NCYC Sponsor Notes For Next Time

This is just a brain dump of ideas for the 2013 NCYC in Indianapolis. These are just things that have been noticed by sponsors that would help for future sponsors.

• Pack breakfast and have the youth come by your room to get it in the morning/night before.
• Bring baggies of all sizes from trash bags to 1qrt bags.
• Bring Cases of water, 1 case for 7 people
• Bring water bottles.
• Make sure to stay hydrated.
• Pack a cooler full of soda. Pop machines in hotels, etc. sell out fast.
• Call and have lunch pre-ordered, Jimmy Johns, Little Ceaser’s, Subway, etc.
• Take videos with you on the bus. Its a long trip.
• Have pre-packed snack for the bus ride to and from NCYC. (fruit snacks, crackers, candy, granola bars, etc.)
• Have a sponsors room and stage all your stuff from that room.
• If you have a large group talk with your dioceses/hotel and see if there is a conference room/suite close to your rooms that can be rented so your youth have a place to come and wind down after a long day. The hotel staff don’t like them in the corridors.
• Take lots of pictures.
• Each sponsor should have a baggy that has a pair of nitrile gloves (not rubber due to allergies), band-aids, and tissues in it. You can do basic first aid that doesn’t require a trip to a nurse.
• Pack a small first aid kit for the group.
• Pack a pole with some identifying symbol so your group can find you.
• Make pins, they are popular. Most folks can go through about 75 a day.
• Make clothes pins as they are easy to put on people.
• Find stickers for your group to distribute.
• All of the pins and stickers should identify your parish.
• If you are taking pictures have cards that indicate where you are putting them so folks can find them.
• Carry spare batteries for your cell phones, tell the youth to do the same. There are not a lot of places to charge them.
• Hats are always good, but they need to be cool, like chicken hats, light up hats, etc. Oriental Trading Co. has these.
• Take tape for multiple things including sealing the doors of your youths rooms so they don’s sneak out.
• Take note pads so the youth can write about their experiences on the way back.
• Beads are ok trading items.
• Print schedules that apply to your diocese.
• See if you can find maps of the facility and surrounding area so you can tell your youth prior to going where they can not go.
• Use social media if at all possible.

More items to come as we think of them.

Tony