 | | Want to join the Minnesota Military Teen Panel? | |
Contact the Lead Child and Youth Program Coordinator,
Laura Groeneweg
651-242-6938
or email
Contact the Minnesota Operation: Military Kids Program Specialist,
Amber Runke Greeley
612-624-8198
or email
Or, find information about the Teen Panel here.
We're on Facebook!
Be sure to visit the Minnesota Military Teen Panel on Facebook!
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| Skyra Schwab
Military Teen Panel | |
Military Affiliation
Skyra's mom has been in the Navy Reserve for seven years and was deployed to Kuwait for one year.
Why She Joined the Teen Panel
Skyra's older brother, Isaak, attended a Teen Summit in the past and really enjoyed it. Skyra came as soon as she turned 13 and found out she was eligible to join the panel and plan future Summits. She is excited to have the opportunity to meet new people and gain better leadership skills.
Hobbies
Skyra enjoys volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, softball and cross country.
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| | 15th Annual Military Child of the Year
April 11, 2013 | |
Presenting the 15th Annual Military Child of the Year award. Follow Operation Homefront on Facebook to follow the nomination process!
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| | Purple Up
April 15, 2013 | |
Inviting everyone to wear purple in honor of military children across the nation!
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| | Teen Summit
June 23 to 25, 2013 | |
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 | | Take advantage of these great offers from businesses that want to show their appreciation for your service! | |
Aeropostale-10% off
Bass Pro Shops - 10% off on
military discount days
Busch Gardens - free admission
Chevys - 50% off
Converse Shoes- 10% off
Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of
America - $10 off an unlimited-ride wristband
Underwater Adventures Aquarium
at the Mall of America - $3 off admission
Nike - 10% off
Applebees - discount varies Arby's - discount varies
Foot Locker - 20% off
Verizon - 23% off monthly
bills.
Suzuki- $500 off
Toyota-$500 off plus an additional
$500 off for first time buyers.
Be sure to present military identification when using a military discount!
And don't forget to check Beyond the Yellow Ribbon's "Special Offers" page for more ongoing deals! |
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| Sharing smiles | |
 As a Teen Panel member, there are a lot of opportunities to help out in the community. The Minnesota Military Teen Panel members do some very cool community service projects as a team.
This past meeting we went to a place in Minneapolis called Sharing & Caring Hands. We participated in the 13th annual Give Kids a Smile Day. For the 13th year in a row, volunteer dentists and staff members provided a wide variety of free dental treatments to children in need at the Sharing & Caring Hands shelter.
These dental treatments consisted of free examinations, cleanings, x-rays, sealants, fillings, fluoride treatments, oral surgery and dental education instructions on proper oral hygiene. Teen Panel members did crafts, taught kids how to brush their teeth and played games with kids waiting for their checkups and x-rays. It was an awesome experience for us all.
We've done a lot of community service and volunteer work as a team, but we all really loved and enjoyed working with Sharing and Caring Hands.
See photos of the community service project on Beyond the Yellow Ribbon's Facebook page.
- Story by Eden Powers, Minnesota Military Teen Panel
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| Stressed about stress? | |
Stress is the feeling that you get when you are worried, scared,
frustrated or overwhelmed. Many adults don't think that teens get stressed, but we do!
What causes stress? Stress can come from a lot of different things like parents, sports, grades, friends and thinking about the future. When people experience stress, they may express it in different ways.
Some of the bad ways of dealing with stress are overeating, not eating, self-harm or drugs and/or alcohol abuse. Some people keep all of their stress to themselves, and then just lose it. Sometimes when it gets to be too much, people direct their frustration toward a random, unlucky person.
But there are also many good ways to deal with stress such as exercising, venting, getting a lot of sleep and writing. If grades are the cause of stress, a school guidance counselor might be able to help. If it's friends or family causing the stress, it might be best to talk to them about it.
Despite the negative feelings caused by stress, it also has its benefits. Stress helps you handle tough situations, and when a person is going through a lot of stress it helps them to react to an emergency. A little stress might help us all stay alert and work hard.
- Story by Claire Zenzen and Mitchel Fisher, Minnesota Military Teen Panel
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| Summer camps on the horizon | |
The  first upcoming camp is Operation Purple, which is a summer camp for military kids with parents who have been deployed, will deploy or are currently deployed. At this camp, there are many activities offered such as hiking, archery, rock climbing and much more! Kids from the ages 7-17, with parents in any branch, are eligible. You will definitely have a memorable camp experience here!
The second upcoming camp is the National Guard Youth Camp at Camp Ripley. This one is available for military youth and teens with parents who are currently in the National Guard or are retired. Some activities they will be doing include hiking, biking, canoeing and camping.
Find more information on Operation Purple, the National Guard Youth Camp and other summer camps at www.BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org/youth-camps.
- Story by Megan Schmidt, Minnesota Military Teen Panel
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| Celebrating the Month of the Military Child | |
The Month of April offers us a special opportunity to acknowledge and honor the service of our littlest heroes -military children. There are approximately 1.9 million military children, ranging in ages from newborn to 18 years old, with 1.3 million military children being school-age.
There are 765,000 military children with parents serving on active duty, and approximately 225,000 have a parent who is currently deployed.
More than 700,000 children have experienced the deployment of one or more parents since 2001.
Parents can request a letter from the Governor recognizing military children beginning April 1 at www.mdva.state.mn.us/child.
Purple Up is another way to show support for Month of the Military Child. On April 15 everyone can wear purple to recognize military kids.
- Story by Kiana Kelii, Minnesota Military Teen Panel
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| Heroes abound at the Teen Summit | |
 The theme of this year's Military Teen Summit, taking place from June 23 to 25, is that you do not have to be super to be a hero.
This means that all people are heroes in their own way. It applies to military teens because most teenage kids affliated with the military are hidden heroes. They are heroes by what they sacrifice and go through.
That is why the Teen Panel chose Hidden Heroes this year, because you don't have to be super to be a hero. Most military teens are heroes - and the Summit is a celebration and appreciation of that.
The 13 Teen Panel members, along with two adult advisors, plan and implement the Teen Summit. The Summit is a leadership conference for military-connected teens throughout the state. The teens get a chance to meet other teens who have a loved one in the military, attend workshops on leadership and teamwork and learn about the emotions surrounding deployment.
- Story by Mitchel Howe, Minnesota Military Teen Panel
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| Free SAT/ACT PowerPrep | |
EKnowledge, the Department of Defense and several NFL and MLB athletes have made available the $200 SAT and ACT PowerPrep Program to military Servicemembers and their extended families (there is a nominal charge of $17.55 per program for materials and shipping). The software comes in a single DVD and includes more than 11 hours of virtual classroom instruction.
Find out how to take advantage of this offer at www.eknowledge.com. | |
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