Youth Engaged in Service
"I was scared, but I knew what to do." — Camp Fire USA
DaNeal Marshall's brothers are alive today, thanks to training he received at a Camp Fire club based at the Greater Pentecostal Temple in the Kansas City area. DaNeal's two younger siblings accidentally set their home ablaze while playing with a cigarette lighter. Remembering a fire safety course he had taken in Camp Fire's Teens in Action program, DaNeal tried to douse the flames with two fire extinguishers. When he realized the fire was rapidly spreading, he called 911, grabbed his brothers and the family pets, and led them to safety.
"I was a little scared," DaNeal told the local newspaper, "but I knew what to do." DaNeal, a 13-year-old middle school student, was recognized for his heroic actions by the Kansas City Fire Department.
Disaster preparedness is the theme of several Camp Fire projects in the Kansas City area, which receive funding from Learn and Serve America. Last year, African American students created a fire safety curriculum and shared it with their congregation. A bilingual group produced a Spanish language fire and tornado safety brochure and distributed it throughout the community. A third club with a lesbian and gay membership identified hate crimes as a "disaster" and developed a film to educate others about their experiences. Yet another Camp Fire program printed a fire safety brochure and made presentations at a local elementary school.
Program Director Tracey Allen-Ehrhart says the programs attract different groups of youngsters. "Because clubs are in very different neighborhoods, they reflect the local demographic. Many are from lower income Hispanic and African American communities, while the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender group is made up mostly of white kids from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds," she says. "One common thread is that most youth seek out the clubs because they're a place they feel safe."
Allen-Ehrhart says that younger members tend to favor "helping projects" like making valentines for veterans or working at the local food bank. In contrast, older kids are drawn to social action projects. Most projects are youth-generated and youth-led, with guidance from an adult volunteer who receives extensive training.
While stories like DaNeal's validate the success of the program, Allen-Ehrhart says she is trying to move away from "just community service" to providing an intentional learning component. And, she and her co-workers continue to work toward motivating more young people to take on leadership roles. DaNeal, for one, has stepped up as a leader since the fire ripped through his home. Beverly Moore, his club's sponsor, reports that DaNeal shows growing leadership skills, often helping her teach the younger kids.
