 | | 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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| Bailey Meysembourg
Military Teen Panel | |
Military Affiliation
Bailey's mother is in the Army National Guard. Bailey's mother has not been deployed.
Why She Joined the Teen Panel
Bailey joined the teen panel this year because it looked like it would be a lot of fun and a great learning experience.
Hunter Holtan
Military Teen Panel
Military Affiliation
His father is a Sergeant First Class. Hunter has been through one deployment.
Why He Joined the Teen Panel
Hunter is 16 years old and he joined the Teen Panel because he had a great time at the Teen Summit.
Megan Schmidt
Military Teen Panel
Military Affiliation
Her father is a staff sergeant and Megan has been through one deployment.
Why She Joined the Teen Panel
Megan is 15 years old and she joined the Teen Panel three years ago because of all the great opportunities that came along with being a member.
Avery McNeil
Military Teen Panel
Military Affiliation
Her father is a tech sergeant, and Avery has been through two deployments.
Why She Joined the Teen Panel
Avery is 16 years old and she joined because the Teen Panel would be a great opportunity to meet teens in the same situation as her.
Sierra Stenger
Military Teen Panel
Military Affiliation
Both her mother, a major, and her father, a master sergeant, are both in the military. Sierra has been through 3 deployments.
Why She Joined the Teen Panel
Sierra is 16 years old, she joined the Teen Panel this year because she was inspired by the Teen Summit.
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Save the Date!
Teen Summit
June 22 to 24, 2014
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 | | Take advantage of these great offers from businesses that want to show their appreciation for your service! | |
Vera Bradley- 10% off in stores and outles
Foot Locker - 20% off
Old Navy- 10% off every Monday
Hot Topic- 10% off
Aeropostale-10% off
Converse Shoes- 10% off
Bass Pro Shops - 10% off on
military discount days
Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of
America - $10 off an unlimited-ride wristband
Underwater Adventures Aquarium
at the Mall of America - $3 off admission
Chili's- 25% off
Cracker Barrel- 10% off
Chevys - 50% off
Applebees - 10% off
Arby's - discount varies
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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| The Teen Panel - how it all started | |
 The Minnesota Military Teen Panel was started in 2009 by Amber Greeley and Laura Groeneweg.
Laura and Amber both have family and friends in the military, so service is a big part of their lives and supporting the military is close to their hearts.
After working with military kids for more than 14 years - both overseas and stateside - Laura knows what military-connected youth need. While working overseas, Laura was a camp counselor on active duty bases in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Italy, Germany and England.
When asked why the Teen Panel started, Laura said, "I wanted to get teens together so they could connect with each other and have a voice for all military teens around Minnesota."
Laura and Amber partnered up after working with each other through Operation: Military Kids since 2005. The two used their partnership to plan a focus group and brainstorm how to empower teens by setting goals, planning events to participate in and connecting with other military youth going through the deployment cycle.
The first Teen Panel started with eight members, but now has grown to 14. The panel hopes that there will be more and more teens to apply each year and that they will help and support even more military teens in the future.
-Story by Becca Sorlien-Riewer, Military Teen Panel
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A Day at the fair!
 The State Fair had its annual Military Appreciation Day on Aug. 27, allowing Servicemembers and their families to purchase tickets for $7.
The Teen Panel volunteered to help out at the Youth Programs booth by sponging temporary tattoos on whoever wanted them. Teens also used their paint brushing skills and helped with face painting.
As a Teen Panel member, I shared information about the Teen Summit. As a group, we also provided informational brochures about the tween overnights, K-12 Military Kids Toolkit and updates on other upcoming events.
We hope you stopped by and had a great time!
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- Story by Claire Zenzen, Military Teen Panel
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That time of year again ... back to school!
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Getting ready for a new school year is scary and nerve-wracking, but going back to school and getting everything organized and ready can be really exciting and fun! I love going school-supply shopping to by new notebooks and pencils, and getting everything prepared and ready to go is always a good feeling.
To start school off on a good foot, I would definitely recommend starting to go to bed a little earlier to let your body start adjusting to waking up super early for the school. I would also recommend buying a planner or agenda book to plan for your tests and when homework is due throughout the year - it keeps you a lot more organized.
Get excited for getting back with your old friends, meeting new friends and meeting your new teachers!
- Story by Megan Schmidt, Military Teen Panel
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| Teen Panel? What is that? | |
 I am apart of this group of kids that comes together four times a year - the Minnesota Military Teen Panel.
Each member of the Teen Panel has a dfferent background and represents different areas throughout Minnesota. But no matter what, we have one thing in common - we all have a loved one in the military.
Some of our favorite things to do when we come together is building new friendships, doing service projects, going on fun outings and learning stress skills.
- Story by Hunter Holtan, Military Teen Panel | |
| Recapping the 2013 Teen Summit | |
The 2013 Teen Summit was an amazing experience for everyone!
The Summit was held from June 23 to 25 in Plymouth, and there were several great, engaging speakers. Some things we talked about were money, healthy living, military 101 and stress.
We also completed a service project with Feed My Starving Children. Then we went on a fun outing to Grand Slam, where they had batting cages, krazy carts, arcade, mini golf and lazer tag.
To get to know each other better, we played entertaining ice-breaker games such as eye tag, slow tag, honey do you love me, where the wind blows and many more! Overall, the Teen Summit was a fantastic experience!
- Story by Bailey Meysembourg, Military Teen Panel
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| Community service projects, who benefits? | |
 It;'s not only the person reciving the service, but the person who is providing the service gains more of an understanding of peple in need - and it helps that person build character. Here are some community service projects you can do:
- Help at Feed my Starving Children
- Help at a local church
- Volunteer at food shelters
- Put together care packages
- Mow people's lawns for free
- Babysit for free
- Story by Sierra Stenger, Military Teen Panel
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| Gearing up for the 2014 Teen Summit | |
After the success of the 2013 Teen Summit, we are all excited for the 2014 Summit at the end of June next year.
The Teen Panel is already planning the next Teen Summit and we have great things in store! During the three-day Summit, we will go on an amazing outing, do a service project, hear from some great speakers and make new friends who have also been through the deployment cycle.
The Summit is an unforgettable experience, and we can't wait to see you June 2014! Stay tuned for more information and we hope to see you there!
- Story by Avery McNeil, Military Teen Panel
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