Happy reading!
To define success it is first necessary to define the objectives. Note that there's nothing wrong with setting objectives after the activity, just that by doing so it is easy to fall prey to the '
drawing targets around bullet holes fallacy'. What then, are the objectives of YLTC? Taken literally, it is a
Youth Leadership Training Camp. By virtue of the participants the Youth bit is settled, so then, what is Leadership? Zhan Teng kept touching on this during his Ubin night debriefs with Cherokees and Comanches, speaking on how Leadership is bandied about from the moment we step into our secondary school, yet we never really pin down what leadership encapsulates. A better alternative to 'What is leadership?' would be '
What are the qualities of a good leader?'
After which, we must compare the participants before and after YLTC. Have they grown to become better leaders? Do they possess a greater depth of compassion, empathy, teamwork, initiative, and all those other leadership qualities?
Is it apparent? It's all fine and dandy to have the participants say that they have learnt the above attributes, but the truth is that
unless it expresses itself in their thoughts and actions, it is all for naught.
Yet camp objectives are one thing, personal objectives are another. The camps I've faciliated for DFAC usually have objectives revolving around learning teamwork and overcoming fears (thanks to height elements), yet YLTC is a whole 'nother ball game. To be frank I went into YLTC '08 with the sole objective of
pulling through 5 days of the unknown with my batchmates. And pull through we did, taking every blow thrown at us with dignity, courage, fortitude and determination. Indeed, every bit of PT thrown at us was taken a challenge, gladly met. I've said this countless times and I'll say it again,
every experience you go through is shaped by your mindset and perceptions, if you think YLTC is a waste of your March Holidays, then it will be.
After steaming up the room with the other 23 guys of your batch, wiping the floor together then watering it with your perspiration right after, such
shared experiences just blow through any barrier initially present. 4 years on, the bond is still there, stronger than ever (to me anyway), yet its not a sign that we can get complacent. Relationships are like fragile plants, without constant attention they will wither.
Forever 34th OAC is up to us.
We go through YLTC not once, but twice. And the second time round is the clincher, the one which the previous YLTC, ITC, OH, and all other batch activities have prepared you for, to pass on a comparable experience to your juniors. Organising a 5D4N camp is no mean feat, you can feel that behind the scenes it was messy TTM (36th?) yet the crux of YLTC, to me, lies in the answer to this question:
Will you, going through the camp you are organising, feel the same way after it as you did 365 days ago? Every YLTC is different, yet its essence never changes. Going through stuff you've never done before, and likely will never do again, with half-strangers you've barely gotten to know, building something (a batch, an identity) out of nothing. Whenever I hear 36th talk about 35th (especially their own YL '10 experience) , I wonder, what did YLTC '09 accomplish? Then I remind myself of some DFAC wisdom: '
The trainer may be responsible for the trainees, but the attitude of trainees is out of their control.' Whatever you do, if others refuse to change their mindset, their habits, it is not your fault. Perhaps our emphasis was wrong, but 3 years on, is such reflection still relevant? Our trainees' trainees have graduated already. Yet some of us still go back to school for YLTC. Evidently a significant number of us still have emotional investments in HC OAC, no matter our batch number. A treasure trove of memories, fond, harsh and everything in between.
(
Disclaimer: I have no idea who I'm addressing in this paragraph) Furthermore, if you have the impression that being a trainee in YLTC is tough, you're right. But spare a thought for the instructors. When you are falling out to one side to give yourself breathing space, they are scrambling to figure out how to reintegrate you into the group activity. When you are doing your one hour of sentry, they are doing their hour of debrief before rushing to join you for your sentry. You may be undergoing physical trauma, but the instructors undergo countless amounts more of mental stress. From contingency plans for every situation, to ensuring that the camp is running on time, to watching out for safety, the juggling of multiple responsibilities does wonders for Leadership Training.
Yes, instructors train their leadership too, perhaps more so than trainees. For them,
leadership is not a spontaneous choice, but a duty thrust upon them.
And rise to the occasion they must, lest they let their charges down. The YLTC that you organise is your big Hurrah, your opportunity to put into practice all you have learnt from your own YLTC, your own ITC. It is the prime time to
Lead By Example, to show your own teamwork and initiative. Like it or not, instructors are a role model for trainees. If they see large groups of instructors at one side chatting among themselves, they
will mirror your attitude. Having only been to YLTC '12 for a night and a little bit, I am in no position to comment on the performance of 37th, especially when compared to my own batch (self bias, perfectly normal :D) Suffice to say, as a leader
great situational awareness is required at all times. One must know, what is going on now? What will happen next? Who will be taking charge of which groups? And this is just from my observation at campfire. Its not good to leave participants hanging. Remember the specialisation of task done as a trainee? You don't need your whole batch to arrange caps and scarves (:
Reading through lousydefender's old YLTC posts, I flashback to the post YLTC '09 days, where we were fretting over the quality of the juniors, how there seemed to be only a few good ones (forgive my candor), whether it would improve with time. I daresay every batch goes through the same experience, from the pressure of organising the camp, to the stress of BT1 (even if its ungraded now) to the issue of continuity. 34th handled this using a people power style, allowing the juniors to choose their own batchmates. I'm not sure about 35th, though I would say they didn't do much paring, given the small group they had to work with. Whereas 36th decided on a direct intervention approach. What method 37th chooses is entirely up to them. Their batch, their rules.
Hopefully the latest incarnation of OAC will realise the role of YL Night (or YL part 2 as its known now), to give them a platform to work together out of a camp setting, to bond together through a common purpose. To step up, if they did not during the camp itself, to get to know those they weren't so familiar with during the camp itself.
Forever 34th OAC.
