If you're looking for a way to get your families to know each other better, encourage some wholesome family fun away from the distractions of digital media, phones and screens, or to grow in spirit in a beautiful outdoor setting, you should consider a family camp weekend.
The premise is not as daunting as you'd imagine. Many conference and retreat centers will help walk you through the planning, and will make you look great for putting the weekend together.
Step 1: Find out if there is interest. Talk to your families. Can they spare the time away from everyday life? What level of outdoor camping would they be looking for? What kind of activities are they interested in, some driven by you or some hosted by the conference staff? Are they willing to share living space, or would they prefer their own space?
There's interest. Great!
Step 2: Contact facilities. Many camps and conference centers book groups more than a year in advance. Is there availability in the time slots you are interested in? Does the facility meet the needs of your group? Do they need a contract? Deposits? Timelines?
Make arrangements to tour the facilities. See the inside of cabins/housing. What do walking distances look like? How does the food service work? Do groups eat family style or in buffets? How close is the housing to the parking? Share what you've learned about the facility with your families, it may even encourage more folks to participate. Many camps are very rustic. Don't oversell a facility as a cushy resort if that is not the case. Expectations will be set too high. Be honest and view it as "camping." Your families will have a much better time when they are surprised to find out that camps exceed their expectations.
Many camps will require a contract, deposit and a certificate of insurance for your group. Make arrangements to meet their deadlines to ensure that all goes well. if the facility requires proof of insurance, you'll need to contact your organizations insurance company and have them send over proof that list the dates and information for the weekend on it. This is common and easy for the insurance folks to do. There is typically no additional cost for this step.
All booked. Perfect!
Step 3: Start recruiting families. Create some promotion flyers (with a method/instructions for registration on it). Be sure to include the per person cost that you owe the facility and any additional costs you may need to cover supplies, speakers, etc. Post info on bulletin boards, get listed in internal promotional materials, etc. Word of mouth will be the best recruiting tool. Once a family has registered, get them some additional flyers to share with others. Go digital. Post your event on your Facebook group, tweet about it. Have group leaders make announcements whenever your group is all together.
They are signing up. Terrific!
Step 4: Menus, Schedules, Workshops and Activities. What activities will you do? Are you going to host them all or is the camp staff hosting and running activities for you (or a combination thereof)? Work with the facility to select meals that your families will enjoy. Conference centers and camps often have many different menus, select the one that will make parents and kids happy (food is very important). Have you thought about snacks? Can you bring your own? Does the facility have some to offer? Ask the facility about the look of the schedule. Many camps have fixed times for meals and can provide you with blocks of "program" time. Camps with a lot to offer may have a menu of activities that may include hiking, climbing, boating, swimming, crafts, sports, archery, ropes/challenge courses, etc. They, likely, will have a variety of meeting rooms, sports courts/fields, etc. to choose from. Communicate with the camp staff to build a schedule that meets your groups needs.
All organized? Excellent!
Step 5: Pick up supplies. Is there a budget? Do I need extra snacks? Art supplies? Does the facility have equipment we can use. Are there people running events from your group? Do they need things?
Got everything. Awesome!
Step 6: Transportation. Are we all meet at the facility? Should we carpool? Share digital links to directions or print copies and make them available to all drivers. Should we charter a bus? It may be more fun. Who'll pick up the cost? Check with the facility to determine what time they should arrive.
Step 7: Keep Records. Manage a roster of your families, you may need to share these with the facility, to help with housing arrangements. This could be your responsibility to help them get broken into "cabins."
Step 8: Have a great time. Work closely with the facility you choose to see if there are other responsibilities for you as a group leader. Once the weekend begins, enjoy, reap the rewards of your efforts and enjoy the experience. A family camp can help youth and adults enhance friendships, allow families to spend the much-needed time participating in wholesome activities, and allow you to host workshops and presentations for various segments of your group while the other folks are well entertained and having fun. You'll create some memories that everyone will remember for a lifetime.
Let me know if I can help.
Scotty Jackson - Camp Director - YMCA Camp Seymour, Gig Harbor, WA
twitter @tahoescotty
sjackson@ymcapkc.org
0 comments:
Post a Comment