and attitudes influenced their young counterparts and how proud they felt when they were able to lift someone’s mood.

At the end of camp, guides and buddies celebrated their newfound friendships with the best camping tradition of all: sitting in a circle, eating ooey, gooey s’mores, and already looking forward to the next adventure.

Outcomes:

  • 100% of parents said they would recommend OBA Summer Camp to a friend or family member.

  • 100% of parents “strongly agreed” that child enjoyed spending time with their high school Adventure Guide.

Parent reflections:

“I was very impressed by the personal communication and one-on-one attention the high school guides gave the children. I noticed that even the person greeting us in the morning would take note of each kid’s name and tell them that their big buddy was waiting for them inside.”

“The interaction between my child and her buddy was wonderful, engaging, encouraging, and thoughtful.”

“This camp has helped my child adapt to new situations, build social skills, have fun reading and build autonomy.”

“My eldest daughter has always had a strong outlook on reading and writing, but it is nice to have someone who is older and cool (so not Mom and Dad), share a positive outlook on reading and writing. My younger daughter is not quite as strong in reading and writing, and the change within her was quite strong. She came home and "read" to the wall, so excited to present her new found skills. She said that she practiced "a lot" at camp.”

Venture Camp 2019

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How might we explore and practice social entrepreneruship with 7th and 8th graders through a fun summer experience?

During Summer 2019, 15 seventh and eighth grade entrepreneurs participated in the first ever Venture Camp. The three day camp focused on learning about what an entrepreneur is and hearing stories from local entrepreneurs from organizations such as Roots Zero Waste Market, Gluten Free Galaxy, Trailhead, Sage Yoga and Wellness, Piehole, and Pure Love Sustainability. Campers separated into four teams to create their own business and worked towards a pitch competition on the last day of camp. Highlights included making branded t-shirts, learning to tie ties, and celebrating the pitch wins with ice cream. Shout out to ConsumerNET for winning the “Best Product” competition with a consumer built cell phone network with a fully functioning prototype. Congrats!

Outcomes:

  • Advice from six local entrepreneurs 

  • Four startup ideas pitched

Feedback from Venture Campers:

“Before Venture Camp, I never really considered being an entrepreneur. At first, Venture Camp was a bit out of my comfort zone. However, it pushed me to think deeply about myself and what I want to do with my life. I now see that being an entrepreneur isn't out of reach, and that though it won't be easy, it definitely can be an amazing life experience. Venture Camp was a lot of fun too, with great food and games. It was really interesting to hear from the owners of several startups in Boise. The pitch competitions pushed me to be a better public speaker, and it was a lot of fun prototyping a business. I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of if you have ever thought about being an entrepreneur or not. Thank you to One Stone for bringing such a great experience to me and many other middle schoolers.” –Will Olson, 8th Grader at Lowell Scott Middle School

“My team, Mountainia, pitched a collapsible, connectable tent called Cliff Face™. The idea behind our product was to create a super fast, easy-to-set-up tent that would speed up the process of setting up a campsite. It was fun to brainstorm ideas and I enjoyed visiting other local entrepreneurs to learn about their businesses.” –Kellan Reagan, 7th Grader at North Junior High 

Better[MEN]t: Man Camp for Boys

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How might we model vulnerability, curiosity, and kindness for junior high-aged boys knowing males bond through outdoor and physical activity?

Man Camp for Boys was a one-day event held on June 12, 2019 by the Project Good group, Better[MEN]t, which was formed by a One Stone student leader who was inspired by Project Good’s female empowerment group, Empow[HER}. 

The Better[MEN]t team’s goal was to help middle school boys become better men through outdoor and physical activities. Man Camp for Boys was the culmination of a 9-month project where a group of high school-aged young men and adult coaches took a group of eleven 6-9th graders up to Bogus Basin for a half day of survival skills, wilderness first aid, outdoor games, team building, cooking meat over a campfire, and self-reflection.

The event was driven by the team’s guiding question, “How might we model vulnerability, curiosity, and kindness for junior high aged boys knowing males bond through outdoor and physical activity?”

The Man Camp for Boys idea was developed after months of exploring issues like toxic masculinity, the #metoo movement, as well as high rates of depression and suicide among young men. The Better[MEN]t team traced these topics back to middle school, when young boys tend to lose a sense of identity, passion, and purpose. 

Eleven boys from diverse schools, grades, and backgrounds engaged in the free experience. It was led by 10 high school guides through a series of games and activities including Capture the Flag, hikes and conversations, a wilderness first aid training scenario, and One Minute Life Stories.

“It was fun to get away, get outside, and meet new people,” said one of the participants. “I liked that the survival activity on top of Shafer Butte was led by a high school student who was a certified wilderness first responder. That’s something I didn’t know existed for high school students and something I might want to do when I get older.”

Before they came up with the idea for Man Camp for Boys, the Better[MEN]t team designed an empathy experience where a small group of sixth grade boys were paired with high school mentors who taught them to weld or use the laser etcher. 

“It was an opportunity for the team to have conversations with the boys while physically making something,” explained Better[MEN]t coach Michael Reagan. “The younger boys were having fun learning to use cool tools and technology in the Foundry, while our team was learning about their male role models, perceptions of masculinity and gender roles, as well as their personal interests and curiosities.” 

Through this empathy experience, personal reflections, and other research, the team identified that middle school is a critical time of life when many boys feel forced to reduce or abandon a number of passions like music or sports. The loss of other “childish” games and time to play outside results in a loss of imagination, creativity, and vulnerability. This loss of identity can contribute to depression, anxiety, bullying, inauthentic relationships, and a series of poor social decisions. 

This led to the team’s insight that the most important thing that younger boys need is to see older boys and men modeling positive behavior.

“Initially, during our implementation, I wasn't sure how much of an impact our project was going to have on these kids,” reflected Jadon C., one of the members of the Better[MEN]t team. “After working with them for a few minutes, it became clear that they were really taking what we were saying to heart. I had forgotten how it felt to be a younger kid spending time with high school kids. It felt like we had taken on a mentor role just in the short time we spent with them.”

One Stone’s Project Good provided free food and transportation for the participants to and from Bogus Basin.

Epilogue

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How might we create a positive and comfortable process for people to make post-life arrangements such as determining a legacy, choosing personal aspects of a funeral, and saying goodbye to loved ones?

Epilogue began as a project focused on the topic of grief and loss, and what could be done to help people those feelings. The group of students went through lots of empathizing with those who had experienced loss, as well as those who work in a field that directly relates to death, including a service worker and a funeral home director. Through the empathizing phase, the students learned that the funeral planning process is long and stressful, and puts lots of pressure on the family while they are going through the grieving process. 

The team realized that grief is a long and difficult process, and having to plan a funeral while also experiencing the grieving process can often become overwhelming. This problem became the center of the project, which focused on educating graduate students and helping them plan their own end of life celebrations, both to make it easier on their loved ones in the future, as well as help the young adults become more comfortable with talking about the topic of death. 

An epilogue is defined as “the speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.” This became the title of the project because of the student’s belief that people should have control of their own story and how they want to be remembered. The team spent weeks researching different aspects of funeral planning and the steps that need to be taken once a person has passed. The group also contacted many different businesses and professionals in the fields, to learn from them and use their help in the design thinking process. 

Implementation consisted of a two-hour event at BSU, where five stations were set up to cover different aspects of funeral planning. The stations were Legal Documents, Body Preparation, Funeral Costs, Decorations, and Letters to Loved Ones. Each was run by one or two students who had done extensive research and were very knowledgeable about the topic. There were also several experts at the event to facilitate and help with any questions that the students were unable to answer. All were welcome to attend, although the target end users were graduate students attending BSU. Every station had one or more documents for participants to take home so that they would be able to continue their funeral planning process outside of the event. 

Outcomes:

  • 22 people attended the event, not all of which were graduate students. Many of the people who attended came because they had a genuine interest in funeral planning and wanted to plan their own end of life celebrations. 

  • 19 participants left their email address so that they could receive further information and learn more about One Stone. 

  • Over 100 documents and flyers were distributed, with information ranging from floral arrangements to living wills. Participants seemed very surprised about all the different aspects of funeral planning, but grateful that they had the information and were preparing for the future. 

  • The overall response to the project was very positive, and those involved were grateful for the opportunity to learn about a topic that often goes unnoticed. 

 





Floating Fun: Rules of the River

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How might we prepare 8-10 year-olds to practice safe habits while floating the Boise River?

One of the most popular summer traditions in Boise is floating down the city’s river on rafts, inflatable tubes, and paddleboards. Although this fun family experience can be refreshing in the hot summer sun, many floaters find themselves waist deep in problems if they don’t take the time to adequately prepare or familiarize themselves with safety rules. The Floating Fun team began their project by interviewing the chief of the Boise Fire Department’s Dive Team and learned a lot about how uneducated many floaters are on the rules of the river. People float without proper equipment, glance quickly over posted signage, do not adhere to drug and alcohol laws, litter the river with trash, forget to apply sunscreen, and more. Not knowing or ignoring general rules of safety can result in citations, getting stranded in the water, or being rescued by the Dive Team – not to mention ruin the experience for the other floaters.

Knowing that younger children who might not have experience floating the river need help learning and practicing safe habits around water, the team began to brainstorm solutions for future floaters. Inspired by The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden and The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskoqitz, the team began compiling information and activities for a guide book of their own. This fun yet informative tool included maps and history of the Boise River and its riparian zone, a packing list, first aid tips, easy snack recipes, and activities like instructions for making a paper boat.

After the team designed and printed their booklets, they traveled to Roosevelt Elementary School to help second graders practice their water safety skills through activity stations inspired by the guidebook. Some of the biggest lessons of the day were how to properly wear a life vest and use a raft. Each student received a copy of the book to take home and share with their families before the floating season officially opened.

The remaining books were distributed to Ivywild Pool swim instructors as well as the St. Michael’s Episcopal Cathedral book nook and Baby Steps program. Everyone who received books to distribute expressed their gratitude for having such an easy to understand and fun resource for younger kids regarding water safety. 

Outcomes:

  • 100 “Rules of the River” guide books were distributed to local children

  • 30 second graders participated in hands-on water safety training

Reflection from a planning team member:

“The majority of this planning team was composed of competitive swimmers and lovers of nature, which set us up well to focus on our passion of how to be safe in the water. Our team noticed that being on the water is an integral part of Boise’s culture, yet it is uncommon to discuss how to engage with the water safely. By discussing this issue with lifeguards, police officers, river patrollers, and parents of young children, we really got to empathize with the players involved and understand where we could make a difference. I’m happy to say implementation day was a huge success! It was really rewarding to see the kids learn and retain the information from the activities and our custom book.” - Sophie Burchfield, One Stone member

Family De-Feud

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How might we improve parent-student relationships in order to reduce academic stress?

A team of One Stone learners identified that strong family relationships based on empathy and vulnerability can help reduce academic stress for students. In their research, the team found four key needs that affect the student-parent relationship. First, teenagers need ownership of family bonds, knowing that it will improve their experience in school. Students need mutual respect, which leads to better communication with parents. Students also need parent advocacy in order to help them fail forward. Finally, the team found that students need validation from parents, which motivates them to learn in the classroom.

To fulfill these needs and help students create stronger relationships, the team consulted with Jody Malterre, a parent-teacher coach and Certified Positive Discipline Trainer on ways to build better relationships. As a result of their research, the team decided to organize a fun, interactive experience called “Family De-Feud.” The event consisted of five 15-minute games, during which students and parents were separated into pairs. The first game, So You Think You Know Your Family, revealed how well students and parents knew each other by questioning the teams on their passions, future plans, and favorite Netflix shows. During another game, called Wheel Personal, student-parent teams spun a wheel to select a topic, such as vacations, holidays, and cooking experiences gone wrong. Each team was tasked with creating a story about the memory, then presenting them to the group to win prizes. An obstacle course flipped traditional familial roles by challenging kids to guide their blindfolded parents through a series of tasks. A drawing game consisted of basic questions like “what’s your favorite color?” and “draw your student’s face shape” to prompt parents and students to learn details about each other. A fifth challenge, simply titled The Compliment Game, built appreciation between students and their parents by asking them prompting questions about each others’ best qualities and strengths.

At the end of the event, each team was asked to reflect on the experience. They answered questions such as, “What did you learn about your parent/student that you didn’t know before? What was the most surprising part about this experience? What do you think you could improve on? What do you think are the biggest strengths in your relationship?”

Outcomes:

  • The team hosted two Family De-Feud events.

  • At the first event, 10 people participated.

  • 25 people participated in the second event.

  • 95% of participants reported finding new ways of communicating with parents, as well as an increase in comfort while talking with parents.

In the project team’s own words:

“I felt like the most valuable part of my Project Good experience was the sense of empowerment and creativity I gleaned from getting to work with a group of student leaders. Using effective strategies like brainstorming ("51-ing it"), the sticky-note throwdown, and the design thinking process, we had all the tools we needed to put a service project into action. Our implementation itself may have had a small-sized target group, but I feel we were able to form meaningful connections with our community through the process.” –One Stone member Louisa Goltry

“During implementation I was impressed with the interactions I observed between participating students and their parents. I think the activities helped the pairs learn something about each other and their relationship that they could take with them when they left. One element of the event that surprised me was the compliment game because of the raw emotion parents and students were willing to express in front of complete strangers. I didn’t picture the activity having the potential to strike such a deep chord with the participants, but by fully engaging in all the challenges presented, I think our specific group of participants gained something really valuable from the event (whether it was the simple gratification of giving or receiving a compliment from one’s parent or child, or a realization of some ways in which they could improve their communication and understanding of each other).” –One Stone member, Maeve Pierson


 

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FLIP: Driving it Home

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How might we help children of CATCH families in making their house THEIR home?

In Fall 2018, the Families Living in Inspired Places (FLIP) team began their fourth round of working with families who had previously experienced homelessness in partnership with CATCH, a local rapid-rehousing organization. 

The team was eager to meet and work with a small family consisting of a single mother with a newborn girl and Sean, a four-year-old boy. 

Sean’s bedroom became the focus of the students’ renovation! After the team’s first visit they were able to identify a few key issues that they wanted to solve for Sean. Sean had a bed frame that was way too big for his bed and took up extra space in the bedroom that Sean could use as play space. The team also learned that Sean was afraid of the dark. He had a small night light in the room located on the far side of the oversized bed. Providing comfort from darkness was something the team knew they wanted to solve.  

FLIP students spent weeks connecting with Sean through empathy interviews and fun activities to get to know him better. After developing trust and using trauma-informed care, the team was able to learn more about Sean. He is a fun-loving young boy who loves animals, dinosaurs, watching his favorite cartoon Paw Patrol, and most of all Sean LOVES cars and trucks! 

While making a second visit to the home to take measurements and snap a few photos of the space, the team members were able to connect with Sean even more, this time while playing with his toy car collection. Sean was certainly more trusting of the group and able to open up and be himself.

On May 18, 2019, the team carried out their implementation and gave Sean a new bedroom that fit both Sean’s wishes and the needs the team identified. After implementation, Sean, the family and team all played in the front yard of his house and shared root beer floats to celebrate his new bedroom!

Outcomes:

Projects completed in Sean’s bedroom:

  • Letters of Sean’s name custom laser-engraved with his favorite vehicles, hand painted, and installed on his wall

  • New light fixture with a dimmer installed

  • Installation of toy box for additional organization and storage

  • Brand new smaller bed frame to better fit the size of the room

Student planning team reflections:

"I loved the opportunity to get to meet the family and play with the kids. I think it was so special to have the chance to see the impact we made on them directly, and face-to-face." –Jenevive Briggs, One Stone member

"The implementation day for the FLIP service project was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life, and I felt a deep sense of purpose by the end of it. We arrived in the morning as a group on implementation day and spent the day assembling furniture, cleaning the house and shed, and transforming the four-year-old son’s bedroom so that it felt more personal for him. We installed new lighting, bed frame, mattress, shelves, and bedsheets in his room. It was a beautiful moment when the family came home and shared their joy at seeing the plans we had discussed in the months prior come to life. The FLIP team continues to do this project every year, and it is incredible the impact they have on families in the Treasure Valley who may not have the resources to personalize their home.” –Indigo Blauch-Chappell, One Stone member

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FLIP: Welcome to Boise

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How might we help children of New American families in making their house THEIR home?

When the FLIP (Families Living in Inspired Places) team first found out that they would be working with New Americans from the Democratic Republic of Congo, they were excited but apprehensive because of the massive language barrier – the family of New Americans they’d be working with spoke Swahili and French, but limited English. 

The next step for the student planning team was to figure out how they would communicate best with the family, and with help from a translator, the team took their first trip to the family’s home. The family greeted the students and welcomed them into the house where they would be allowed to snap pictures, take measurements, and learn more about the space they would be working with. As the meet and greet progressed, the students found out that this was a family of ten that included six boys and two girls all between the ages of 2 and 20 years old. The family used a detached garage space as the bedroom for four of the boys and as a sewing room for the parents. This living arrangement was tight, so the family asked if the FLIP team could focus on this room for their project.

Throughout the next few months, the team spent time reimagining the room layout, exploring types of furniture that would maximize space and organization, and iterating on how to best connect with the family. They spent time researching the Democratic Republic of Congo and its vast history and cultural customs. For example, the oldest child receives special privileges in this culture, so the team found bunk bed sets with a full-sized bed for the oldest boy. After deciding which furniture could be repurposed from the original room, the team purchased 3 sets of bunk beds, 4 dressers, 1 new mattress, and 4 new bedding sets. The students then focused on the room design with the help of a volunteer interpreter named Mary. Mary was able to ask the family which colors and features they preferred so the students could incorporate those preferences into the final design.

On the day of implementation, the team was excited to get to work. Mary had asked the family to remove as much furniture from the room as possible beforehand, so with that head start the team split into two groups. One group started deep cleaning the room and the other started assembling the bunk beds. Once the room was spick and span, the team and the boys began hauling and staging the new beds, mattresses, dressers. Some students helped the boys set up their spaces and put on new bedding, while others worked outside pulling weeds, trimming bushes, and doing other yard work around the garage. Once everything was set, the boys could finally start settling into their new home. The family was really excited for the change, and the team enjoyed seeing their hard work pay off.

Outcomes:

In all, the family received three new bunk beds, a new mattress, three new dressers, a clothing rack, Boise State University blankets, four sets of new bedding, and more. 

Reflections from the planning team:

  • “This was my third time working with FLIP families, and it was the most rewarding experience yet!” – Sophie Moylan, One Stone member

  • “I was moved by the impact that we had on the family. Even though there was a language barrier, I could see that the family was very happy and grateful for what we were able to do.” –Avery Hormaechea, One Stone member

  • “It was a true test of empathy. I loved the process of finding out what would work for the family and then needing to figure out how to make that work on our end.” –Mason Kirk, One Stone member

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1151 W. Miller St
Boise, ID 83702
United States
 
208-451-3825
info@onestone.org

 
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One Stone is a member of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools.
 
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