F or the past 10 years, Meredith Johansson and Monica Carlsen, members of Loyal Lodge 3-252 in St. James, N.Y., have teamed up to work with their lodges young people. Monica and I decided to form a Little Vikings group that would meet once a month and educate kids on Norwegian culture and heritage. It was a great way to keep the kids involved in Sons of Norway, Johansson says. As the Little Vikings began to age, the duo was inspired to spearhead another group, called Viking B.Y.T.E.S. (Bright Young Techies Exploring Science), to meet the interests of older kids. The group gathers once a week and works together to program a Lego robot. Viking B.Y.T.E.S. named their temperamental robot Loki after the Norwegian god of mischief. And though programming Loki has been a challenge at times, the group has succeeded for the fourth year in a row to make it past roughly 35 other teams and advance to the New York area Lego Robotics Champion Tournament. The tournament keeps kids motivated and interested in Norwegian culture and their heritage. Viking B.Y.T.E.S. uses Norwegian themes for their robot and for the Member Matters Youth Leadership Tips Close-Knit Crew What keeps older kids involved in Sons of Norway? Two successful youth leaders share their secret. BY AMANDA LEPINSKI Monica Carlsen and Meredith Johansson share suggestions for working with kids. Have at least two leaders to share idea- generating and workload. Pay attention to pop culture and nd ways to bring it into programs. Interactive quizzes are a good way to get kids interested in Norwe- gian news, culture and current events. Take eld trips to a museum or theater after studying Norwegian art or drama. Create projects based on Nordic topics, such as the Scandinavian Hydro- gen Highway Partnership or a royal family tree. Viking B.Y.T.E.S. (Bright Young Techies Exploring Science) from Loyal Lodge 3-525 was fomed to meet the interests of older youth. 30 VIKING AUGUST 2013 sonsofnorway.com S ometimes the youngest hearts can make the biggest difference. Sarissa Miller, a 9-year-old from Fedrelandet 2-23 in Petersburg, Alaska, learned about the clean water crisis in Ethiopia, and she wanted to help. When I heard about all these people around the world who didnt have clean water, I felt spoiled and that life wasnt equal for everyone, Miller says. That sense of inequality prompted her to ask her grandmother, a lodge ofcer, if she could set up a donation table at the upcoming lutesk dinner this past February. After getting clearance from grandma, Miller and her friend printed her information, brochures, pictures and donation forms to decorate the table they stationed at the lodge entrance. As members arrived, Miller and her friend greeted them and handed out handmade Valentines to anyone who donated to their clean water project. Lodge president Sally Norheim Dwyer says she was impressed with how thorough and professional Miller was. She came up with me at dinner and spoke about why she was there that night and how important Water for Ethiopia was to her, Dwyer says. The response from the crowd was great; she met and exceeded her goal that night! Lodge members donated $650 toward Millers fund, which has more than doubled since that evening. When I raised all this money for Ethiopia, I felt grateful, joyful and very, very, very happy, Miller says. I hope all of the people in Ethiopia will one day have a life where clean water is easy to get. Global Outreach Members open their hearts and hands to help people in need around the world. BY AMANDA LEPINSKI ve-minute skits that are part of the competition each year. Inspired by an elderly neighbor who was having trouble getting to her mailbox, the kids created a skit about Norwegian nisse and how they could help a farmer reach his mailbox. The kids even sewed their own red eece hats, Carlsen says. Its inspiring that our kids wanted to stay together and bond through their culture by joining Viking B.Y.T.E.S. They get to learn about Norwegian culture, team work and communication, says Carlsen. Other science-related projects with Nordic themes have included the Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway Partnership, and nutrition and food safety in a mock Norwegian game show format. Johansson and Carlsen agree that the key to their success has been lodge support through fundraising, collaborating as leaders, and keeping the kids excited about Norwegian culture through activities, eld trips, skits and interactive programs. They predict that the close-knit group of kids will stay active in Sons of Norway, due to the friendships formed and the Norwegian culture experienced in the group. Its inspiring that our kids wanted to stay together and bond through their culture by joining Viking B.Y.T.E.S. They get to learn about Norwegian culture, team work and communication. Monica Carlsen Member Matters Sarissa Miller, 9, raised funds for clean water in Ethiopia. Recycling for a New Cause Clean water in impoverished countries isnt the only problem that needs a solution. In Thailand there is a need for aluminum to make prosthetic limbs. Aluminum rings from tops of beverage cans are collected and recycled into prosthetic limbs, or exchanged for money that is sent to Thailands Prosthesis Foundation of H.R.H. The Princess Mother. The cause is so well known that it has gained attention in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Sons of Norway District 8 was called to help The Order of St. John collect aluminum for Thailand in 2007. Carl Johan Holm, a member from District 8, explains that throughout the past six years, members have reached out to their nonmember family and friends to help collecta task that has become a community effort. In January, Sons of Norway contributed to the delegation that brought in 153,000 Danish kroner (roughly $26,600), the amount for recycling about 12 tons of aluminum rings since 2009, Holm says. In partnership with other Scandinavian organizations, Holm estimates that Sons of Norway has contributed roughly 23 percent of the total collected since 2007 in Norway. I think its a human habit to feel proud in doing, and helping other human beings, Holm says. We are born to be here to help each other get through life. If a lot more people realize and understand that, we will have a much better world to live in. Lodges have received photos from prosthetic limb recipients in Thailand, Holms says. That acknowledgment has made their efforts worthwhile, and continues to bring people together within Sons of Norway. The Fabric of Friendship When Sharon Bruce, the vice president of Solglyt 4-143 in Edmonton, Alberta, learned that Canadian nonprot organization Youth Empowerment Services (YES) needed warm blankets for the at-risk youth they take in each night, she called upon her lodge for help. Sharon says it wasnt hard to gain volunteers to help sew, cut, prepare or donate fabric to make quilts. Everyone thinks this is a very worthwhile cause, Bruce says. Women come to my house once a month for an afternoon. We have coffee, get to know each other and make quilts. Bruce stresses that anyone is welcome to help, no matter their quilting skills. And they do. I have members coming to my house to help with the quilts who I didnt even know belonged to our lodge because our other programs didnt interest them, Bruce says. It pleases her that new friendships have formed among the lodge members, and some of the quilters who normally dont attend lodge events have started attending. The cause is heartwarming, Bruce says, not only because kids need the warm quilts, but because it also strengthens the bonds between her lodge members. YES has already received eight quilts from Sons of Norway quilters who hope to complete 20 more by the end of this year. Whether a lodge donates money for clean water, raises funds by recycling or meets monthly to quilt, volunteering enriches the lives of lodge members and strengthens their participation in Sons of Norway. Top: Members in Dictrict 8 have collected the equivalent of 12 tons of aluminum rings for recy- cling into prosthetic limbs. Lower: In addition to helping the community, quilting can strengthen bonds between lodge members. sonsofnorway.com VIKING AUGUST 2013 31