"Preparing for BRLS: Advisor Advice" Soon we will be returning to the mountain and reuniting with old friends! Staff are preparing their curriculum to bring together a wealth of knowledge for another successful year! The largest population on the mountain will be first year attendees, including leaders, advisors, and staff alike. The first year Leader [...]
Springtime greetings from colorful Asheville. The earth has fully awakened from the winter slumber and is growing and blooming quickly. The pace around BRLS is quickening as well. Counselors are being named, staff are finalizing class plans and the Honor Leaders are working on their Vespers/Devotions. As we close the few remaining weeks, here are [...]
BRLS is a large investment of time and resources for all involved especially advisors, home YMCAs, and of course, the Leaders. In order to get the best return on this investment, the staff team writes a curriculum which is appropriate for the level of the Leader and naturally progressive from day-to-day and year-to-year. The BRLS curriculum has two main [...]
"BRLS Club Recognition" The excitement is in the air! Leaders’ School applications are being filled out by eager Leaders ready to experience the mountain in June. Leaders and advisors have been serving their home YMCAs all year long as they prepared for our annual school. Club recognition is the manner in which the work at [...]
This is the time of the year when most folks really rush outside and enjoy shrugging off the winter chills and get ready for spring sports and other YMCA programs. It’s also that time of the year when the BRLS registrar ages about 5 or 6 years in just 2 months! I want to lift [...]
Fitness Testing Update The YMCA Blue Ridge Leaders’ School has always been firmly committed to advancing the leadership qualities of its Leaders through the thoughtful use of physical fitness programming. As times change and knowledge grows, so does the programming offered by the YMCA. Just as the peach baskets of James Naismith evolved into [...]
The date had been set for months. We all knew that from the 16th-18th of December we would be at our favorite place in the world. When the actual day came, there were some complications. Baber (Rachel) had a final at Duke that ended the same time the retreat was supposed to start. Basmaci (Rachel) and Josh almost didn’t make it there because of overbooked flights.
Being a counselor is about learning skills, developing character and making friends while leading peers to do the same. But few environments are as special as Blue Ridge Leaders' School, where teens become a community as they learn both how to be more independent and how to contribute to a group as they engage in [...]
Happy New Year!!!! As we reflect on 2016 we look back at twelve months of amazing impact in our local Y communities. As we look forward we see a lot of exciting changes for BRLS in 2017. We will ring in the new year with a totally re-purposed and redesigned website! This site will have [...]
