2025 IKT USA Youth Summer Camp Part Ⅱ

2025 IKT USA Youth Summer Camp Part Ⅱ

Provided by I-Kuan Tao USA

By Tammy Liu, Fa-Yi Chong-De Los Angeles Tao Community--North Carolina

Thanks to the Grace of Heaven, the virtues of our Holy Teachers, and all supporting Tao Transmitting Masters, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of the planning committee for the 2025 I-Kuan Tao USA Youth Summer Camp. Throughout the weekly meetings in the 5 months leading up to the camp, the amount of details going into the planning and the communication among a multitude of temples required extensive collaboration and teamwork. Especially in the last few weeks of planning, many of the planning committee members continued working into the early hours of the morning, discussing last-minute changes in activity designs, volunteer availability, and dorm arrangements. There were also Transmitting Masters who worked both day and night to support all the activity props and logistics that needed assistance. The amount of selfless and tireless contribution from each planning committee member was deeply touching. We were all united by a common goal: to give campers a memorable experience.

As we learned and grew as a team, I was also given the opportunity to learn to design the ‟I Am Not Alone” session on filial piety. It was an unforgettable journey and experience with the campers. It was a session where everyone showed their vulnerable sides, discussed feelings and relationship strains with parents, shared cultural gaps in fulfilling filial duties, and connected with each other on a deeper level. It was a chance to show each other we are not alone in our relationships with parents. It was a chance to look forward and see the change we can do to better our relationships.

Although there were challenges and moments of conflicts, we all grew tremendously in the journey. Both the planning committee and group leaders also worked closely during the camp to resolve any issues the group leaders came across in their teams. Seeing the campers enjoying the camp and forming new friendships made all the hard work worthwhile. Most importantly, the camping was a rare opportunity for us to see Tao members from all over the US and Canada. Regardless of the difficulties we face in propagating Tao in the US and Canada, we are all one big family with the same heart and goal in mind. Thank you once again for the opportunity to learn and grow in the IKT camp.

※發一崇德洛杉磯道場  北卡羅來納州  劉素維（策劃小組）

感謝　天恩師德，以及所有護持的點傳師們，後學由衷感激能有機會參與2025年美國一貫道總會青少年成長營的籌備工作。在過去五個月的每週會議中，無論是細節的策劃，還是各道場之間的溝通，都需要大量的協調與團隊合作。特別是在最後幾週，策劃小組的成員常常工作到深夜，討論活動的臨時調整、志工人手的安排，以及宿舍的配置。同時，點傳師們也日以繼夜地付出，協助準備活動所需的道具與後勤事宜。每位策劃小組成員與志工們無私且不辭辛勞的奉獻，令人深受感動。我們因著共同的目標團結一致：希望能讓學員們擁有一段難忘的體驗。

在團隊一同學習與成長的過程中，後學也有幸參與設計並帶動孝道活動「共同的聲音（我並不孤單）」。與學員們深度交流，對後學而言是一段難忘的旅程。在活動中，大家勇敢展現脆弱的一面，討論與父母之間的情感與關係張力，分享在履行孝道時的文化差異，並更深層地彼此理解。這樣的交流讓我們體會到，在親子關係中我們並不孤單，也引領我們展望未來、思考如何改善與父母之間的關係。

籌備營隊的過程中雖然遇到不少挑戰與衝突，但我們在這段旅程裡都獲得巨大的成長。策劃小組與各組組長在營隊期間緊密合作，及時解決各組遇到的問題。看到學員們全心投入並享受營隊各項活動，也在過程中收穫珍貴的友誼，讓我們瞬間覺得再多的辛苦都值得。更難得的是，這次營隊讓我們有機會與來自美國和加拿大各地的一貫道學員相聚。儘管我們在北美弘道面臨許多挑戰，但我們始終是一家人，懷抱著相同的心願與目標。再次感謝這次寶貴的因緣，讓後學能在成長營中學習、精進並持續成長。

By Allen Chen, Ji Chu Zhong Shu, LA--The Great Tao Foundation of America

Thanks to the grace of Heaven, the Holy Teacher, the Masters, and everyone. Being the host of the 2025 I-Kuan Tao USA Youth Summer Camp was a challenging--yet rewarding role. I have never been the host of any major temple event. My own temple in LA has never had a local camp. That’s why leading IKT USA camp was a considerable leap in responsibility. I had no idea if I could do a good job. However, I gratefully accepted the opportunity to be the host for a single reason--I wanted to give campers an unforgettable experience. I was a team leader in the 2015 IKT USA Camp and had made some lifelong friends in the camp. I truly became a better person after this camping and even until now, I could look back fondly at my camp experiences. I hope all the participants of this camp could look back at their experiences in the camp as fondly as I: to be glad they had been to the camp. Hopefully I, along with the rest of the Planning Committee, was able to accomplish that. 

I want to share some of my thoughts on organizing this camp. At the initial stages of planning, I proposed the majority of the activities to the Planning Committee. My criterion for picking activities was very simple: if I was a camper, what would I enjoy playing? As the facilitator, it was so rewarding seeing everyone get hyped up during the Rock-Paper-Scissors Championship at the Welcoming Night. The game ‟Group Sculptures” was a personal highlight--seeing teams work together to satisfy my crazy requirements. Everyone gave me quite the scare with the ‟3 feet” challenge. Please never give someone a piggy back while standing on a single foot again. I started losing my voice with all the excitement of Name Dropping. And just like many of you, my favorite activities were Brain Break and Stage Night. During the first Brain Break, I walked around and saw campers from different teams and temples interact and play with one another. It brought a smile to my face and made all the time and effort I had put into the camp worthwhile. Stage Night, well no words were really needed. Seeing all the teams give such spectacular performances made me feel like a proud parent. 

If I was to pick a single moment to remember 2025 IKT USA Summer Camp by, it would actually be something that I was not responsible for. On the last night I watched campers from 3 different temples sit together and hangout during Performance Hall Mingle. It was 1 am--these campers had all just met one another for the first time at the camp--and yet everyone was choosing to stay up just so they could spend a little more time with one another. It’s a lot of work to help plan and lead IKT Camp but it’s moments like these that make life meaningful. What we gain from seeing campers enjoy this camping and have fun is priceless.

In 2015, at the end of camp, I asked to take pictures with all of the planning committee members. This time around, I was also asked by campers to take pictures together. It felt like I had come full circle. It was so gratifying seeing campers post on social media pictures with their friends about IKT camp. I will be at the next IKT Camp and I hope to see some of you again, my 2025 IKT campers. I will be excited to see how much each and every one of you will have grown. So please come back as participants, team leaders, planning committee members, and even the next Host. Make the camp memorable for the next generation of campers. Do it for the kiddos. 

※基礎忠恕道場美國洛杉磯全真道院  陳柏瑋

感謝　天恩師德，感恩各位點傳師慈悲，感恩各位前賢大德，後學擔任2025年美國一貫道總會舉辦的青少年成長營的主持人，既充滿挑戰，又收穫豐富。後學從未主持過任何大型的佛堂活動，後學所在的佛堂――美國洛杉磯全真道院也從未辦過地方營隊，因此主持美國一貫道總會的成長營對後學來說責任重大。後學之前並不確定自己是否能勝任，然而後學欣然接受了擔任主持人的機會，原因只有一個――後學想給學員們留下難忘的體驗。後學曾是2015年美國一貫道總會青少年身心靈成長營的小組長，並且因這活動結識了一輩子的好朋友。那次夏令營結束之後，後學確實成為更好的人，即使現在回想起當時的經歷，後學仍然充滿著懷念。後學希望這次的班員們在離開營地時也能懷著同樣的感受：慶幸自己參加了這次夏令營。希望後學和策劃組的其他成員能夠做到這一點。

後學想分享一些關於這次設計夏令營活動的想法。在策劃的初期，後學向策劃組提出大部分活動的方案，後學選取活動的標準很簡單：如果我是學員，我會喜歡玩什麼？身為主持人，看到大家在歡迎之夜的「剪刀、石頭、布」比賽中興奮不已，後學感到非常欣慰。「身體雕塑秀」是後學個人很喜歡的遊戲，看到各個團隊齊心協力只為達成後學那些瘋狂的要求。遊戲中的「三隻腳」挑戰讓後學嚇到了，以後千萬別再單腳站立背人了。「誰先喊出名」這項遊戲讓後學興奮得開始失去聲音。和你們很多人一樣，後學最喜歡的活動是「腦力激盪」和「舞台之夜」。第一次「腦力激盪」期間，後學四處走動，看到來自不同團隊和佛堂的學員們一起互動玩樂，這讓後學笑容滿面，也讓後學這次營隊所投入的所有時間和精力都值得。「舞台之夜」，真的無需言語，看到所有團隊的精彩表演，讓後學感覺自己像個驕傲的家長。

如果要後學挑選一個瞬間來紀念2025年美國一貫道總會青少年成長營，那其實是一些不是後學負責的事情。在活動的最後一晚，後學看到來自三個不同佛堂的學員們在表演廳聚在一起，當時是凌晨一點，這些學員們不久前才在營隊裡第一次見面，但每個人都選擇熬夜，就為了能多點時間相處。參與策劃和領導一貫道青少年成長營需要付出很多努力，但正是這樣的時刻讓生活變得有意義，看到學員們享受夏令營的樂趣，我們的收穫是無價的。

2015年成長營結束時，後學主動與所有策劃組成員合影。這次，輪由學員們也邀請後學一起合照，後學感覺自己又回到了最初的起點。很高興看到學員們在社群媒體上與朋友分享一貫道夏令營的照片。後學會參加下一屆一貫道夏令營，希望能再次見到你們――2025年的學員們。後學會很高興看到你們每個人都有長足的進步，所以請以班員、小組長、策劃組成員，甚至下一屆主持人的身分回來，讓夏令營成為下一代學員們的美好回憶，為了孩子們，讓我們繼續努力。