KeyMan University

For the 32nd year, Pennsylvania DeMolay will host the annual KeyMan Conference, known for the last 4 years as KeyMan University. The week long DeMolay experience will take place at the Masonic Conference Center - Patton Campus in Elizabethtown, PA on August 6th to 12th, 2017. Members and sweethearts are encouraged to join us for what is known throughout DeMolay International as a premier DeMolay leadership program. So why should you attend? Here are several reasons why you will want to be in Elizabethtown in August.

10. The Directors of KMU, "Dad" Dan Loughin and "Dad" Matt Blaisdell, have put together a stellar staff roster to help teach members and sweethearts everything they need to know during the week.

9. Participants will enjoy a week long stay at Patton Campus. For those who have never been to the campus, the facility consists of several meeting size rooms, dorm room style accommodations, a state of the art Multimedia Center, a cafeteria, and plenty of outdoor space to play all kinds of games and sports.  

8. Patton Campus has a half Olympic size pool that participants will have opportunities to enjoy. Assigned time frames for the pool will be reflected on the schedule.  

7. For the sports fanatics, there will be assigned time to let off some steam, with sports such as dodgeball, flag football, kickball, volleyball and basketball. Not a fan of sports? Not to worry, there are plenty of other things to do on campus, including a closet full of board games and a few chess tables in the atrium. 

6. One of the things that makes KMU special is the emphasis on service through our various service projects that will be built into the week. More details on this will come in a later post. 

5. Each participant will be placed into a department, which will be the emphasis for their learning experience through the week. New members will be placed in the DeMolay Education department. Other departments include Ritual and Performance, Chapter Leadership and Operations, Communications and Media, Events and Program Planning, Brotherhood and Membership, and Interpersonal Development.

4. There will be opportunities to work on LCC's throughout the week. Participants can also start working on their Representative DeMolay Award. 

3. FOOD!  

2. Participants will get to meet other members and sweethearts from their Jurisdiction as well as others. KMU is a DeMolay International known program, with participants traveling from Virginia, Maryland, New York, Canada and others to participate in our program. 

1. The week long fun that will be had at KMU will surely provide stories and memories that can be shared for years to come. It will also provide lessons that can, and should, be taken back to your home chapter.   

I hope this motivates members and sweethearts to join us for what is guaranteed to be a great DeMolay experience. Registration is open now, so go to keyman.pademolay.org to register now.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Honor Roll Challenge in Philadelphia

Are you a member of DeMolay that gets honor roll on their report cards? If so, then your chapter or region may want to consider this idea. Several years ago, the Philadelphia region put together an Honor Roll Challenge for all of the members from Friendship-Bray, Northeast and Chester Pike Chapters who receive A's and B's on their final report cards. A copy of the report card is sent to Deputy Executive Officer Rick Freedman before a specific deadline. The program is back by popular demand, with the challenge being held on August 20, 2016. This year's deadline for report cards is July 8th, 2016.

You're probably wondering what happens at this Honor Roll Challenge that makes it so special. The members are taken to an awesome restaurant, as well as a fun activity afterward such as Dave and Busters, bowling or laser tag. Although I never personally had a chance to attend, several members of my chapter expressed excitement about the great time they had. This also motivated to continue working hard so they could attend the following year. The whole concept of the Honor Roll Challenge is to prove to the young men that hard work really does pay off. This program gives a great incentive to the members of DeMolay, pushing them to work hard for good grades.

One of the main teachings that makes DeMolay great is the appreciation for our educational system. This is a perfect opportunity to show that we value the future of our members. Take some time to appreciate the knowledge of the members in your chapter or region.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin  

DeMOLAY ROTC- RISK OFFICERS TRAINING CAMP

TAKE THE RISK! PROGRAM'S BASIC TRAINING

by Eric M. Dye, State Junior Councilor

Hey guys! In the past, you’ve attended loads of DeMolay events, and had a blast! Dances, Sports, Ritual Competitions, Chapter Installations, Obligatory Days, and other events have come and passed on your calendar. But want something special? Something that you can only get in one place, and learn skills you never dreamed you’d have? Something that will teach you how to run a successful chapter and how to dress properly for each occasion?  Something that will guide you into the Master-DeMolay you want to become? Well, consider going to ROTC-- RISK Officer Training Camp on May 1-3 at Patton Campus in Elizabethtown!

You heard it here first, RISK OTC Weekend will be a game-changer for all who attend! Jam packed with fun activities and opportunities to develop useful skills, you’ll leave this weekend fully prepared to lead (or assist in leading) your chapter to term after term of success, and build our Order in the process.

Now, I can’t tell you EVERYTHING the program will offer, but I can give you some exciting previews and one or two of the secrets!

Basically, the weekend will be a huge RISK Game! The rules will be slightly changed however: Each of the 4 units, denoted by colors, will spend Saturday morning traveling around campus attending an exciting variety of workshops, sports, and activities. Presenters, Advisors, and Elected State Officers will keep their eyes out for good Officers. DeMolays who are attentive, interactive and engaged will earn RISK points for their Color Unit (awarded by Staff.) Points can also be taken away for minor misconduct. After each time slot, each Color Unit reports back to Mission Command for 10 minutes of debrief time. Here, they will discuss the last workshop, tally RISK Points, and head to the next workshop. Also, during debrief time, Color Units will compete to see who can create the tallest freestanding structure out a mystery assortment of objects. The winning Color Unit will receive 50 RISK points! At the end of the weekend, the Color Unit with the most RISK points wins the RISK Coolest Color Prize.

To tell you everything you would learn while at ROTC would be a spoiler, but I can drop a couple of big hints: DeMolays will leave Patton Campus on Sunday morning with their minds swimming with ideas for Committees, capture the flag, recruitment tactics, charity work, hundreds of Obligatory Day celebration ideas, dodgeball, stained glass windows and half-tied ties. They will return to their chapter a changed DeMolay, a man of action who will work hard to further his chapter and his Order. Putting these leadership skills into practice, these DeMolays will spread and re-teach what they learned at the RISK Officer Training Camp weekend, helping others earn awards like LCCs, RDs and the PMC-MSA, just like someone in DeMolay helped them earn theirs.

So save the date! Spaces will fill up fast.  Make sure your Master Councilor plans on sending DeMolays from your chapter. You won’t want to miss RISK Officer Training Camp!

I am Still Learning

Today's post comes from my ever increasing need to continue to learn and teach myself skills I didn't know previously. As "Dad" Tom Labagh has quoted Italian Artist, Michelangelo, in a few of his remarks, Ancora imparo.

"I am Still Learning."

It's pretty simple to tell what this means, and says a lot about one's character who emulates this ideal, but what it doesn't quite tell us is "how can we continue to learn?"

Recently, I've been getting involved in many online, educational forums and videos which allow me to learn about web design, calligraphy and even technology. After researching some places that could allow me to teach myself at my own pace, I've decided to compile a list of sites, for you to continue your education or enhance what you already know. 

A majority of the links below are free to access, those with a minimal fee is marked with a *.

www.openstudy.com - Online educational communities

www.wikihow.com - Step-by-step tutorials for many different projects

www.SkillShare.com - Video-based online courses*

www.Lynda.com - Video-based online courses*

www.ocw.mit.edu/courses/ - Online lectures from MIT

www.ted.com - Professional lectures and forums

www.howstuffworks.com - Self-explanatory and for the person who just wants to know more!

www.codecademy.com - Web design & coding tutorials

www.coursera.org - "World's best courses, online, for free"

www.khanacademy.org - "A world of skills to practice, with help along the way."

I've given you a list of links, so what, right? Obviously this hardly makes a dent in the amount of online, educational websites that are offered but this is where you and your interests come into play. Research free courses online about any subject and I'll guarantee you'll come out of those online-courses as a better, smarter person.

These sites can offer you loads of information, and even inspire you to pursue an educational avenue you didn't think you'd originally like.

Keep learning. Keep teaching. Keep Growing.

- "Dad" Matt 'Still Learning' Blaisdell

Tie it up - with a good knot!

Today, I'm sharing with you a great infographic on how to tie a bunch of different knots for neck ties. Every man should be able to tie a tie, even with the most basic knot. Our State Officers have graduated to learning how to tie bow ties, so be adventurous like them! Check it out and learn something!

(Click the image to see it larger!)

JacquesTalk, A New Look on Education

For those know know me, I spend a lot of my time in the office or studio filling my mind with audio and video stimulation like documentaries, bazaar music and informational discussions. Recently, I turned to one of my favorite programs, TedTalks, which are a series of conferences cover a range of topics from learning and teaching to the latest electronic possibilities.

While looking though my favorite TedTalk channels, I came across a stream of videos called "Knowledge is Power", which looked at how the educational system works, doesn't work, and how it can be made better. This one particular video in that stream really drew me in, not just because of the content, but because of the speaker as well.

Fifteen year old Adora Svitak, an American child protege and internationally recognized author, presented her ideas under the discussion title "What Adults can Learn from Kids."



What was really compelling about this was that she posited that while adults have gained experience in a specific field and trust among their peers, a large part of every action decided has been from an adult, with very little youth interaction.

As Adora put it. "learning between grown-ups and kids should be reciprocal." Youth have a lot of creative ideas, with not as many social restrictions that old generations may have learned through their experiences. The goal of educating our youth is not to turn them into carbon copies of ourselves in terms of our thinking and doing capabilities, but to establish opportunities for them to do better than us.

The relation our Chapters have to this concept is that Advisors take an "Unplugged" approach to Chapter term planning. The members control their organization and, as "Dad" Tom Labagh has put it many times before, "the members support what they help create."

If you're looking to learning something new, sit down and speak to a youth and take in their ideas and opinions with an open mind. You'll walk away with a different perspective.

"Dad" Matt Blaisdell

A Double Check

Being the Director of Communications for PMYF means that I do a lot of writing. Between the Masonic Youth Minutes, this blog, the websites, and several other publications, I'm constantly churning out documents and pieces for publication. While we do our best to proof read each other here in the office, sometimes we're all very busy and we can't turn things around fast enough. This was becoming a bit of a problem, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and find another proofreading option.

That's when I stumbled across www.paperrater.com. This website is totally free to use and it will do a grammar check, spell check, word count, and language analysis on any written piece. It has saved me a lot of headaches with my writing. I now routinely use it to check my blog posts, website updates, and written articles.

If you're looking to get a piece of work proofed for school or another organization, I highly recommend giving this valuable tool a try!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth C. Anthony

Vocabulary 101

With the school year back in full swing, many DeMolays are facing the challenge of papers and tests. Some of the older members are probably staring at college applications and anticipating their future. This can be a stressful time, especially when you're under pressure to get things done by a deadline. With so many pieces to be written, it can be very tedious to draft paper after paper, essay after essay, especially if English isn't you're specialty.

One area that most men struggle with is vocabulary. Having a large vocabulary can make writing papers easier, as well as give an edge in tests and collegiate applications. Thankfully, the folks over at Art of Manliness recognize this and have put together a great article entitled "The Importance of Building Your Vocabulary (And 5 Easy Steps to Doing It)" It's worth a look by everyone - both DeMolays and Adults. 

All DeMolays have an edge in vocabulary thanks to our Ritual, but it can never hurt to expand your horizons.  Someday you'll realize just how important it is to have a wide array of words at your disposal. Just ask the Elected State Officers around the time of the Keystone Crusader deadline!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Marching 2 Success

A new resource has taken the DeMolay world by fire - March 2 Success. Already being supported by DeMolay in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts, this site aims to help students to do better on standardized tests and college entrance exams. The service is provided free to everyone as part of an initiative created by the United States Army to aid young people in having successful futures.

What does the site provide? Why, an amazing amount of FREE resources! Anyone can take practice SAT and ACT tests, as well as download flash cards that will help students study for these important exams. The site also has resources for those trying to navigate the college entrance process and the maze that can be financial aid.

If you're a student, you owe it to yourself to check this out. If you're a parent or a mentor, you owe it to your  guys and girls to share this website!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Space Cadet Academy - Mission go!

So, it appears I missed a day in posting, for which I apologize. I've been knee deep in building a brand new version of the PA Masonic Youth Foundation website and didn't get a chance to blog yesterday. But, we're back in action to day with a post offered by Bro. Alex Rauschenberger, Deputy State Master Councilor and Dean of Students at the Space Cadet Academy. What is Space Cadet Academy? Read on! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

The mission of Space Cadet Academy is to provide enthusiastic young DeMolays with quality training so that they can become fully capable Space Crusaders of their Chapters and all of Pennsylvania DeMolay.  Space Cadet Academy will prepare DeMolays for complete service as Space Crusaders teaching them important skills so that they may carry the teachings of DeMolay into their daily lives, into service with their Chapters, and anywhere they may go.  Space Cadet Academy will expand on the Cadet's DeMolay knowledge in both fun and educational ways and will also help increase teamwork.  Through translation of the training, received by the Cadets in all fields of study, Space Cadet Academy graduates will be prepared to combat the forces of darkness and help carry the light of DeMolay throughout the universe as Space Crusaders.

Space Cadet Academy’s 2012 Semester will begin on May 4^th and will be held at Patton Campus in Elizabethtown Pennsylvania until the 6^th.  If you are interested in attending this prestigious academy, admission applications will be due in to PMYF Admissions Office.  A complete course calendar will be posted in the upcoming weeks, but many bright and fun opportunities await any aspiring young men who seek to become Cadets in the 2012 class of Space Cadet Academy.  Cadets will be trained on how to build a working star cruiser out of lego-style model bricks and will also participate in a competition testing their Space Crusader skills.  In addition Cadets will have the opportunity to learn more about the complex workings of interplanetary communication and the history of DeMolay and Space Crusaders. 

It is of the upmost importance that we, as young DeMolays and future Space Crusaders of this great Commonwealth, join-up and train at this, the most prestigious of all Space Crusader training facilities.  Without the proper training to become a Space Crusader, we could easily be overpowered by the forces of darkness, our lawful enemies, who’s only goal is to spread darkness over the land and take away the light of DeMolay’s teachings forever.  As Space Crusaders it is our mission to stop the forces of darkness and continue work for justice and equality across the universe.  Do you accept this mission?

A Free Ride

Many young people who are going off to college covet the words "free ride" - meaning that they go to school without cost for four years. Very few people actually get to enjoy such an experience and when they do, it's usually because of a sports career or genius level scores on aptitude tests. So, what's the average student to do? Apply to Antioch College, of course!

No, you've never heard of it. No, it doesn't have a football team, a pool, or guy in a mascot costume. It does, however, have a 160 years of tradition and a way for you to go to college for free! Yes, that's right - FREE. Don't believe me? Check out this article over on Yahoo! Finance and get the details!

http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-113840-11763-4-how-to-get-a-106000-college-education-for-free?ywaad=ad0035&nc

On a side note, I know today's article was short, but we have a special guest article coming from "Dad" Dave Berry, Executive Secretary of PA DeMolay, later this week, so keep checking back!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

I'm too young! I'm too old! I'm too...

This post is part of series of entries written by the Elected State Officers of PA DeMolay. Each of them have been assigned topics to discuss and offer their opinions on. Today's post is offered by Bro. Anthony Kallhoff, State Junior Councilor. Enjoy!

Finally! It's my senior year of high school! No more tests, no more studying, no more homework! "But what about college?"  AW, COME ON!

Like our ritual states, the wisest young man is one who plans for the future.  For some of us, that means preparing for secondary schooling.  It's not always a fun process, but it is a necessary one for any guy who desires a profession that requires a degree. As I am going through the process of college applications right now, I think I am able to shed a little light on the issue and show what DeMolay has to offer in aiding the process. I also think I can impart some of my wisdom to those whom can benefit from it.

You may be thinking that you are too young to be worrying about college.  You are wrong.  If you are a DeMolay, that means you are at least 12, and I think that it is fair to say that what you do in seventh grade and up will affect how colleges view you.   Good news though, you have already made a smart move in distinguishing yourself as a worthy applicant.  You are already a DeMolay.  Just like Boy Scouts, DeMolay and other leadership organizations showcase your ability to directs others and your willingness to learn.  By living as a DeMolay, furthermore, you display a set of core values that I know personally will impress any university.   When talking to someone in DeMolay of any age, although it works best with kids in high school, don't forget to mention the positive effect DeMolay has on a resume.

While we are on the subject of recruitment, I would be foolish to not mention the great resource that DeMolay offers in the form of scholarships.  The Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation has compiled these scholarships into one handy booklet, the PA Masonic Scholarship Resource Guide (great title, I know.)  Within those pages await thousands of dollars, hundreds of which go unclaimed each year!  Talk about easy money! There are few things that entice people like money, and by bringing along one of these packets to give to a prospect in high school, you make DeMolay that much more appealing.

DeMolay is a tool for preparing for college, but you'll hear about that from other people.  I am more interested in sharing what I have learned and what I believe you should know.   A lot of what I have learned is more of a confirmation of what people have taught me:  get good grades, be active in clubs, stay involved in sports.  One big concept is to always do what you love.  But again, these are all things you'll hear from other people.  What I want to teach you, because it is one thing I regret, is to not put off tomorrow what you could do today.  "But Anthony, we have heard this from others!" Oh shush, no you haven't.  I'm not just talking about a paper or learning a ritual part.  While putting those things off is still a bad idea, I'm speaking about a much deeper sense of procrastination which plagues everyone of any age.  We all have great dreams in our hearts.  As many know, I dream of becoming a physicist one day; a physicist that changes the very way we view the universe.  But like many other things in life, I've found excuses.  I have to wait until college before I know enough to matter.  I need more experience to do science work that anyone cares about.  I'm too busy with other things to work on science.  BALOGNA!  If I truly believe that physics is what I want to do (and I do,) then ANY excuse is not good enough!  We only have a limited time on this earth, and if we dedicate that time to not striving for the best and doing what we love, our lives will quickly turn sour.  You are never too young, or too old, to follow your heart.  When you have a dream, don't let yourself be the thing in your way.  Let me leave you with a quote from Arnold Bennett, an English novelist. "We shall never have more time. We have, and have always had, all the time there is. No object is served in waiting until next week or even until tomorrow. Keep going day in and day out. Concentrate on something useful. Having decided to achieve a task, achieve it at all costs."

College is just around the corner, but if you prepare for a life, and a life of following your dream, any college will be proud to have you.