1. Welcome to Royal Family KIDS Camp Training

2. Introductions Ice Breaker: Tell us about yourself-
In 30 seconds tell us your;
Name:
Camp Position:
One of your favorite Christmas presents of your childhood:
[You can use some other Ice Breaker or question for introductions if you want.]
We had you tell us about a favorite childhood Christmas present because we wanted you to know there will be kids at camp who probably couldn’t answer that question.
If you ask the campers what their favorite Christmas present was some of our campers will have a long list of favorite Christmas gifts, but others wont have anything to say. It may even be an embarrassing question to them because they never got what they wanted or they or their Christmas memories aren’t favorable.
Their Christmas time and their childhood memories are far different than most of yours.
We want you to recognize where some of these kids are coming from.
RFK Inc 2012

3. History of the RFK Vision{
Wayne Tesch is 12 years old at youth camp in Upstate N.Y. {
1960
12 yrs.
_________
24 yrs.
1972
Wayne & Diane move to Calif.
& enter full-time ministry. {
12 yrs.
Wayne is given invitation to
Develop a camp for
“underprivileged kids.”
The first question we are all interested in, is the one about how and why RFKC started. The answer is in this brief description by the founder, Rev. Wayne Tesch, which is called “Sounding the Call” on Behalf of Abused Children in Orange County (CA).
“Statistics of abused children in the county were shocking. In 1983, there were 7,811 mandated reports of child abuse. Mandated — a doctor, teacher, or psychologist calls or reports to the authorities the finding of the abused child. In 1984, 10,592 mandated calls were projected. I was shocked and, at the same time, stirred as I realized that we, the people of God, could impact those statistics in our community.
“In addition, in 50% of the 3,905 cases, the victim was under five years of age. Thirty-four percent of that group, or 1,328, were under two years of age. To compound the problem, there were only 650 foster homes in the county to harbor these children if, and when they are discovered, and this number was decreasing at 9% per year. I cried out, “Dear Lord, these are kids who are wounded and need Your love.”
1984
1985
“Royal Family Kids’ Camps” is born.
RFK Inc 2012

4. Milestones 1985 1st camp - Orange County, California
1988 Camp #2- Los Angeles
1989 Camp #3 - Phoenix, AZ
Wayne also says, “I see now how God had planted in my heart a dream to reach out to help children whose lives had been devastated by abuse and neglect. I can still remember a vision God gave me in a camp setting when I was only twelve years old. The vision showed a sea of faces of children from all nationalities and races. That vision became reality during the first RFKC in 1985.[1]
“During that first week of camp, the needs of the children touched the hearts of all of us who worked at camp. We realized that if other churches got behind a program like RFKC, we could reach hundreds of abused children every year. So we began to challenge other churches to follow this simple model: organize a one-week summer camp for abused children in your area. Child Protective agencies and foster families are eager to send children because abused and neglected children miss many normal childhood experiences.”
[1] See Chapter Six, “How Dreams Come True,” in Unlocking the Secret World by Wayne & Diane Tesch for more detail.
1990 RFKC, Inc. is formed
camps, Unlocking the Secret World published
(Continued)
RFK Inc 2012

5. Milestones
camps - 10 Year Anniversary To date: 10,000 Camper spots
camps in 36 states – 5,219 kids
camps - 20 Year Anniversary
– over 6,800 kids - 9 Countries 66,526 Camper spots since 1985!
RFK Inc 2012

6. Milestones
2011 Changed name to Royal Family KIDS merging the Camps & Mentoring Clubs
camps – over 7,400 kids & 10,000 adults! 87,250 Camper
spots since 1985!
Camp Movie seen by 40,000
people in theaters & over
200,000 on netflix!
1/18/2019
Director’s Training 2017• Royal Family KIDS

7. RFK Inc 2012

8. What is this training all about?
During this training we’re going to:
become educated about the abused child
get to know each other to build a strong team
find out how a week of camp can change the life of an abused child &
how can God use you
This pre-camp training is imperative for three reasons:
1. To acquaint and sensitize you, the staff and counselors, to the background and needs of the abused and neglected child.
2. To build specific “counseling, leadership” skills so that the counselor-camper relationships will be positive.
3. To build team unity and comradery.
Why are you here?
The Sears Catalog used to advertize many of its products as good, better, and best -- such as Sears' good, better, and best dishwashers. Here are some good, better, and best reasons for volunteering for the RFK ministry.
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9. COUNSELOR CODE OF CONDUCT
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your campers, and shall TALK of them when you SIT in your cabin, and when you HIKE by the way, and when you LIE down, and when you RISE. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house (cabin) and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-6
The RFK Mission Statement which includes the Counselor/Staff Code of Conduct (adapted from Deuteronomy 6:4-9) lends support to the best reason for volunteering
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10. Royal Family KIDS PURPOSE MISSION VISION STRATEGY
Mobilize the _____ community to confront __________
faith
Child abuse
MISSION
Create ____________________ for children of abuse
Life-changing moments
VISION
Every foster child, age 6-12, experiences a life - changing camp, club and mentor
Our commitment to this group of children represents a new endeavor that the Church will undertake. With the assistance of our Lord, we will provide a warm and friendly atmosphere for each child.
STRATEGY
_______ and ________ camps, clubs & mentors
Launch
sponsor
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11. Values Treat People _______ Royally Keep Moving _________
Make __________ Matter
Royally
Forward
Moments
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12. Organizational Chart Campers Counselors Staff Counselors Staff
Administrative Staff / Dean of Men
Administrative Staff / Dean of Women
Assistant Director
Advisors
Director
Explain the inverted organizational chart – the KIDS are on the TOP
Its about the kids not us!
Founders
RFKC Board
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13. RFKC Team STAY HOME STAFF Prayer Partner Coordinator.
Welcome Home Dinner Coordinator.
Prayer Team
Church Staff
Fundraisers / Donors
Admin. Staff
ON SITE STAFF
Directors
Assistant Director
Dean of Men & Women
Social Worker / On Site Counselor
Child Placement Coordinator
Nurse
Activity Coordinator
Coach
Bible Teacher
Music Director
AV/Photographer
Grandparents
Aunt & Uncle
ON SITE COUNSELORS
Men Counselors
Women Counselors
Lets look at the rest of the team. You’ve just heard your introductions and camp positions, let’s look at the entire camp team.
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14. What’s expected of you by the time this training is over?
We want to prepare you to be able to change the life of a child of abuse.
We must see ourselves as being one small part in the entire process of rebuilding hope in these abused and neglected children. It may be our experience to simply provide the initial love and affirmation that only begins to soften the encrusted shell that this child may have developed to survive in life. This is a beginning. Beyond this may be opportunities to sow the seed of a gospel witness. But the objective must never be that we can till, water, sow, cultivate and reap — all in one short week at RFKC. Remember what Paul said in I Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth
RFK Inc 2012

15. Training
Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.
~Abigail Adams
We must work hard to teach and to learn. Your time here is not without effort on your part or on our part.
But with time and effort we will begin to understand and prepare ourselves for the work God has planned for us to accomplish.
RFK Inc 2012

16. That sounds like a lot, but with God “all things are possible”.
We have seen that a week of time, even a single moment of time, can change the direction that a life is going.
You see these red arrows, there’s only a slight deviation between the direction each one is going. But a moment at camp is enough to change the direction that a child is going.
By the end of camp you may see dramatic changes in the lives of your campers, and you may only see slight changes in the lives.
RFK Inc 2012

17. Can result in an entirely different person here
Over a long period of time, a slight deviation here
Working with children is a long term ministry. It may be years before you see all the results of the work you have put into this week.
The parable of the Sower says that the seed was scattered and some returned 100 times, some 60 and some 30 times.
(Matthew 13 8 “seed” fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.)
Camp will be like planting good seeds into the lives of these children and believing that some will return a harvest 100 fold , some 60 fold and some 30 fold.
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18. In A Moment
Moses life was changed in a moment in front of a burning bush
Saul's life was changed in a moment on the Road to Damascus
Mary’s life was changed in a moment when an angel said “…you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. Luke 1v31
My life was changed in a moment when…
Think about your life. Has it been changed in a moment?
The moment you first meet your future spouse?
The moment you found out you were pregnant?
The moment you graduated?
The moment you walked the aisle or raised your hand to accept Christ?
There have been moments that have changed your life and there will be moments at camp that have the potential to change the direction of an abused Childs life through you.
To go from Hopelessness to hopeful
To go from feeling worthless- to having worth and value
To go from emptiness to wholeness
From being unloved to loved.
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19. Play a Royal Family DVD here.
(Suggestions…)
Pulling Up Stakes
Samantha's Story
Rewrite Their Story
Optional to show the pulling up stakes video at this time.
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20. Training you to change a life will take a little time & effort.
Training takes time.
Sometimes or attitude will be “Let’s just get it over with”. Our attitude needs to be “Let’s prepare ourselves for ministry. Few people have taken time for these children, we’re different because we are going to take the time to prepare to do our best for them.
RFK Inc 2012

21. Tell me why we have these requirements?
You had the application, the interview, a background check and now all this training?
Tell me why we have these requirements?
Getting the audience to respond and tell you why they have to have the training helps them to convince themselves that it is really necessary and good. It should help the tone for receiving the training for the rest of the session. Remember to wait for some responses.
RFK Inc 2012

22. Royal Family KIDS “The Purple Cord” Church people
______ provides ________ ______ and ________
power
finances
We are a Christian camp. To the “Social Services” community, we are identified as a “faith-based” camp. What are appropriate ways for us to share our faith with the campers? They will come to camp with such a variety of experiences, and most of them will have had no previous knowledge or experience of who Jesus is.
Camp Facility
______ ______ provides the ______
Training Resources Support
J K L
place
______ _______ provides the ________
Social Services
children
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23. Spiritual Foundation
A ministry to the oppressed and downtrodden Luke 4:18-19
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
“I find that the benefits of being involved in helping the abused and neglected are at the very core of Christ’s ministry. Luke 4:18,19 states clearly why Royal Family KIDS, Inc.. was established . Christ says, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ Our desire is to heal the broken hearted, release the oppressed, and liberate the downtrodden.
RFK Inc 2012

24. This camp works with kids who are Wards of the State
This camp works with kids who are Wards of the State. That changes a lot of things.
To social Services we are identified as a “faith-based camp”.
We have a daily Chapel time, tell Bible stories & verses, hand out Bibles and music and pray.
You should get some answers like:
We have to because of the state. (Meaning that the state has to protect the children and wont let people have access to these children unless they can provide for their safety.
Insurance reasons.
It’s the responsible thing to do.
We don’t know what we’re doing, we don’t know how to handle these kids, etc.
All these are true.
Just getting them to think about the answers help set the tone for why we have to do the training. If they think about it they will usually come up with some great answers.
Here’s a few more. If they don’t mention them you might want to.
Training is also to protect the kids form harm (Pedophiles).
Training will also help to protect YOU and the church from false accusations.
Understand issues about “separation between church and state” how can minister to them without proselytizing.
Help you understand abused children and give you training to help them have a week full of positive memories.
RFK Inc 2012

25. How this camp is different from a regular Church camp…
These are not Church Kids going to Church Camp…
These are Community Kids going to a Community Camp.
This is a huge point to emphasis. We could all probably tell many stories form our camps as to how these kids are not going to act like church kids.
RFK Inc 2012

26. heart breaking stories see bad behavior or even sexual behaviors
You may hear
foul language
heart breaking stories
see bad behavior or even sexual behaviors
poor manners or no manners in the cafeteria
Yet they are still wonderful kids who need your time and care.
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27. Be careful of our “Christian language” that other Christians would understand but these kids might not.
Some of our campers are completely devoid of Christian language or values, or they may have had an abusive experience at church, or with a believer.
Some campers may not have ever heard of a church, a bible, or may not have ever seen or heard a prayer.
You might want to ask “what are some examples of “Christian Language?””
Answers might be –
God is Love – maybe they were “loved” by their abuser
Jesus died for you – Who is Jesus and when did he die?
We are all sinners saved by grace – What’s a sinner and what’s grace?
You were born into sin – What did I do that was so bad?
Others campers may have been abused by a church person/priest, or someone who read the Bible and prayed often.
RFK Inc 2012

28. Additional information covered more in section V.
It would be a another form of abuse to manipulate, pressure, cajole, force or in any similar way make these children feel like they have to pray or raise their hand for a spiritual decision that they may not even understand.
The experience of the leadership of Royal Family KIDS has been that it is inappropriate to pressure any child to go to the altar, or to continually ask a child to pray the prayer of salvation. This simply is not the most effective way to work with these children. Many of them have been unduly pressured by adults to say and do many things, and as such, many may have built up a strong resistance to an adults encouragement to do something, or they too easily agree to an adults encouragements out of fear.
Additional information covered more in section V.
RFK Inc 2012

29. Teachable Moments Prayer at Meals 30/30 time Camper Activity book
Activity Centers
Devotions at Night
Sing Songs
Bible Reading
Review of the Day
What can we do to share our faith? Since the children are Wards of the State we can not Proselytize, i.e. “try to convince the children to believe what we believe” However, the State knows we are a Faith based organization that the children volunteer to attend, that we a Chapel service, and sign songs, and tell stories about Biblical Charterers who have overcome life's difficulties with Gods help.
Within the framework of camp we can experience these teachable moments with the campers.
There is a detailed list of these items in the 101 Manual.
[We do have a list of 7 Religious Policies that we DO NOT DO at camp listed in section 5 which will be explained there.]
RFK Inc 2012

30. At RFK we follow Joshua chapter 4.
Sharing your Faith
What can you do?
At RFK we follow Joshua chapter 4.
The people of Israel crossed over the Jordan river into the promise land. God told Joshua to take 12 stones out of the river and place them on the side where they were going.
Why?
Ask WHY. Just see what they have to say, who knows the story about the rocks.
RFK Inc 2012

31. Vs
…“When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan…
Our key concept here is “When the children ask, tell them the great things God has done.
Tell them the great things God has done in your life, what he has done for you, how he has helped you in difficult times, seen you through the storm, how he has provided for you etc…
Tell them how God provided this camp for them, how all the adults came together on behalf of the children.
A great SOTO to tell is the story of the camper who asked his Counselor one day, “How much you get paid?”
The Counselor said “what do you mean?” The camper said, “How much do you get paid to be here?”
The Counselor said, “ I don’t get paid, I’m just here as a volunteer for this one week.”
The camper said, “Everyone who spends time with me gets paid to be with me, my Foster parents get paid, my Social worker gets paid, my Therapist gets paid, everyone who spends time with me gets paid to be with me, how come you don’t get paid to be with me?
What an incredible opportunity to answer this campers question. The camper has asked, now it’s time for the Counselor to tell why he is there, to tell the good things that God has done to get him there at that camp at that time.
Not all questions will be that bold, but the campers will ask many questions in many forms. We must be ready to answer.
That does not mean you can’t say anything without there being a question, its just a great model to follow as we obey the religious policies and work with the State. Build the relationships, pour out love and care on the children, pray for teachable moments. Let God knock on the door of their hearts
RFK Inc 2012

32. Tell them the great things God has done.
When the children ASK…
Tell them the great things God has done.
Activity Center
Relationship
Bible
Chapel Time
Breakfast Club
Prayer Times
Music
Drama
Joshua set up 12 rocks to remind the children of Israel of the great things God had done for them.
Here are 12 rocks that can also represent the great teaching moments that the children may ask about at camp.
Think about these topics and how the children may ask questions that might lead to teachable moments?
Activity Book
Birthday Party
Guest Speakers
So much more…
RFK Inc 2012

33. For all that we will talk about and do let us remember that RFKC training is really all about this…
But training is really all about this…
Camp is about creating an environment where you can take a child who has been beaten up, cursed, locked up, forgotten, abandoned, molested, teased by his school mates, and totally lost their self worth. We’re going to take kids like that and give them the best week of their lives.
We’re going to allow wounds to heal through love and care and safety, and security, and needs being meet.
We’re going to bring them many first s in their lives;
Maybe their first time in a pool, their first fish to catch, their first tea party, their first time out of the county, or their first birthday party, their first time on a stage in front of others. Their first prayer or the first time they have read a Bible, the first time they have seen married couples together without causing and swearing at each other.
There are so many first’s that happen at RFKC and we go through all this training is make that happen. We don’t do training because we like training, we train because we want to build a relationship with a child who desperately need s to know that there are people out there who care!
RFK Inc 2012

34. Campers will be changed for eternity
“And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and he said to them, ‘Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.’” Mark 10:13,14
Explain how kids lives will be changed in mere moments such as:
A moment on stage, a moment riding a bike, playing with a group, feeding an animal, dressing up with your counselor,
Touching a star fish, making hand cranked ice cream looking at you memory album or seeing a helicopter up close.
It could be anything where a moment takes place, a teachable moment about life, about God, about hope.
For to such belongs the kingdom of God.
They belong to God, you will be Gods hand and feet at camp!
Campers will be changed for eternity
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35. Adult lives will be changed for eternity, too!
TRAINER you may want to put pictures in here about adults that you know from camp.
How adult lives get changed, friendships you make, hope that is built in you and faith that is built by seeing God come through at camp.
[You may change out these photos with others form you local camp
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36. Place pictures of your local camp ground here, (or somewhere,) so volunteers know where they are headed.
Put in local pictures of the camp facility where that group will be going.
Could be done here or section 8 – the week of camp.
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37. Let’s have three questions
3 FOR 3
Before we move on…
Let’s have three questions
about this section.
AND / OR
Three Take-a-ways
If you have already had good interactive questions and engagements with the trainees, or if you are out of time, you can skip this slide.
If not, this is a good way to end each training section and draw some information out of the trainees.
Wait for the answers, don’t move on to fast. Draw some answers out of them. You just covered a lot of material and the trainees should be able to easily come up with three questions and / or three take-a-ways.
RFK Inc 2012