[Ansteorra] Youth of Ansteorra

[Susan]

>Mahee wrote
>I was a bit dissapointed by not hearing any replies to my youth
>question. So, I stopped a few and asked them at Raven's Fort this last
>weekend.
>I have forgotten the third, sorry. All responces were from newcomers.

I am on this list and my daughter isn't, but I missed the question.  You
mentioned in the responces that you got that these were mostly newcomers
and these are points of learning what is offered.  I would love to hear
more about how teens are handled as newcomers, as I am a new Hospitaller
and we are starting to get more interest from teens and I know what I have
done with my own kids but need some ideas with how to basically handle the
legal issues surrounding teen involvement in local meetings and
practices.  My daughter is going to a brand new Charter school here in
Tulsa that has a heavy influence of the humanities and I think it would be
a great place to find some interest, but

>Again I say that I hear teens asking to serve their kingdom, but they
>need ideas. Please send me any ideas you have that our teens can do
>during events.

This is something I discussed with Vicountess Katherine when she was up at
Wastelands' Defender and having a discussion about the Youth Academy.  I
can see some need for this, but it has never really been an issue with our
family.  One of the major things we have enjoyed so much about the SCA is
the intergenerational aspects of it and my kids have both been very
involved in our Barony and also in the general activities at the events we
go to.  This last weekend we had a wonderful rainy day at Moonshadowe's
Guardian and my oldest was thrilled and supprised to recieve her Rising
Star.  It was a magic moment.  This was the second anniversary of our first
event.  From the beginning she has been involved as an equal and loved it,
her first event she was 12 and was encouraged to enter the adult bardic
competition by Lord Ivo Blackhawk and then made the finals with he and Lady
Toinette de Cambrai.  This year she again entered the bardic and made the
finals with HL Finnegan and Master Ulf and she was so thrilled to just be
listed there with them, that it was magical.  My younger daughter found her
nitche this event and played well in the chess tourniment, having a very
long game with one of the finalists.  She was brought forth in court by
Lord Puck One-Shoe and Lady Gabri and recognized for her efforts and she
bounded forth, remembering to stop and curtsy to Baron Barn and it was
wonderful.  My normally timid child was so intent upon her chess game, she
passed almost half an hour with up to 20 people watching her play without
it making her self concious.  She also enjoyed showing her drawings to many
who were near, several of our artists were of encouragement to her.  We
stayed at a bardic gathering after court till 3 in the morning before
heading home and had a wonderful event.

In a usual month the girls are usually involved in dancing, charter
painting, shoe making classes, and pretty much everything else we have
going on.  They love the hanging out after populace, although it was easier
when both homeschooled and we didn't have to do morning the next day.  It
has been very inclusive and this is pretty much the same thing I have seen
with the other teens in our group here in Northkeep.  We have some very
accomplished kids, composing music and juggling and this last Castellan
they did the feast.  With the various 'problems' that were going on, there
were just 8 kids in the kitchen working as opposed to the 20 they had
orrigionally planned for.  A few of them forwent the children's activities
to stay in there and get everything done.  My little one was the youngest
at 10 and worked so hard all day that she didn't even make feast, as she
was passed out napping at that time.  Our MOC, Lady de Calais and her
assistents Lady Adalia Nyx and Lord Gerard were great with running
children's activities and helping them with all they were doing in the
kitchen.  It was a wonderful act of service that these kids did and they
learned and grew a great deal from it.  The Children's Castellan event that
they held for the kids was delightful.  There were wonderful arts on
display that they had made and the kids had a ball, my favorite was
watching the kids go around seeking answers to a scavenger hunt, Jason was
on the throne and was so kind and patient as he answered many kids
questions and he would act so excited to be able to fill in the line of who
was the current king, it was also a magic moment.  This one amazed me as my
little one had won the younger age group, it was such a testiment to how
much she considers all that she talked to as friends and approachable.  Our
event was held at the Will Roger's Boy Scout Camp in Cleveland, Oklahoma;
which I consider a great event for having kids at.  It offers the advantage
of a large central area for many activities to take place in with a central
focus, so a parent can be in one area and moniter what their children are
doing without needing to stay right beside them which is prohibitive when
one has several kids.  As we make it to more and more events in the north,
the girls are expanding their circle of people they know and do things
with.  It does pretty much push our time on the weekends to get in an event
and do family things too, as my husband doesn't play too.  I have noticed
that with watching the young in the society grow up that they are just
responded to and life goes on, Lord Owen ap Aeddan ap ... ap Adam and Lady
Dagmar were the autocrats of the event this weekend and when they were
recognizing people in court, the 2 year old was on dad's hip in a sling and
even the loudest Vivats didn't wake him up.

>I would love to see the Ladies of the Rose talk with teens and teach
>then what they would want in a Lady in Waiting or as a Page.

I would love to read more about these positions as they are things I am
unfamiliar with,

Susan the Curious
Hospitaller
Barony of Northkeep
Ansteorra

http://northkeep.ansteorra.org/hospit/hospitaller.html