PA Young Life celebrates annual Fall Weekend

Photo+courtesy+of+Seth+Pickett.

Photo courtesy of Seth Pickett.

Jill Grinnell, Staff Writer

By Jill Grinnell

Senior Seth Pickett spent his last Young Life Fall Weekend in the Outer Banks with around 500 other students singing karaoke and stage diving with his closest friends, calling it “one of the best memories of my life.”

Fall Weekend is best known for its lively nature and group-centered activities that promote an open environment to allow students to grow closer together.

One of the biggest activities is called Club, which is a room where students gather to listen and sing to music with a live band. After the singing, a skit is put on by a group of randomly selected kids. First timers are usually selected, pushing the participants out of their comfort zone and further creating an energetic atmosphere.

Senior Selena Lee went on her second Fall Weekend this year and “felt a duty to make the new members feel as welcome as I did.” 

One of the highlights of Club is the Club Talk, which is “a message that camp speakers prepare by sharing the word of the gospel,” said Pickett.

After Club, the camp hosts another large event within the event itself. This year, the first night consisted of a welcoming party, while the second night students participated in group karaoke.

Sophomore Evie Liu felt as the weekend gave her the opportunity to “get away and not deal with the stress of school.”

All of the events and activities give people the chance to get out of their comfort zone, and allow students to open up with one another. “It was a really different bonding experience with everyone,” said Liu. “The experience as a whole brought me closer to so many people.”

The group karaoke was Pickett’s favorite part of the weekend because it left him with a reminiscent and bittersweet feeling. At his first Fall Weekend, “we did karaoke and sang ‘Titanium’ and I was surrounded by my favorite people and I experienced an unbelievable feeling,” said Pickett. After three years, “we happened to do karaoke again and also sang ‘Titanium’… it was a beautiful send off.”

Pickett regards Fall Weekend as a significant part of his high school years, and he has become more involved with Young Life because “it’d be selfish of me to want to keep my experience to myself,” said Pickett. “I want to encourage others to experience it as well to fully understand it.”

Most students return to Fall Weekend because of the “long lasting friendships,” said Lee. The weekend transforms students to feel like they are apart of something. 

Fall Weekend serves as an opportunity to grow with one’s self and with others. 

“It is the greatest weekend of your life,” said Pickett. “It’s definitely something that everyone should become involved in.”