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VISITING
AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE
OCTOBER
2009
2009
Donauschwaben
Jugendfreundschaftslager
Akron
Forwarded
From Akron Donauschwaben, German Family Society
Präsident:
Sepp Geiser
This summer did provide something special and it took
place at our own Donau Park. The
GFS had the honor of hosting the second “Donauschwaben
Jugendlager”
(Danubeswabian youth-group camp-out), which was initiated
last year by the St. Louis, MO Danube Swabian Club. It
turned out to be so wonderful, that our national
organization asked that it be continued annually, and Akron
was chosen because of our great facilities and centralized
location. Silvana
and Dave Sensius, as our “Jugendleiters”, graciously
accepted the responsibility of organizing the 4-day event,
which took place on July 9th through the 12th. All sorts of
activities were planned and types of meals discussed (we all
know how picky eaters young people can be).
Then came opening day, with the first groups of young
people and chaperones arriving already at two on Thursday
afternoon. Soon all 50-plus guests were settling-in and
began putting up their tents around the grounds of our main
soccer field (after-all it was a camp-out and this area was
chosen because of the shower and bathroom facilities). After
the youth introduced themselves, a few brief speeches were
presented by the national President, Robert Filippi, the
national Jugendleiterin, Ingrid Dorr, myself as host city
President and national V.P., and of course Dave and Silvana
with welcoming remarks and explanations of the planned
itinerary.
Then the real fun began with some planned games,
dinner and refreshments. This was a great way of breaking
the ice and allowing the young people to burn off some
energy before settling down around a camp fire and
eventually turn-in for the night (well almost, as you could
hear the muted giggles and whispering of excitement leaking
out of the tents until well past midnight). As the kids
eventually began to fall asleep, it was time for the
chaperones to get acquainted over a few
beers
and Jaegermeisters. I have to say that many new friendships
were also made between the adults during this time, and very
fascinating discussions were held about the various
organizations.
The next day turned out to be a scorcher, but that
was perfect, as Dave and Silvana planned an outing at the
Geauga Lake water park. Everyone (including the chaperones)
had a great time there; the water rides were constantly
sought after and lunch was served as a picnic in the
shelter. Hundreds of photos were taken with my
camera
to record the event, and the smiles of the young people were
evident in every picture. After a brief rest upon returning
to the GFS, the youth rebounded with amazing energy and
following a wonderful and filling dinner, they danced most
of the evening away with music of all sorts including: rock,
country, hip-hop and even polkas (Anton aus Tirol would be
astonished!). The dance music was
DJ’d
by our national Danube Swabian Foundation President, Ed
Tulius from Cincinnati, who had every type of song
imaginable on his laptop. Great job Ed!
However, not all was just for fun and games, as the
youth were assigned responsibilities throughout the
“Lager” event. This included cleaning-up after the meals
and helping out with a variety of duties assigned to
pre-established groups. No one seemed to complain and all
the young people were very respectful and cooperative (what
a great representation of our “ethnic” German
upbringing!). Saturday was “Culture” day, and it began
with everyone learning how to make “Schwobische”
bratwurst . It was humorous to see that some of the youth
were surprised to find out what sausage casings actually
were. I even heard a few “Eeeks”, but no one shied away
from getting their hands right into the process. Mrs. Ganz
was also there to help demonstrate how homemade German
potato salad
was
made, and all seemed to be delighted with her cooking
skills, humor and accent.
While one rotating group was busy in the kitchen,
another group was being taught a new heartfelt song about
our Danubeswabian heritage entitled “Donauschwaben Kindes-Kinder”
written by a band (the Schilcher Krainer) made-up of third
generation “Schwobs” now living in Switzerland. This
tune may become the new “Schoen ist die Jugend” (a
traditional song sung by generations of our youth) of the
future. Fred Leipold was there with his accordion skills as
our music instructor, and the lyrics were translated so that
those who did not understand enough German could follow
along and absorb the meaning of the song. Following the
singing of this and other traditional “Volkslieder”
chairs
were
put away and folk-dances were shared and taught by the
various leaders of youth groups present.
After lunch, a more serious but also important kind
of lesson about our ethnic history was presented to the
youth, as Mrs. Anna Koenig arrived to give a heart-wrenching
talk about her experiences during her frightful time after
World War II in concentration labor-camps under the
communist regime of Tito in the former Yugoslavia. One could
see the sadness but peaked interest in the faces of the
youth. She also discussed the many hardships that were faced
by her family (as were by many of our families) after coming
to a strange new land with nothing
but
the clothing on their backs. Yet, she explained, “these
same immigrants, who did not understand a word of English,
managed to persevere and with hard work and a will to
survive became one of the most productive and successful
parts of our American society”.
This was followed by a question and answer session,
and many of the adults present were surprised by the degree
of interest shown by our youth. Although some of the topics
covered were poignant and intense, this is a part of our
Danube Swabian history that needs to be told so that our
future generations can appreciate their heritage. There was
some down time after this, and then it unexpectedly
began
to rain very hard, but even that couldn’t spoil the fun as
some creative young minds decided to make a water slide next
to our “Edelweisshaus” out of some plastic tarps and
dish soap found in the kitchen. It was hilarious to see
these kids, clothes and all, sliding into the torrential
monsoon.
Even some of us adults were (not all that
reluctantly) coaxed into joining in (I have some great
photos to prove it). Of-course all the wet clothes and
water-soaked kids coming into the hall to change in the
bathrooms drenched our dance floor, but it was quickly
mopped up and things eventually returned to normal without a
single complaint by any of our GFS directors (the things we
endure for the sake of our youth?).
Next, a surprise dinner was served, and it consisted
of the same sausage and potato salad made by the youth
earlier in the day and you could see by the ravenous
appetites that it must have been good, because almost all of
it disappeared quickly. We had other menu items for those
who were hesitant in trying their own handiwork (LOL- email
acronym for “laugh out loud”).
Saturday was the last night for the “Lager”, but
some of tents around the soccer field were flooded from the
rain, and a few campers asked if they could sleep inside the
hall. This turned out to mean, “everyone stayed in the
hall”! Sleeping bags were scattered everywhere, under
tables, in hallways, in the classroom behind the stage, in
the coatroom, behind the bar (Dave found a spot all to
himself) and even in the office. What a site! It was like a
wave of new immigrants moved into the Akron GFS. However, it
was too early to go to
sleep
just yet, so Dave put on some dance music on our club sound
system, and away it went. The youth were like a ball of
energy that wouldn’t quit, and since it was their last
night together, they were allowed to stay up, dance, sing,
and enjoy the camaraderie as long as they were able.
This is when the new friendships that were made
really became obvious. You could see that a few of the
younger ones were somewhat saddened that this was going to
be their last night together, but on the whole everyone just
wanted to hug, dance, sing and have a good time. I hope
everyone understands that this is a reason of why the
“Jugend Lager” was initiated. It was to help establish
long lasting friendships between our youth from all over the
country, yet also educate them about our culture and
heritage while having a rewarding experience with life-long
memories.
I truly believe that the “Jugegendlager” in Akron
succeeded, and I hope that it was (in no small way) a
building block for keeping our clubs and our heritage alive
for many years into the future through the learned
experiences and continued friendships of our youth. Many of
our ethnic clubs preach “that the youth are our future”,
and these “Jugendlagers” are an example of practicing
what we preach!
Well, Sunday, was farewell day, and although we only
had one to two hours sleep (if you call sitting on a bar
stool sleeping), Dave, Silvana and Carrie Sensius along with
myself began to make a special breakfast at six in the
morning. Over seventy eggs were scrambled using my secret
recipe (if I told you, I’d have to kill you…LOL),
muffins, more of the homemade sausage, and a variety of
fruits and
juices
were served. Then as the groups began to depart, it was
fantastic and rewarding to see all the hugs and kisses, and
shouts of “I’ll text you” and “don’t forget to
email me as soon as you get home”. Although the
“Jugendlager” was intended for the youth, I believe, as
adults, we also learned much and made many new friends
during this experience. I will never forget these four days
in July of 2009, and I believe that many of the chaperones
present saw the value of such an event, and will report this
to their respective organizations.
Mit
freundlichem Gruss:
Sepp Geiser
Praesident,
German Family Society, Akron
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