YMCA News RSS Feed

January is National Mentoring Month

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:34:00 GMT

Christmas in July

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:20:00 GMT

Camp Prepares You for College

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT

Womens Weekend Getaway

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:01:00 GMT

Create the Getaway You Deserve

Do as much or as little as you want. Gather your gal pals for this weekend to revive your spirit, engage your mind and refresh your body. Enjoy a full schedule of activities devoted to enriching you.

No cooking. No dishes. No drama. It's all about you.

$250.00 includes 2 nights lodging, meals, snacks, workshops, activities and special events.(massage & ropes course are an additional fee)

See the WWG pages for more information and registration details.

Family Fun Three Times a Year

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:32:00 GMT

YMCA Camp Jones Gulch now offers three Family Camps a year

Do as much or as little as you want – as a family. Camp Jones Gulch, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains just an hour from San Francisco and San Jose, offers long weekend getaways for Memorial Day and Labor Day as well as a shorter stays in the fall. We take care of the cooking, cleaning and planning. You just show up prepared for a great weekend; we have something for everyone. Go for a horseback ride on one of our beautiful trails, plunge into our pool, conquer the 50-foot climbing tower or fly down the zip line. Or, if your idea of a fun weekend is relaxation, you can take a leisurely stroll through the Buckeye Grove, float around on a canoe or just enjoy the quiet beauty of 927-acre facility. Enjoy an evening campfire, night hike or game night led by our friendly YMCA staff.

Check out more details here.

Young Actors bring music to life at Camp

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:46:00 GMT

Darren Criss of 'Glee' dazzles La Honda theater camp

Regan McMahon, Special to The Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle January 4, 2011 04:00 AM

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2011/01/04/DDHQ1H1SFF.DTL

Seven Questions Parents Should Ask when Choosing a Camp

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Life Lessons Learned at Camp

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Camp is an American Tradition

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Why do You Need Camp

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Encourage young readers

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:14:00 GMT

Books for kids who love Twilight (and the moms that love them... and Twilight)

Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010
http://www.coolmompicks.com/2010/09/

I'm going to go ahead and admit it right here: I'm in my early thirties, and I love books written for teens. I know I'm not alone because the YA genre, or Young Adult, is awesomely popular right now.

So I'm thrilled to have found a website to help parents find the best new books for teens, or for yourself, if you're like me.

Novel Novice is a website dedicated to showcasing Young Adult literature, encouraging reading, and promoting education. They have book reviews, news, author interviews, contests, spotlights on classics, and other features designed to get teens excited about reading.

And it's not all about vampires--although they feature prominently, thanks to Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and our world's current fascination with the fanged and sometimes sparkly. Contemporary themes await, alongside steampunk, historical, fairies, zombies, werewolves, and the viciously cool Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

This is one website I wish I had known about back when I was a teen. Of course, we only had dial-up with AOL back then, but it would have been worth the wait.~Delilah

Visit Novel Novice for the scoop on YA literature. It's come a long way since Sweet Valley High, trust me (although they're relaunching that series, too).

Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010
http://www.coolmompicks.com/2010/09/books_for_kids_who_love_twilight.php

Choose Good Health Today

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:23:00 GMT

Making Up for Bad Health Habits

By Sarah Jio, Woman's Day

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Bad Habit #1: Not Enough Calcium

Your mother told you to drink your milk (you didn’t). Your doctor encouraged you to take calcium supplements (you didn’t). Now what? “Your body will lay down bone mass until your early 30s, so if you are in your teens or 20s, you have time to reverse the years of inadequate calcium intake and start building stronger bones,” says Nikki Tierney, a registered dietician in private practice in Quincy, Massachusetts. “If you've passed this age, all is not lost. You may have missed the opportunity to build bone mass, but it is never too late to prevent more bone loss.”

Women who are 19 to 50 years old need 1,000 mg of calcium per day; those 51 or older need 1,200 mg per day. “You absorb calcium best from food sources, so be sure to include these in your diet,” she says. “The easiest way to get your calcium is to get three servings of milk or yogurt each day. If you are looking to add in a supplement, get something with 500 to 1,000 mg, such as calcium chews.” In addition to dairy, you can get your calcium from the following sources: ½ cup firm tofu (204 mg), 3 oz canned salmon (181 mg), 1 cup pinto beans (103 mg) or 1 cup cooked kale (94 mg).

Bad Habit #2: Poor Posture

Misaligned posture can lead to back, knee, hip and neck issues as well as collapsed arches and a host of other problems, says Dana Davis, MA, CYT, a senior certified balance teacher in Petaluma, California. If you’ve had poor posture most of your life, you probably think there’s nothing you can do to improve it. Not true, says New York City–based fitness expert Story von Holzhausen. “You can make changes instantly, transform yourself and don't have to wait to see results,” says von Holzhausen.

She suggests this easy exercise to turn back years of bad posture habits: “Stand with your heels almost touching a wall. Roll your shoulder blades back and drop them down until they touch the wall. Slightly lower your chin and pull the base of your head against the wall, lengthening the back of your neck. Hold this position for 15 seconds, breathe, rest and repeat. If you cannot touch the wall, then your goal is to work up to it slowly.” Photo by Shutterstock.

Bad Habit #3: Smoking Cigarettes

So you smoked in college—OK, and grad school, and maybe occasionally when you’re socializing. You already feel guilty about it, but what can you do now? “The quickest way to improve your health if you're a smoker is to quit now rather than later,” says Shelena C. Lalji, MD, founder of the Dr. Shel Wellness and Medical Spa in Houston. “Research shows that people who quit smoking when they're in their 30s and 40s have a much lower risk of emphysema, stroke, hypertension and cardiac disease. Medical-grade supplements can help smokers reduce their cravings to increase their success.”

According to the American Cancer Society, after three months of not smoking, your lung function improves dramatically and your circulation is revitalized. After one year of being cigarette-free, your risk of coronary heart disease is 50 percent less than when you were a smoker. One of the best ways to reclaim your smoke-ravaged lungs is to make a new commitment to fitness, says Dr. Lalji. “Increasing exercise both during the transition from smoker to nonsmoker and afterward will help you keep the commitment to yourself while improving circulation, gaining lung capacity and reducing cardiac-related problems.”

Bad Habit #4: Too Much Booze

Do you regret years of excess drinking? While alcohol-related damage to the body can be harmful, and experts say there’s no way to completely reverse it, there are certain things you can do to improve your liver function and overall health. “Drinking can cause fat buildup in the liver, which causes the liver to work harder to metabolize the fat,” says Carlos Tirado, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of Enterhealth, an addiction disease management provider in Dallas.

Help your liver recover by starting a weight-loss regimen and eating a lowfat diet. “In general, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and reducing fat—especially trans fat and saturated fat—can enhance recovery from alcohol-related liver injury,” he says. If you haven’t completely cut alcohol from your life, health experts recommend one drink per day, max, for women, and two for men—though it’s best not to drink daily, so to pick a few days a week that you don’t drink at all.

Bad Habit #5: Being Overweight

One of the leading causes of heart disease—and the number-one cause of death in women in the U.S.—is being overweight. But once you’re diagnosed with cardiovascular issues, it doesn’t mean it’s a life sentence. “Losing weight will significantly reduce this risk,” says Sohah Iqbal, MD, a cardiologist practicing at New York University Hospital. “Weight loss, through a diet and exercise program, can significantly reduce multiple cardiac risk factors that significantly increase the risk of coronary artery disease and heart attacks.”

Weight loss is not only associated with lower blood pressure, but it has also been shown in studies to improve your lipid profile—decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL (good cholesterol)—and reduce triglycerides. “Cholesterol buildup in arteries starts at a young age, but if you improve your cholesterol profile later in life, it stabilizes the cholesterol plaque and decreases the risk of it enlarging and occluding the artery or rupturing and causing a heart attack,” says Dr. Iqbal. The American Heart Association says you can reduce your risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 20 percent and ensure your ticker is in optimal health by following their 7-Point Checklist. Visit MyLifeCheck.Heart.org to learn more.

Bad Habit #6: Exercise Procrastination

You know that old saying: If you don’t use it, you lose it? Well, it’s only partly true, says Sarah Clachar, a New England–based health educator, fitness expert and the cofounder of Fit Family Together. “The opposite is true as well. When you start to use your muscles, you can regain them—at any age. So even if you've never worked out or had muscles to show off, you can certainly acquire them through a good fitness strategy.”

Where to start? Avoid an intense jog or hike, and think weights first. “If you haven't been active for years, your muscles aren't up for the activity,” she says. To avoid injury, focus on strength-training first. “Start by building up your muscles so you have the capacity to do exercise,” she recommends. Also, consider short bursts of intense exercise known as interval training. “Not only is research showing that this has more impact on your health with less wear and tear, but it works faster and it's easier [to do].” Here’s how: “Whatever you start to do, do it in shorter, intensive spurts,” says Clachar. “Walk briskly for 1 minute, then stop and rest. Walk briskly again for 1 minute and repeat. Or bike hard for 4 minutes and then rest.” With this method, you can pack 30 minutes of regular exercise into just 15 minutes, with less injury risk.

Bad Habit #7: Not Eating Right for Years

The antidote for years of burgers, fries and ice cream binges? Eating right, of course. Here’s an easy way to jump-start your health and get the

Hands only CPR saves lives

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:19:00 GMT

Hands-only CPR, pushy dispatchers are lifesavers

from http://health.yahoo.net, 07/29/2010, Associated Press

More bystanders are willing to attempt CPR if an emergency dispatcher gives them firm and direct instructions — especially if they can just press on the chest and skip the mouth-to-mouth, according to new research.

The two new studies conclude that "hands-only" chest compression is enough to save a life. They are the largest and most rigorous yet to suggest that breathing into a victim's mouth isn't needed in most cases.

The American Heart Association has been promoting hands-only CPR for two years, though it's not clear how much it's caught on. The new studies should encourage dispatchers and bystanders to be more aggressive about using the simpler technique.

"That could translate into hundreds if not thousands of additional lives saved each year. What are we waiting for?" said Dr. Arthur Kellermann, a RAND Corporation expert on emergency medicine.

An estimated 310,000 Americans die each year of cardiac arrest outside hospitals or in emergency rooms. Only about 6 percent of those who are stricken outside a hospital survive.

When someone collapses and stops breathing, many people panic and believe that phoning 911 is the best they can do to help.

The larger of the two new studies reported survival rates of about 12 percent when bystanders did dispatcher-directed CPR, confirming earlier research that on-scene CPR can dramatically increase a victim's odds of survival.

The studies also spotlighted the importance of having forceful dispatchers coaching bystanders, said Dr. Michael Sayre, an Ohio State University emergency medicine specialist who helped update the Heart Association guidelines on CPR.

Previous research has suggested that adults who need CPR get it only about one-quarter to one-third of the time when bystanders are around.

One of the new studies found that when dispatchers told callers to start CPR, about 80 percent attempted it when given hands-only instructions, more than the 70 percent who tried the standard version.

Sayre and others credited the increase on dispatchers who immediately told callers what to do, instead of first asking them if they'd had CPR training or if they'd be willing to try it until medical help arrives.

"This study shows that with great training and motivation, the 911 call taker can make a big difference," Sayre said.

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a technique that's been in use for about 50 years. The standard version now calls for alternating 30 hard pushes on a victim's chest with two quick breaths into their mouth.

The aim of CPR is to do some of the mechanical work of the heart by forcing at least some blood and oxygen to the brain and other vital organs.

Experts have come to believe that pumping is what's most important in most adult cases, and advise doing chest pushes continually at a rate of 100 per minute and skipping the mouth-to-mouth. Some suggest using the beat of the old disco song "Stayin' Alive" as a guide.

Cardiac patients do as well or better when they got hands-only CPR as compared to the traditional version, these and earlier studies have found.

Read the whole article

Ask your child about camp

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:03:00 GMT

YMCA camps have been providing "Memories to last a lifetime" for over one hundred years.

Camp experiences are intense and compelling for most campers. It can be difficult sometimes to really understand their experience, though. To find out what they did and how they feel about it, set time aside time to ask questions. To avoid getting one-word answers (like "Yeah" and "Nope"), use open-ended questions that require them to think about the answer and put it into their own words. Depending on age, you could try . . .

"I heard you started each day with Inspiration with a 'thought for the day.' Could you tell me about one of them?"
"Did your cabin get to sleep out and cook your own dinner one night? What jobs did you have at the campsite? How did you cook dinner? What did you do after dark?"
"Which Elements did you like best? What did you get to do? What did you get better at? (Elements are the morning four-day classes the Questor campers take each week).
"Can you teach me some of the songs you sang at camp?"
"What kinds of chores did you have to do to keep your cabin clean each day? Did your cabin ever win a "cabin clean-up award"? Did your cabin do KP in the dining hall?"
"Who was your best friend at camp? What did you do together? Would you like to write a letter?"
"Who was your favorite counselor? What did you like about her/him?"

Your interest in the positive things that happened to your child will help insure lifelong memories. Asking your kids about their experiences can help them evaluate their own experiences and learn to make value judgments.

If you've got any questions, please don't hesitate to call or write. We hope to see your family up at camp again soon.

Edited from documents created by:

Gary Forster, LLC
“Camp Solutions for Great Camp Leaders”

It’s a good time to book fall board presentations to prepare for strategic planning.

How can I help the camp you love? Take a look, www.garyforster.com and drop me a line.

A Brand New Day

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:23:00 GMT

For the first time in 43 years, the Y is unveiling a new brand strategy. The strategy is designed to increase understanding of the impact the organization makes in the community so that more people take advantage of the Y’s unique capacity to foster lasting personal and social change.

As a result, the YMCA of San Francisco and its 14 locations join more than 2,600 Ys across the U.S. to simplify how we talk about our impact in the community so that people better understand the Y.

The new branding emphasizes three areas of focus:
Youth Development
Healthy Living
Social Responsibility

We are also launching a fresh, new visual system built around a revitalized logo with a forward-looking design and multiple color options.

To read more about the Y’s brand strategy visit http://www.ymca.net/.

Downsizing at the Y

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The Cs in Discipline

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:03:00 GMT

The C's in Discipline

from 6/22/2010 MySummerCamps.com June edition of "News You Can Use" Newsletter.

When summer camp starts many children feel a sense of freedom. Gone are the ever watchful eyes of parents, familiar rules and their routines. This can cause some disciplinary issues. As the camp staff this is where your role begins. Here are five useful tips that may create an effective disciplinary system. As said by Stephen Wallace, M.S. Ed. in his article: Confessions of a Disciplinarian: How Managing Camper Behavior Can Save the Summer.

1. Clarify rules: Some rules are negotiable and some are not. Health and safety is not up for discussion. Make the rules of your camp clear from the on-set. Post them after orientation and drive the message home.

2. Communication: Setting expectations and boundaries can go a long way.

3. Consistency: Leniency may confuse young campers rather than build rapport. Enforce the rules, and do so on a consistent basis.

4. Consequences: When rules are broken enforce the consequences.

5. Character Counts: At the end of the day this is what really matters. You have an opportunity to instill some new values in our youth, and perhaps solidifying old values they learned before under your tutelage.

Posting the rules up in staff lunch rooms or in camp manuals is an effective way to make sure the camp team is keeping rule number three: consistency. The difference may be in a few campers who genuinely reaped the benefits of the five C's. Kids return to happy parents excited to send their children back to your camp. At the end of the day, camp activities make up just a portion of the experience and it's up to the staff to ensure that their experience is congenial for everyone.

Get more effective disciplinary ideas here

Several local kids tell their stories

Wed, 19 May 2010 15:19:00 GMT

Several kids from the Pescadero Valley present the stories.

Saffron Bowman, Caroline Graham, Roddie and Ian Cardamone, Laura Metrulas, Clodagh Hussey, Hayley & Natalie Strohm cover a wide range of aspects of the food industry -- from the rise in organic, to food factories and genetic modification:

MONEY: We haven’t been to Freddy’s Rhubarb and Banana Sandwich stand in several episodes, but that’s where the adventure begins: with an old customer complaining about the higher prices of Fred’s fresh organic ingredients…

On their AMERICAN JOURNEY, Toby and Gramps grab a bowl of soup in Pescadero, California, then get a personal tour of a nearby organic herb farm (Jacobs Farm) …

In SOUNDS, we hear the a revolving door, transporting Monsanto executives between their boardroom and government positions…

Laura goes back in time to the 1980s to interview a conventional Illinois farmer experimenting with a new “old” way of farming in this episode’s TURNING POINT…

Clodagh has sharp commentary about Frankenfood and genetic modification…

Saffron and that famous French Chef, Jacques LaTour, reacquaint listeners with the joys of cooking (and eating)…

On the BIG IDEA, Hayley and the King of Complicated Stuff explore the moral dilemmas involved in choosing meat in the marketplace…

Finally, Natalie has a NATURAL WONDER: Why do we treat our luscious, precious soil -- like dirt?

Downloads ($8) will be available at our website (www.boomkids. com) shortly, and CDs ($10) hopefully at local stores.

Enjoy a sampling of the newly minted BOOMERANG CD/Download "The Dirt on Food".

(Paste this link into your browser to hear about the more uplifting side of Pescadero.)

http://www.boomkids.com/transfers/03_AmJourneyPescadero.mp3

New research Bullies target obese kids

Mon, 03 May 2010 13:34:00 GMT

For kids, a few extra pounds may invite trouble from the schoolyard bully.

MONDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) --

New research suggests that just being overweight increases the risk of being bullied. And factors that usually play a role in the risk of being bullied, such as gender, race and family income levels, don't seem to matter if you're overweight -- being overweight or obese trumps all those other factors when it comes to aggressive behavior from other children.

The study found that being overweight increased the risk of being the target of bullying by 63 percent.

Read the whole article

ACA celebrates a rich history of camping in the US

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:45:00 GMT

http://www.campparents.org/newsletter/1001/celebrating-100-hundred-years