camp tenderheart

THE AUTHOR'S VISION
The author and creator of the Stevie Tenderheart Comic Strip and follow on children's book series of the same name has a vision for our youth that is truly remarkable and ambitious. 

The author, Steve William Laible, Captain, USAF (Ret) has a dream to build Camp Tenderheart—a place for children to receive a solid foundation of core values and life skills based in presented opportunities, mentoring, leadership and experiences.

HIS GOAL
Steve's goal is to open the doors of life to children of the world in fun, safe, teachable ways. 

He wants to give children more than hope. We will give them a core skill-set to help them mature responsibly with a few less detours. By helping children gain confidence and friendships we are playing a small role in their positive development as they become citizens of the world.

HIS OBJECTIVE
Focusing on enrichment, Camp Tenderheart (also referred to as Ranch Camp Reserve) will give children from all walks of life, from Japan to Australia, China to New Zealand, from Germany to New York, the opportunities to learn about themselves, others and nature. 

We want to bring children together from around the world to create a terrific synergy 

of passion, wonderment, growth and responsibility.

By introducing children from other countries with children from USA towns, farms, inner cities and rural communities we believe we can accomplish something great. 

Our intent is to improve their world views with social interactions, at an early age, while also developing a healthy perspective for trust building, respect and discovery. 

The moral imperative here is to give our kids the chance to unlearn.

OUR "DRAFT" NARRATIVE
The following brainstorming narrative is nothing more than an early draft version of our vision but it should give you a gist of our philosophy and where our intentions are focused. We want to help children learn how to identify, discuss, reason and solve problems not yet envisioned for themselves personally or socially; and when they do become frustrated or afraid, not to lash out in violence toward themselves, others or property.

 If children can truly learn to communicate effectively and decisively in their formative years, perhaps when they become adults they will be better able to affect positive changes among the economies of the world, environmental and political topics and beyond…in more efficient and profound ways—within their own families, relationships, and communities. For it is our belief, nations of reasoned minds are less likely to pick up sticks.

FUNDING
Operating as a nonprofit foundation using worldwide sales from Stevie Tenderheart books, movie & television rights, merchandising, product licensing and endorsements; Fortune 500 corporate sponsorship's; multi-national grants; philanthropic endowments; angel support; public donations and Stevie’s huge fan base, "one-dime-at-a-time" campaign, we will build and grow a one-of-a kind Ranch Camp Reserve for children of all countries. 

LOCATION
Headquartered in the beautiful landscapes of Southern Oregon, USA, and modeled throughout nations, employing 35,000 highly-trained multi-national staff, mentors, athletic and life coaches, advisers, leadership and curriculum personnel and teachers, medical and dental professionals, and an extremely dedicated legion of volunteers, our year-round facilities will offer

 adventures and programs of varied lengths of stay. 

This ambitious endeavor will serve children at every station in life.

DISCUSSION
Our discussion for the Stevie Tenderheart Ranch Camp Reserve (aka) Camp Tenderheart, 

is a dynamic, innovative, life-changing work-in-progress. 

Learned behavior is such an important component of growing up. We feel we can reset the basic standards with our children if we approach it in the right way. Your input, feedback, ideas and positive support are always appreciated as we want and need this alliance with you.

Some ideas presented here will be abandoned while others, not yet articulated, will be implemented. The end result is to create an environment for enrichment and discovery for our youth. If we adults also happen to learn something along the way, well, that’s just a bonus. Collectively, we are making an investment in our children.

AMERICAN PARADIGM
We believe a fundamental shift is needed with America’s children. Perhaps by introducing our children to other children of the world we will create a new, real world perspective. The "mind-set" we want to address is the one that has miraculously evolved (or morphed) into the "new normal" where our kids feel entitled. Our true intent is to reintroduce them to a basic model for compassion, acceptance, service and success.

We are not necessarily inclined to focus on individual moral judgments or pockets of beliefs but rather on the unintended consequences of decisions and the avoidance of responsibility demonstrated by so many children. Justifying or rationalizing is important because if we listen closely, we can help them better understand their own immature decision making process. Choosing right from wrong, for whatever reasons, too many children are losing the distinction. Education is the linchpin to bridging this imbalance.

Life for our children has become exponentially more exposed and complex. Their behaviors are adapting to this new normal in ways that are leaving values, morals, integrity, personal responsibility, and manners behind. More and more children are acting out in discouraging ways as a mechanism to be heard, noticed or loved. 

We would like to put responsibility back onto the shoulders of reason. Without proper supervision, parenting or direction (goal setting) and the lack of access to role models with substance and purpose, our youth are left to fend for themselves in ways that dilute their core goodness. We must work harder to prevent a throw-away society. Our children are not electronics. They are not disposable—they can be "fixed" or more importantly, 

re-directed, re-focused and re-balanced.

INTEGRITY
Children of character: One way we intend to accomplish our mission is to make a clear path, at a very early age, on what it means to have integrity. We don’t feel this is being taught or emphasized as it should be in our society. Ergo, we are plagued with the ills. 

We believe "integrity" is an essential cornerstone of character building as it provides for a truly sound foundation. (So you know precisely what we mean when we talk of integrity, we define "integrity" as doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.) This is the core component of the Stevie Tenderheart Ranch Camp Reserve. Our message is, "Choose integrity as your true north, you will never get lost." 

Imagine the possibilities, if children passing through our vision 

actually learned to embrace our definition of integrity and made it apart of their core DNA. 

(Would Socrates not then be verily delighted?)

By doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, we could greatly reduce or eliminate bullying, gangs and graffiti; obesity, violence, underage drinking, drug abuse, driving under the influence, speeding, stealing, cheating, lying, teen pregnancies, and perhaps, 

even the hopeless act of ending it all. 

Perhaps we are naive in our thinking but that cannot keep us from trying whatever it takes to save our children from a life complicated with so many obstacles and curves. We must equip children with more tools and choices than they are being offered.

To help children find their own integrity, which will most certainly foster healthy decision making, our programs will gently guide children in the direction of personal responsibility. By helping children navigate their lives in more meaningful and rewarding ways, we can be assured of their later successes and productivity in all manners of society.

Reinforcing the simple handshake can make an impression on young minds, that their handshake is their word, their character and their honor. 

Kids are at such a huge risk and disadvantage in many parts of the world, including America. Hunger, exploitation, shelter, clean water and disease can all be overcome with a consensus of thoughtful direction and effort. Hopefully, we can make a difference, one block at a time, one acre at a time, and one village at a time, by bringing children of the world together

 and sharing the possibilities. 

We believe their shared experiences in the ranch camp environment will help them measure the world in tangible ways. By escaping the simple boundaries of their own existence, children will come to realize they are not locked into one circumstance but free to explore their own visions. A friendly smile from one child to another can create a bond that lasts a lifetime. 

Children everywhere are a work-in-progress. Circumstances of birth ought not to be the sole defining moment of their destiny. At some point, after all the education, counseling, lectures and object lessons we put into their heads, they will need to think for themselves 

and stand on their own merits.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
We understand children’s immature minds rarely process the consequences (let alone the unintended consequences) of their actions before engaging in risky behavior. And because they’ve never learned how to truly evaluate their options, the realities of actually getting caught, rarely deters them in their decision making. Most are willing to take the gamble. 

We want to approach this dilemma from another angle. If children have a pure sense of what it means to have integrity—doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, 

then we will have turned the corner!

Stevie Tenderheart, Nobel Prize Laureate

DISTRACTIONS
We get it. How busy (distracted) and fractured so many families are nowadays. Most are focused on just surviving. Contrary to popular opinion, we have not lost the war on terrorism, drugs, peer pressure, experimentation, lying, bullying, teen pregnancy, obesity, and self-destructive or risky behavior. Some of our kids are lost and this makes them highly impressionable. Unfortunately, there is a certain segment of our children who will always be at risk. We are not trying to "save" all the children of the world. We only want to "help" them find their true self. In the end, they will decide if they want to lead an authentic life.

DATA OVERLOAD
Can you imagine what it must be like for children these days—young, impressionable children? Their inability to comprehend it all is surely a saving grace, yet they are being influenced. There is so much information to digest, coming at them from every direction. Kids are bombarded with more information than they can possibly understand and so much of it is skewed. They live under the constant threat of war, terrorism, poverty, hunger, predators, danger, isolation, bullying, lack of opportunities or shelter, and in many countries, disease, famine, relocation, etc. There is hardly time to remain a child for more than a few years. Children need time to play; to seek adventure, to dream to find out who they really are. 

The sheer amount of information our children are exposed to isn’t vetted or supervised proportionately. This data overload therefore, inhibits their ability to effectively process the messages being sent and more likely dulls their sensibilities. While their adolescent brains are no where near fully developed, technologies are exploiting and accelerated the speed in which kids grow up today. 

The trend seems to be a society of anything goes—at any cost. Many children are losing respect for themselves and others at an earlier age. Making the right choices, for themselves and those decisions which benefit society as a whole are becoming even more blurred. The "line" keeps moving inch by inch until it becomes acceptable. 

Many children just don’t realize life doesn’t have a "reset" button. 

Children are actually "learning" to become indulgent. The path of least resistance is leading many of our children down a corridor of wrong turns [poor dietary and exercise routines, lack of manners and respect for themselves (and others) and the ever popular "hanging with the wrong crowd"]. All of which makes them susceptible to peer influences, ultimately leading to improper or impulsive decisions. This is a recipe for disaster—it always has been.

THINK BEYOND THE ACT
Earlier we mentioned how we believe that most kids rarely consider the "consequences" or the "unintended" consequences of their actions. They perhaps reason that the "act" is worth the risks. Primarily because they don’t think they will be caught. We want to move them in the direction of the big picture. 

Our focus on "integrity" and the cause and effects of learned behavior empowers us to teach children the subtle basic values that will help us regain some of that lost ground of the past few generations. What we are looking for at the Stevie Tenderheart Ranch Camp Reserve is for is a notable shift in attitudes of the adolescent mind {just enough to make Socrates smile}. 

We will demonstrate with games, in role playing exercises, confidence course outings, and so on, that there are different choices for every decision they make in life. We really want them to start thinking about what they are doing. If they choose to make a bad decision anyway, which is all a part of growing up and learning, we can make that a safe, productive, 

empowering teachable moment.

This will be a highly interactive social experience with leadership skills training, 

self-confidence enrichment and team building.

We want children to "Think Beyond the Act"; in other words, to play out the scenarios 

in their minds first, before taking action.

A CHANGE OF HEART
Kids need to become inspired again. Another message we make is that "A Change of Heart, Changes Everything." Turning the "status quo" corner with our youth on drug use, schoolyard bullying/teasing and out of control obesity rates are just some of the destructive behaviors we hope to address. We strongly believe once children accept their own individual integrity, they alone will solve the issues that worry so many parents; because in the end,

 the power to change comes from within.

FUN AND ADVENTURE
It’s not all work and lecture at Camp Tenderheart. 

We will balance the experiences with fun and adventure too. 

Think of it as a mini "trade school".

 [We like the terms ranch or camp better as it fosters a perception of "fun and adventure".] 

We don’t want kids knowing they are actually learning something. 

We’re more clever and subtle than that...so mums the word.

FIELD TRIPS
The Stevie Tenderheart Camp  model will give kids the great opportunity to visit most fields of endeavor available within society from the sciences to charities, businesses, 

agriculture, services, and beyond. 

Whatever is unique to our hosting cities from national monuments, museums, ecosystems, historical sites, etc., we want to put children in precisely that environment. We want to help children forge their own trails by putting them at the edge of greatness, marvels and wonderment. Children will get a chance to experience it all, firsthand, up close and personal. This will personalize the world they live in. 

Spending time with a chef, small business owner, elected official, farmer, rancher, breeder, carpenter, welder, astronaut, iron worker, banker, longshoreman, fisherman, talent agent, jockey, insurance/real estate agent, race car driver, pilot, school teacher, charities, taxidermist, dietitian, dentist, doctor, nurse, cable installer, auditor, stock broker, taxi/bus/truck driver, conductor, engineer, architect, news anchor, sports commentator, etc., can inspire a child like nothing else. Mentoring in snapshots can be just the nudge children need to follow 

a certain path of interest. 

We want to open up the world of possibilities to children and show them just how fascinating the world can be outside of a video game or online chat room. That defacing a building with spray paint, or loafing with "friends" consuming drugs and alcohol is so beneath them. With the right mentoring, education or skills training, the world is theirs. 

The key is to ignite their imaginations and awareness. 

If a child meets a singer, dancer, actor, or someone of interest to that child, the world changes for that child—forever. If a young boy or girl gets to meet a major league baseball player for instance, and walks onto the diamond and tosses a ball, or enters a collegiate or national football league stadium and gets to coach players on a specially designed schoolyard play they thought up, or learn the game of golf and the reason for rules, or tens of thousands other "adventures" going on in our society every day, this will impact our children in 

life-changing ways.

HEROES
It is human nature to emulate. As such, we want to give children every opportunity to meet with as many incredible people as possible in their chosen professions. This will surely spark their imaginations and dreams. If we invest in our children now, they will invest in the world later on. Once a child finds his or her own passion for something, we just need to get out of their way and watch them discover, learn and grow.

PARTNERSHIPS
We will cultivate and grow our industry partnerships in all manner of workplace settings that align with our principles and doctrine. From Wall Street to Main Street and all alleys in-between, we will create a laboratory of discovery and experience.

Children will learn from veterinarians, ranchers and farmers. They will visit police stations, fire houses, television and radio stations; hospitals; product, food, bottling and even candy production facilities; orchards and vineyards and if there are any lumber mills left, kids will get to see first-hand how a tree becomes something more. 

Our field partners will be monetarily compensated by our foundation and enriched by the wide eyes of children sitting in amazement.

OREGON SPIRIT
Oregonians have an unlimited capacity of kindness and support for this type of endeavor. Business people, government officials and countless volunteers and professionals are lining up to get involved in this world-class showcase project. It is our expectation other states will join our efforts once we implement our vision.

WILDLIFE & NATURE
Children will learn about wildlife and nature. They will be taught to fish, clean and cook (or catch and release) salmon and trout from our abundant lakes, rivers and streams. Oregon fishing ports and canneries will show kids those lifestyles in full measure and demonstrate how important natural resources are.

ARTS & SCIENCES & GOLD!
Children will learn all about painting (barns and canvass), sculpture, pottery, music, sports and sciences. Nothing too in-depth, just a slight introduction to everything we can imagine from labs to astrology. Kids will gaze at the stars and pan for gold. As we’ve said, only desire to ignite their imaginations. From there on, we just need to get out of their way.

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS
Locally, kids will see lions and tigers and bears. They will chase chickens and run with the roosters. They will pet goats and donkeys and maybe even a monkey. They will brush and care for horses and feed livestock and clean up after them too. They will tour local businesses and facilities of all trades, from where candy is made to where they rescue and care for wolves, owls, foxes, bobcats, eagles and more...

EXERCISE
For exercise, there will be a fully equipped gym with weights, Bowflex, elliptical, boxing, martial arts, soccer, ping pong, tennis, racquetball, basketball, etc. There will be hiking from moderate to strenuous, to places like Table Rock and water falls. There will be rock/wall climbing, scuba diving, snow skiing, water skiing, surfing, swimming, golfing and disc golfing, radio controlled cars and planes, bowling, billiards, archery, etc. We are focused on non-sedentary life activities, and probably won’t have much time for Madden or Halo. 

(No disrespect intended because those are entertaining.)

HOME ECONOMICS
We will have kitchens and chefs, and home economics for children to learn how to prepare anything from biscuits to a baked Alaska. Kids will learn the art of sewing and design, fabricating and general household repairs. Nothing will be a lost art.

FLIGHT SIMULATOR
We will have flight simulators and bone yard cockpits from bi-planes, helicopters, jets and airliners, as well as race cars, locomotives, tug boats, heavy equipment and combines. Ongoing negotiations with NASA might also bring us a space module. There will be hot air balloons, paragliding and sky diving exhibitions. Nowhere else on earth will children be able to experience, year after year, the marvels and wonderment's we envision at our primary location or various satellite ranch camps. Having once met Walt Disney, perhaps 

Tenderland, USA isn’t that far-fetched.

RANCH CAMP DOLLARS
Children will earn Ranch Camp dollars as an incentive (allowance) for "special work projects" but also take on individual chores as part of personal responsibility. (We want to show them the difference.) We will actually teach children how make their beds, pickup their clothes, launder them, and put them away again and why. Chaos must only be temporary at the ranch camp reserve. Organization and order are necessary in a healthy, civilized society. Or so we believe...

CANTEEN
Children will operate the camp canteen. They will learn to shop wisely with mock scenarios using coupons, sales, price increases, unit pricing, store brands, impulse buying, and self-control—distinguishing "wants" from "needs."

They will also be given mock Tenderheart Credit/Debit/Reward cards so we can teach them a little about plastic. Children will learn to manage their ranch camp dollars in many real-world ways—budgeting, paying bills, investing, saving, financing, etc. We will even teach kids how to balance a checkbook. (Is age five too early?) Hardly. 

We will teach them the importance of tracking their own money and how with a little patience, savings and compounding, along with budgeting can get them what they want. Kids will learn the importance and value of money in many ways. (We will have an actual money tree farm to show kids that money really does grow on trees, just not in the way they think—orchards.) Kids will become caretakers, growers, pickers, etc.

INVENTIONS
Children will learn to create, invent and wisely invest in other children’s business projects with their mock ranch camp reserve dollars. They will learn how to decide which products offer the better risk/reward. 

[Any real/actual products/services developed from our youth brain trust will be manufactured, licensed and marketed with all profits returning to the Stevie Tenderheart Ranch Camp Reserve Foundation for sustained financing. A sharing plan will be constructed for our young entrepreneurs—in real dollars—for scholarships and grants for higher education, opening their own businesses, home purchases, etc.]

STEWARDS
Children oftentimes act on impulse or with self-gratification in mind. We have to teach children how to be winners and losers in competitive fields of achievement. There is honor in both. Their effort is truly what matters in the end. We’d like children to learn to consider the feelings of others; to make sacrifices; to be brave and bold, unique and beautifully complex. These are our future leaders, representatives and stewards of this planet and in some small way, we’d like to help children recognize that being different is actually a "gift" to celebrate. 

Some children are passive while others are aggressive. By giving children unique hands-on experiences, it is likely their minds will gain new perspectives into their own lives 

and the lives of others. 

These experiences and newfound relationships with children of the world will help develop and shape their decision making—factoring in compassion, logic, reasonableness and

 unintended consequences. 

When children are encouraged to blossom remarkable things can happen: adversities can serve as catalysts for alternatives; raw efforts triumph fears; and collaboration can foster teamwork and loyalty which leads to leadership, follower-ship, trust building, and self-esteem. We believe integrity is the linchpin to responsibility, leadership, ethics and honor. In a word, character. 

We will help children feel special about themselves in genuine, productive ways. We will strive to see they are uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices based on observable phenomena—in other words, to keep an open mind without bias or preconceived notions. 

Children will meet people with stellar credentials who are living their dreams; from astronauts to cowboys; movie stars to music stars; firemen and chefs; cartoonist and diplomats.

The Stevie Tenderheart Ranch Camp Reserve will be a life-exploring experience on the positives of life. We will pique their curiosities and challenge their fears and misconceptions. Kids will be given special and unique opportunities of a lifetime. 

They will have the chance to hit a bucket of golf balls, dash around on a racquet ball court, run with the soccer balls, slam the ping pong balls, tennis balls, volley balls and tether balls. They will learn the rules of play in all manner of sports (not for the mere benefits of exercise or fun or teamwork) but how values and integrity matter in sports and life. They will see how cheating is but an illusion meant to fool others, when in fact, it only steals your integrity. 

Kids will catch a punt, a pass or kick from collegiate and NFL stars. They will learn to play a drum or strum a guitar. Beat a bongo or play a digaredoo, kids will be exposed to all manners of things that are creative, scientific, philosophical, logical and illogical. They will learn the consequences of their actions; to think "beyond the act" and how consequences (both, good and bad) touch not only their lives but those around them.

CALLING ALL KIDS
Calling "ALL KIDS" from rich kids to sick kids; happy kids and broken kids; sweet kids; even mean kids, overweight kids and skinny kids, bratty kids and bright kids and even dull kids, snotty kids and sassy kids; sad kids and especially nice kids; everyone will have an opportunity to just be a kid again and have fun—from tossing a cow pie to eating a bug, from studying the stars to shoeing a horse, from farm life to ranch life, we are going give children the opportunities of a lifetime so they can navigate their lives in more responsible ways. 

Preparing children now with life skills, coping skills and social skills will help them later in life as they face turbulence and disappointments that are sure to come their way. 

Preparing them better now so when something doesn’t go just right or as planned,

 it will seem but a mere ripple than a crushing wave.

WIN-WIN
Camp Tenderheart will be a safe place for children of all countries to see how they fit into Project Earth. We see it as a win-win. Children will share their stories with others in as authentic format as we can provide. If there are children visiting from a far away country who live in huts with goats, sleep on mats and play in fields without shoes, this too will be apart of the experience. They will walk in another child’s shoes, if even for a moment. 

Children will see the importance of moving forward with new ideas, finding solutions, improving their lives and taking care of themselves, from nutrition and active lifestyles to recycling and rebooting; from listening and learning; resting and sleeping; from following and leading; to gaining self-respect and earning trust.

Unfortunately, people actually "learn to hate". We’d like to reverse this with education and adventures. Just because someone or something is "different" doesn’t make it right or wrong. It makes it "different" and these differences are to be "celebrated". Boy, if kids can learn that early on, tolerance and acceptance will become second nature. Naturally there will always be personality conflicts and poor chemistry between individuals but if we teach our children to look for the good in people, we’ll have a bonafide head start.

Because people fear the unknown, we have a legitimate opportunity to knock down some of the stereotypes before they become too entrenched. By engaging children early in life, we can show them they do matter. No child need be outcast. (For many, home life is less than ideal. Where will these children learn the skills they will need?) Perhaps we can somehow bridge this tremendous misfortune of circumstance. 

Year after year, children will return to the ranch camp experience and learn and grow by belonging and doing. Children will cultivate social relationships never imagined. They will gain a wider view of the world, which can only open the doors to unlimited potential.

CAMP LIFE
Children will learn the basic mechanics of sustaining life in meaningful, rewarding ways. By having a child from Ethiopia share his day-to-day life, herding goats or gathering water, running or playing without shoes, perhaps other children will learn and maybe even appreciate their own lives in more meaningful substantial ways. We are not looking for empathy but a greater understanding of what it means to be right here right now. 

Model campsites or living exhibitions for the countries we are focusing on will be built to show life as it is for that particular child. (Inoculations/vaccinations will of course, be a requirement of participation.) Our intent here is to give children a non-threatening, off the pages, view of life for what it’s like to be another child of the world. We will not preach or set political agendas. Ours is only to set the stage for children to flourish. Children will take it from their.

Children will demonstrate their own unique customs and manners 

which is a clever way of learning for other children. 

Discovering another’s hardships or fortunes can only help us gain perspectives. By design or happenstance, we are all children of the universe. How wonderful to learn the ways of others, so that we might better understand, learn and appreciate. Being a little more humble and showing a bit more gratitude can’t be a bad thing?

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Children will create, design, write, shoot, edit, direct and star in their own short films about their homelands. These bonding projects are a fun way for children of various cultures to collaborate together by working in creative, talented ways that can preserve their messages for all to see. Other children will anchor a news room desk; give a weather forecast or a sports report. Musicians will score a song and magicians will pull a rabbit out of the hat. 

Kids are very talented and we can learn from them.

ALL ABOARD

Children will learn to dream again…From sitting at the controls of a cockpit or a locomotive or a tugboat, children will have the time to dream. Camp life will not be rigidly over-scheduled. We want to slow the pace from a panicked and frantic lifestyle to one where they can actually enjoy the silence and solitude. There will be plenty of time to daydream. From home economics to the stock market our self-reliant programs will balance choices with compassion. We will give kids a taste of how life can be given the right choices and circumstances. 

We believe "goal setting" is a key component in finding direction in life. 

Children will learn to govern themselves, follow and lead, excel and even fail in non-threatening ways. They will learn how selfless acts serve them better than selfish acts. 

We believe, in the end, we can satisfy their need for speed, danger, and acting out by challenging their energies in different directions.

Our leadership and mentoring programs will instill self-confidence and discipline through teamwork, games, and chores. 

We need to listen to our children to be better stewards of their world.