Camping Program Committee
The Camping Program Committee consists of approximately 18 persons nominated by the Nominating Committee and appointed by the Yearly Meeting, plus the directors of the camping programs, and the Camp Administrative Secretary, ex-officio.
The Camping Program Committee oversees and coordinates the philosophy, policy, financing, and program emphasis of all Yearly Meeting endeavors in the field of outdoor religious education—seeking to provide for all the various ages and interests of our Yearly Meeting through a variety of camping styles. The Camp Administrative Secretary is responsible for implementing goals, direction, and policy as set by the Camping Program Committee.
The Camping Program Committee advises the General Secretary on employment of camp directors and the Camp Administrative Secretary. The Committee nurtures and supports the directors and staff in the implementation of the outdoor religious education programs and works to promote awareness of the programs within the wider Quaker community.
The Clerk or another member of the Camping Program Committee
serves as a member of the Camp Property Management Committee.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Manual of Procedure, August 2005, p18
-------------------------------------------------------------
Advance Report - 2010
Guided by our co-clerks and the Camp Administrative Secretary, the CPC continued our work on behalf of the Yearly Meeting to promote our camping program and support our staff and directors. Again in 2009-2010, the Camping Program Committee met four times and held three additional meetings by conference call. In February, we met jointly with CPMC and talked about funding and other ways of working together. CPC members were encouraged to attend Family Service Weekends at the camps. We worked with the Nominating Committee to identify members who needed to come off the Committee and to find new members. The subcommittees for 2009-10 are Marketing, TA Bike Trip 2011, Budget, and Cookbook.
During our meeting at Annual Session, appreciation was minuted for 12 years of service by Elizabeth Krome, who is rotating off CPC, but hopefully she will return to our Committee in 12 months.
Staffing
Shiloh Quaker Camp's new director Riley Lark, a former counselor and staff member, completed his first summer.
Jane will be taking a sabbatical in the fall of 2010.
The Committee may be hiring an additional director in the fall of 2010 for the proposed bike TA Bike Trip in the summer of 2011.
The seasonal staff of the program continues to be the responsibility of the camp directors and supported by the Committee. Catoctin had twenty-one returning counselors in 2009 and Shiloh director Riley Lark hired only four new counselors.
Enrollment
The first-come, first-serve Camper Enrollment Process was further improved this year as the work grant positions were added. It has worked very well and has caused fewer problems for our Administrative Secretary.
The Committee minuted support for continued one week sessions to increase enrollment and we challenge Shiloh to think about and structure one week sessions that reflect the Shiloh experience (not carbon copy of Opequon). Last year, offering one week sessions during the third session at Shiloh did increase enrollment during that session, although the middle session was a bit lower. Our overall enrollment at Shiloh is higher than last year at this time.
We need to continue to address the phenomena that typically campers who want to go to Catoctin and can’t get in won’t try Opequon or Shiloh.
Marketing and Outreach
Increasing enrollment at Opequon and Shiloh and filling spots at Catoctin has been a high priority for the Marketing and Outreach subcommittee. Our improved enrollment and work grant assignment process, NPR ads, and Monthly Meeting contact by CPC members and camp alumni continue. Information is displayed at BYM Annual Session and at the FGC Gathering each year. Sending out our brochures, hosting house parties and word of mouth advertising is also a part of our outreach. There was an increase in print advertising in the Charlottesville area weekly newspapers and a monthly parenting magazine.
Our Cookbook subcommittee has completed the text, pictures, and layout for the cookbook. It will be available to be ordered online (printed as ordered) and a few copies will be printed for camp distribution and for Camp events and Annual Sessions. A report of this project was sent to the Development Committee.
Camp Evaluations
We used an online survey again and the results give the Committee valuable feedback about the operation of the camps. One shocking comment said meeting every day was too much. Facilities at some camps continue to need to be improved. Directors and counselors ratings are consistently off the charts (in the high 90’s). Some program issues were noted, especially with unmet expectations and with one week sessions at Shiloh.
Our Camps have kitchen managers who provide wholesome foods while keeping to our budget. More and more of our purchases are made using local sources. Our volunteer cooks prepare and serve family style food in camp and our camp staff and counselors plan, purchase and assist in preparing nutritious and creative "pack out" or trail food. Small kitchen gardens and herb beds have been started at several of the camps with camper involvement.
At Catoctin, Meeting for Worship has been a nice balance of quiet and messages, with great (male) singing energy.
Shiloh Staff was super great; with lower turnover than usual .Trips were creative – including dress-ups, and a hunt for the rare and elusive mid-Atlantic pineapples.
Opequon has had a really great tenth summer, very solid and balanced. Structure and tradition and flexibility have combined with an openness of doing things. Having two new cabins is significant and they are beautiful. We intentionally nurture the spirit through the arts.
Teen Adventure and TALT had a really fantastic staff, with staff and counselors from all three camps. TA is using many more local trails and becoming more integrated into the community. Meeting for Worship happened really regularly on the trail. We expect a large group of applicants for 2010 and larger in 2011.
Transportation
A large issue this coming summer will be a shortage of buses. Sandy Spring Friends School will not rent buses to camp this summer. We continue to discuss ways the camps can share buses, or take more trips that walk out from camp. Use of local trails and campsites for our campers will continue to be expanded. In 2009, the transportation fuel prices were lower than budgeted. The Committee appreciates this fiscal responsibility.
Five-year plan
In the fall of 2010, another cabin will be built at Catoctin. A renewable energy project at Catoctin is in the plans for 2010. Plans for 2011 are: a cabin at Catoctin, bathhouse improvements at Catoctin. The year 2012 will bring a cabin (no. 9) at Catoctin and more bathhouse improvements at Catoctin. In 2013, plans call for building cabin no. 10 at Catoctin. The Catoctin dining hall, while complying with code restrictions, isn’t actually big enough and must be addressed at some point.
At Opequon, two cabins were built simultaneously this spring. In 2011, the last two cabins will be built at Opequon. Replacing bathhouses at Opequon, hopefully in 2013, is a high priority.
A pond at Shiloh is in the planning stages and may be built in the fall of 2010.
The cost for these projects is $564,000. This requires fund-raising of $361K over the next five years, which the Development Director feels is the maximum possible. Additional revenues of $137K for these projects will come from other sources: $47K of other income (property sale of 30 acres of "TA property" at Shiloh) and $90K in released resources (timber sales under existing timber management plans, which David feels are very responsible and won't negatively impact camp). Reserve funds would add another $66 K.
Financial Management
We need an updated philosophy statement for the funding for camps – it will help guide budgeting and development process within Yearly Meeting. Greg Tobin and Jane Megginson will work to further develop a financial management philosophy statement to share with both committees to adopt.
Robinne Grey attended our joint meeting with CPMC in February and outlined the BYM development process and answered questions from committee members. We talked about our goal to identify ways CPC can raise funds and support our camps. We have eliminated the Quaker discount and raised fees at all the camps.
JoAnn Dalley (Charlottesville) , Co-clerk
Visioning Report - 2010
1) Looking at your committee description in the BYM Manual of Procedure: What is the most meaningful, enduring or vital part of your committee’s charge?
The Committee serves BYM by connecting and communicating among the different groups of people who are
involved in ensuring that the camping program provides our children and others who attend with a safe, healthy, fun,
and spirit-nurturing community that supports Quaker values.
Where is the energy, the Spirit, in [this work]?
The energy and passion of the camps passes from the campers and counselors to their parents and back into their
home meetings and out beyond - some of the parents and meeting members then volunteer at camp, and/or join the
Committee to share and route this exuberance into service to keep the program running during the remainder of the
year when the camps are not in session. In addition, the camps honor the spiritual growth that comes from a deep
connection within the natural world, which leads to individual inner and outer enrichment and resourcefulness.
2) How does the Committee seek to accomplish this vital work?
The committee and the Camp Program Secretary, Jane Megginson, have an established cycle of activities during the
off-season that guides the Committee members in setting objectives for each session - currently the Committee has
set up subcommittees to address each of the most pressing concerns. The Committee seeks to support the directors
of the 4 camps so that they can run the camps in a spiritual manner.
Members serve for 3-year terms, ensuring time to learn the annual cycle that anchors the Committee activities and to
provide continuity in making program recommendations. After two three-year terms, members must take a leave of
at least one year before re-joining - this makes room for new members.
Examples of current sub-committees:
- a bike trip committee to set up a new TA trip for 2011 to handle expected increase in teen camper enrollments (and to prevent repetition of the very difficult situation about 4 years ago
when the program had to turn away campers for lack of resources),
- a marketing committee to reach out to more meeting families to recruit campers to Shiloh and Opequon, both of which need more campers to continue to be viable longer term,
- a cookbook committee to create a cookbook to raise funds and help build a “one-camp”
identity with recipes contributed from all camps,
- a finance committee to track year-to-year expenses, with an eye out for unexpected costs as well as future budgets that may include new investments or program initiatives, and
- camp-specific committees to address concerns that relate primarily to one camp or that arise in the annual camp evaluations that are collected each fall.
What vision does this move us toward?
Our vision is of a sustainable camping program which strengthens the experience of community and Quaker values,
brings our meetings together via their children and that adapts as needed to new community needs.
3) What can we do best at this level (i.e., by the Committee for the BYM level), rather than at our monthly meetings or through national or international organizations?
The CPC addresses a lot of “off season” tasks that need to be attended to, as well as longer term planning that
directors are less able to be directly involved in. The Committee works to keep our campers coming back to camp,
to build and maintain friendships, to learn about other meetings, and to encourage families to see the camps as one
of BYM’s most central and vital assets.
4) How does the work of your Committee enrich, influence, or change Baltimore Yearly Meeting as a whole? Where do you see that work taking us as a Yearly Meeting?
The Committee supports the camping program that nurtures a BYM-wide community, connecting members through
its children. The families with kids who participate in the camping program understand these connections, that
“BYM is us.” Committee members who talk with campers' parents hear from families that their children's Quaker
identity is formed or reinforced at camp -- so it is not just social networks that are built at camp, but also deeper
spiritual growth with the potential for a longer-term, vibrant outreach and stable connection to BYM. Many campers
that come from Meetings in BYM get to experience, possibly for the first time, the idea that Quakers exist beyond
their own Monthly Meeting.
Camp often serves as a family’s first experience with a program of the Yearly Meeting which may serve as an entrée
into wider participation in Yearly Meeting activities. We know from anecdotal evidence that many campers and
camper families become Quakers through their connection to camp. Campers come home from camp and ask to go
to Meeting, often bringing their families with them. As part of the mission of camp, we teach children and young
adults to tap into their own inner spiritual resources.
We purposefully grow leaders in our camps who then go out into the world and bring the skills that they have
learned at camp to all of their endeavors. We hear from Quaker Colleges and Schools what a rich resource the
participants from our camps are at their institutions. We teach the values of participating in community and serving
others. This work enriches the Yearly Meeting by raising young people who have leadership skills, spiritual
connections to the community and their environment, and have a better understanding of Quakerism and living in a
Quaker Community.
Advance Report - 2009
The Camping Program Committee (CPC) met four times this past year and held three additional meetings by conference call. In February we held a joint meeting with Camp Property Management Committee (CPMC). We welcomed several new members who have experience as parents of campers and a genuine love of our camping programs. The CPC worked diligently on many areas this year, guided by the Camp Administrative Secretary, our co-clerks and subcommittee leaders:
Financial Management
The Budget Subcommittee reports that the only philosophical change is the increase in property rental and vehicle costs. We have been discussing the option of higher fees at Catoctin, reducing the Quaker discount and higher fees at all the camps.
The Barry Morley Fund has dropped in value along with other investments. In this year’s budget, $24,000 from that fund is now not available. Since financial aid has already been given out, it impacts what we may or may not spend moving forward. Our Camp Directors have already been notified and ideas have already been discussed on how to make budget adjustments. We will need to make some changes and continue to watch pennies as we always have done in the past. The largest difficulty with further reducing the camp budget comes when you realize how lean the camp programs run already. CPC is looking forward to working more closely with Robinne Gray; BYM’s new Director of Development, to identify ways CPC can raise funds and support our camps.
An unforeseen benefit of our new enrollment system is that BYM is getting a tremendous boost to cash flow earlier in the season.
We continue to struggle with questions like, “Do we pay enough for Skills Week training?” and how and when to upgrade our equipment.
Staffing
CPC approved a Minute of Appreciation for Dana Foster, Director of Shiloh from 1996 to 2008. She has been an instrumental part of the leadership of Camping Program and the Yearly Meeting. Just being her true authentic self, she exhibits walking in the Light. Our list of specific expressions of gratitude is endless.
We will miss her and we wish her well as she moves forward in a new leading.
From the Shiloh Director job description, “The Director leads counselors in creating opportunities for spiritual growth.”
Our Camping Program Administrative Secretary suggested that this issue be kept front and center in the Shiloh hiring process.
Riley Lark, a former counselor and staff member at Shiloh Quaker Camp, was selected to be the camp’s new Director. The Committee welcomes Riley in his new position and looks forward to working with him this summer.
The Committee supports Jane in preparing for and taking a sabbatical and voiced commitment to do what is needed to ensure the BYM camping programs run smoothly and continue our ministry to the youth of BYM while Jane is on sabbatical.
CPC appointed Jane Megginson to the committee that will be hiring the caretaker for Catoctin.
The CPC continues to labor with the salary structure of salaried and seasonal staff of the program.
In January the co-clerks of both CPC and CPMC met with representatives of Supervisory Committee to discuss salary concerns for the Camp Administrative Secretary and the Camp Property Manager. After the Clerks' Meeting with Supervisory, CPC and CPMC minuted their discomfort with BYM's lack of transparency on staff salary and benefit information. This approach hinders the work of committees. We believe the hasty decision of Annual Session in 2008 has resulted in a policy that is inappropriate for a non-profit organization.
Enrollment
We have instituted a new first-come, first-served Camper Enrollment Process, so that when parents sign up online they are actually enrolling. This will be like an airline seat reservation because it will close out a unit when the unit is full. This is how almost every other camp does it, and the technology we are now using has made this process possible. This will prevent the over-signing up for particular sessions.
Shiloh is offering one-week sessions for the first time this summer. The one-week option will be offered only in the third session which has the lowest enrollment. Offering one-week sessions during the third session at Shiloh did increase enrollment during that session, although now the middle session is a bit lower. Our overall enrollment at Shiloh is higher than last year.
Marketing and Outreach
The Marketing and Outreach Subcommittee has been busy trying out ideas to increase enrollment at Opequon and Shiloh. Our enrollment and work grant assignment process, one-week sessions at Shiloh, brochures for Opequon and Shiloh, NPR ads and house parties are all new this year. CPC members and camp alumni continue to visit Monthly Meetings, Friends Schools and other Friends groups to talk about our camping program. Slide shows, sing-alongs, Q and A, and personal stories are all part of the process of spreading the word about our programs.
Our Cookbook Subcommittee has met via email. They have begun to investigate self-publishing resources. The Catoctin Cookbook is available as a main source and appropriate credit will be given for the source of all recipes.
Camp Evaluations
The online survey results gave the Committee feedback about the operation of the camps, despite slightly fewer evaluations returned this year. About 40 people asked to be contacted and were called by Subcommittee members for the particular camps in question. The compiled data revealed high ratings for counselors and staff and some negative comments about the facilities and the quality of the food while “on the trail.”
The camps continue to place a high value on serving wholesome foods while keeping to our budget. The camp kitchens are staffed with knowledgeable and able kitchen managers who order food and supplies, plan menus and guide our volunteer cooks.
There has been progress on the theme of “One Camp” with camps exchanging letters and pictures. We see the connections forming among staff, counselors and campers.
TA had almost equal distribution of counselors from all three camps, and where there was clear evidence of “One Camp.” The staff created community very quickly during pre-camp and had meetings for worship in camp while trips were out – holding trips in the light more intentionally.
Opequon is spiritually in a very good place, having had a profound summer. Amazing queries were not sectioned off to the fire circle, but more in practice throughout workshops and other activities.
Transportation
Our Committee approved the Safe Driving Policy, added and approved the following:
“In Non-Medical Emergencies, such as weather or safety related emergencies, personal vehicles may be used at the discretion of Camp Directors as long as all related insurances and licenses required are met as described above. Any incidents of this happening need to be reported to Camp Administrative Secretary.”
The Committee continues to discuss ways to use our fleet more efficiently by combining trips and organizing trips closer to the camps themselves. Catoctin has been using less gasoline by consolidating trips with the large bus. We continue to discuss replacing the bus rented from Sandy Spring Friends School for Opequon and the need for more drivers with Commercial Drivers Licenses at each camp to ease the work of driving for trips.
The Safe Driving Policy calls for at least two CDL drives at each camp; Elaine Bringham is currently taking classes for her CDL. A larger issue this summer will be a lack of buses, Sandy Spring Friends School will not rent buses to camp this summer. Much brainstorming has been done on ways the camps can share buses or take more trips that walk out from camp. Several CPC members spent time this spring exploring possible trails and campsites for our campers.
Five-year plan
Catoctin: In 2009 David hopes to finish the Catoctin site plan and build a cabin in the fall. In March or April a hood will be built over the stove and the tool shed near the entrance to camp will be improved. Landings have already been built for each cabin. In the fall of 2010, another cabin will be built. A renewable energy project is in the plans for 2010. Plans for 2011 are: a cabin and bathhouse improvements. The year 2012 will bring a cabin (no. 9) and more bathhouse improvements there. In 2013 plans call for building cabin no. 10.
Opequon: Two cabins will be built simultaneously this spring. Plans for 2011, last two cabins. In 2013 plans call for replacing bathhouses.
Shiloh: The well will be fixed before camp opens. A pond will be built in the fall.
The final piece of the big picture is the price tag for these projects, which is $564,000. This requires fund-raising of $361K over the next five years, which the Development Director feels is the maximum possible. Additional revenues for these projects will come from other sources: $47K of other income (property sale of 30 acres of "TA property" at Shiloh), $90K in released resources (timber sales under existing timber management plans, which David feels are very responsible and won't negatively impact camp), for a total of $137K in income generated. Reserves would furnish $66 K. Not on this list is the Catoctin dining hall, which must be addressed at some point. Although it meets code, it actually isn't big enough.
The question was raised whether the Shiloh pond could be built in time for camp in '10 rather than in the fall. CPMC will investigate.
Chrissie Devinney (Goose Creek), Co-clerk
Interchange, Spring 2009
Looking for a little peace and quiet?
There are still plenty of dates in the spring and fall that Shiloh Quaker Camp and Opequon Quaker Camp are available for rental. Plan a getaway with family and friends, a retreat with your Meeting or a company gathering at one of the beautiful and serene BYM camp properties. More information is available at http://www.bymcamps.org/camp_rental.htm
Don't forget to join us for a little fun and meaningful
work at the BYM camp property work weekends this spring. See the calendar on tbe last page or visit http://www.bymcamps.org/work_weekends.htm for more information.
Interchange - Winter 2009
It may be the dead of winter, but now is the time to spread the word about the magical Virginia summers at Opequon and Shiloh.
Enrollment began early this year with a new system guaranteeing you the spot you asked for at the moment you submit your registration. Some units are already filling up, but there are still a good number of open slots at Opequon and Shiloh.
We need your help to make sure these life-changing camps are filled to capacity this summer. Here are three things you can do to help:
- Spread the word at your Meeting, church, school, office, or community group. Tell friends, family, co-workers, and associates how camp has changed your life or the lives of your children. A brand-new brochure is coming soon for you to distribute. To get some, email Nathan at nbharrington@yahoo.com
- If you have a Facebook account, join our groups: Shiloh Quaker Camp, and Quaker Camp Changed My Life.
- Host a house party for new camp families. We’ll send you invitations, brochures, a slideshow, and a guest speaker. All you need to do is invite prospective families from your circles. For more information, email Nathan at nbharrington@yahoo.com.
Together we can introduce hundreds of new people to the camps that we all love.
Nathan Harrington, Sandy Spring
Advance Report - 2008
The Camp Program Committee had a busy and productive year. The Committee welcomed new members who have renewed the energy and commitment to BYM camps and the Committee. The Committee concentrated our efforts on several areas this year, including
- Financial Management
- Feedback from Campers, Staff, Parents and Volunteers
- Enrollment & Outreach
- Staffing
- Transportation
- Relationships with other BYM Committees
Financial Management
The Finance Subcommittee worked very hard to clarify the budgeting process and how to work within the BYM budgeting process. The challenge we face is that we submit next year’s budget before the current year happens. So situations
that have a financial impact cannot be reflected in the following year’s budget. Enrollment is also estimated under the same constraints and Jane, the Camp Administrative Secretary, has expended great effort to “estimate” valid enrollment expectations,
but the reality always varies somewhat.
The CPC is dedicated to running a program that is financially self-sustaining and follows an open planning and reporting process. We did not raise camp fees and did not propose an increase in our 2009 budget. However, this presents an example of the challenge in budgeting so far ahead of time: the increase of fuel and food costs will have an unplanned impact on the finances this year and may require some adjustments in next year’s budget. We did find it necessary to clarify existing financial policies: Payment is due in full before camp starts. Refunds are available up to May 15, minus a non-refundable deposit and administrative fee.
The Finance Subcommittee began communicating more closely with Stewardship & Finance to clarify the financial situation and operations that impact both BYM and the Camping Program. Historically, Monthly Meetings provided financial support to the Camping Program through apportionment, but this is no longer the case. Since this support was the initial basis for the “Quaker discount,” the CPC has begun discussing the possibility of having one camp fee for all campers. As the Camping
Program is an effective outreach opportunity and there is scholarship money available through many Monthly Meetings and the Barry Morley Endowment, we see many benefits to this. We also recognize the historical reasoning and attachment to the current practice. We will continue to work with Stewardship & Finance to clarify the policies surrounding the Barry Morley endowment and look for way opening regarding the fee structure.
The CPC worked with the Ad-hoc Development Committee and is looking forward to working with a new Development Director to coordinate fundraising efforts. We feel that the large camping program alumni base is an untapped source of support and we want to work with the Development Director to reach out to this group. The Committee has been contacted by a group of camp alumni who are interested in planning a 50th Anniversary event for Catoctin Quaker Camp. This event is being planned for late August at Catoctin.
Feedback
This was our second year using the online survey, and the survey results once again gave the Committee useful feedback to guide our off-season work as well as the operation of camps in session; this was highly appreciated by the CPC committee members, and the directors as well. The compiled data was easy to work with and helpful to all involved.
For example, the surveys indicated uneven satisfaction with food across the camps. The Camping Program aims to provide the best possible diet to our campers, using wholesome foods in keeping with our Quaker testimonies, while keeping to a very tight budget. We are fortunate to have some very good Kitchen Managers who plan the meals, shop for food & supplies, and lead the volunteer cooks. However, there are still some gaps where we need additional leadership in the camp kitchens. The CPC has initiated additional efforts to support kitchen managers and ensure that the combined years of experience accumulated
in the kitchens can translate into additional guidance for new kitchen staff.
Enrollment & Outreach/Marketing
The Committee has struggled with ways to increase enrollment, in particular at Opequon and Shiloh. Typically, both Teen Adventure and Catoctin fill quickly and we struggle to find campers for the other camps. This year, both Catoctin and Shiloh had lower than normal enrollment for the third session, and the Directors were able to make related adjustments to the staffing and program. TA was able to take all the campers who applied this year, and ran the same number of groups as last year.
Some ideas the Committee has explored are visitation days, during camp or in the spring/fall; advertising in Quaker publications;
and visits to Monthly Meetings to provide information on camps, especially Opequon and Shiloh. Historically, word of mouth has been our most effective method of “advertising” but the sense of the CPC is that we need to do more.
The Camp Administrative Secretary worked to revise the camping programs website. This was done with an eye to make it more appealing to potential campers and families not already familiar with BYM camping programs. The CPC also wanted to have all of its policies, handbooks, forms, etc. easily accessible to campers, parents, and staff.
The Committee expressed our gratitude to CPC Member and former camp staff, Nathan Harrington, for stepping up to coordinate the outreach/marketing efforts. CPC members and camp alumni have visited many Monthly Meetings this year, sharing their personal experiences, presenting a slide show, and answering questions from potential campers and their parents. CPC members attended camp fairs, visited Friends’ schools, wrote articles for the Friends Journal, and posted notices in their own communities. We also began a print ad campaign with ads in several newspapers in Virginia. As with many marketing campaigns, it may take some time to determine the effectiveness of these efforts.
Support of Staff
In the fall, our Camp Administrative Secretary, Jane Megginson, had a personal opportunity to move out of the Washington DC area. She developed and put forward a proposal to continue her job with BYM by telecommuting, and the CPC supported
this proposal. We have worked with the General Secretary and the Supervisory Committee to pilot, review, and refine this arrangement, which the CPC feels is working well. Jane has been committed to the Camping Program for many years and the program has benefitted greatly from her skills.
The Committee considered the importance of their role in supporting the directors both during the camp season and in the off season when our directors are busy with their other jobs and have less energy to give to camp. At the directors’ retreat a related query led to wonderful discussion and many solid positive ways that the Committee can support our directors. This included exploring the idea of co-directors at all camps. The sense of the committee is that while co-directors can be an excellent way to run camp, each camp and each director or pair of co-directors will need to be considered on an individual basis; what works for one may not work for another.
Allison Downey, after helping to co-lead a successful expansion of TA in 2007, resigned to pursue other career opportunities. Jen Schneider continued in her new role of TA co-director and David Gregal was hired as a new co-director to work with her. Catoctin returned to a single directorship under Linda Garretson, after Alex Jadin was unable to return as co-director.
As we began to address the need for a new co-director at TA again this year, the Committee started to explore how to address future leadership needs, in particular guidelines for directors/co-director turnovers and working with the General Secretary & Supervisory Committee in hiring new Directors. There are many talented and committed staff within the Camping Program and we want to support their leadership development whenever possible. This discussion was timely as we are now in the process of looking for a new director for Shiloh; Dana Foster will step down at the end of this camp season after directing Shiloh for 13 years.
Transportation
Once again the Committee and the directors discussed the need for more drivers with Commercial Driver’s License at each camp to alleviate the stress of driving; currently only a couple of staff members per camp have CDLs and are able to drive for the trips.
In the joint meeting with Camp Property Management Committee, we explored the concept of buying our own buses or continuing to rent the buses from Sandy Springs Friends School. CPMC and CPC recommended the purchase of our own buses that can be rented out to other programs in our off-season. During this joint meeting the Committees also discussed the maintenance of the camp “fleet” during the non-camp season.
Youth Safety
The Camping Program has long been attentive to the safety needs of youth participating in its programs and continually addresses
this through careful hiring and training of staff and counselors each year during the two weeks before camp starts. We also implemented the practice of background checks for all volunteers. Our safety policies are now available on the updated website. CPC is represented on the Ad-hoc Youth Safety Committee and has been working with that group to define a Youth Safety Policy that will meet the needs of all BYM programs.
Advance Report - 2007
The Camping Program Committee had a busy year and enjoyed a number of new committee members who brought new energy and ideas to the committee’s work. As a whole, we are amazed and pleased with the uniqueness of BYM’s Camping Program and the quality of experience it provides all involved. In this report we focus on several areas which were of primary focus for the CPC this year:
- Camp Evaluation process
- Teen Program
- Leadership
- Under-Enrollment
- Finances
- Relationships with other BYM Committees
Camp Evaluations & related issues
The Camping Program Committee has always actively sought and valued the feedback of campers, parents, staff and volunteers, but the results of our past evaluation efforts—laborious though they were—have often been disappointing. This year we established a new evaluation process using an online survey. This process brought in more input from campers, parents, staff, and volunteers. The Committee was able to use the feedback to guide our off-season work as well as the operation of camps in session.
From the evaluations, the CPC developed the following queries, which led to rich discussion at the yearly directors’ meeting in March:
- How does the camping program honor different comfort levels with the expression of sexuality at camp?
- How does the camping program nurture and foster a sense of inclusion for ALL campers, especially those on the margins (quieter children, new children)?
- We (CPC, CPMC, Camp Directors) have collective ownership of safety issues. How do we support each other in assuring safety of people at camp?
The CPC and Camp Directors found common ground in realizing that we cannot assume that all members of the camping program community share values with all others, and we must be careful to communicate and be mindful of others’ values. In our discussion we again realized the importance of pre-camp training of staff as well as the role of counselors and camp staff in being aware of potential issues, then communicating clearly to resolve any problems.
In an effort to be good fiscal stewards and in response to the evaluations, the CPC has examined our management of food planning and purchasing. We encourage each camp to serve fresh, healthy food, organic when possible, keeping the budget in mind. Each summer our kitchen managers have a range of experience; some have held the position for several years, while others have cooked or been at camp but are new to managing the kitchen. This year, Betsy Krome, kitchen manager at Shiloh and CPC member, will be coordinating communication among kitchen managers at the camps to share planning tips, favorite camp recipes, etc.
Teen Program
Last year we had a large number of campers who were not able to attend Teen Adventure due to a shortage of space, and the CPC was deeply aware of the pain and distress this caused many families. In last year’s discussions about the space shortage, we identified a number of challenges to expanding TA including the saturation of the available locations along the Blue Ridge, the difficulty in locating appropriate staff, and transportation. Way opened this year to add additional trips in a North Carolina location through a collaboration with Wilmington Friends School. This year we were able to accept nearly all of the on-time applicants, and although it's too early to pronounce the program successful, we have every expectation that it will be. Although the North Carolina trips ended up presenting too many challenges to see it actualize, the process required investigation, discussion and negotiation, and discernment, which led to a closer to home option of slight programmatic changes to TALT (the 2nd year of the TA Program). The CPC is grateful to Jane Megginson for her role in recognizing the possibilities for expanding the program and for her work in bringing our ideas to fruition in so short a time (only a few months!). We are also grateful for our new TA directors, who have dedicated immense time and energy to program planning for the new approach to TA.
We also had a dedicated group of people begin exploration of a Teen Arts Adventure (TAA), which would be a more site based program potentially meeting the needs of teens who would like further camp type programs, but are not as able or interested in the level of physical activity required by TA. A successful planning retreat was held at the Clearing, with the support of Richmond Monthly Meeting and a grant from the Ethel Reynolds fund. The sense of the CPC was that while the vision of a TAA is clear and meaningful, the practical details of planning and initiating this type of program are too immense for us to undertake at this time. Even so, the process of exploration and discernment was good, and helped identify other existing opportunities for teens interested in this type of experience through Pendle Hill, Washington Quaker Workcamps, and other organizations.
After last year’s shortage of spaces in Teen Adventure, we felt we must clarify our acceptance policy. Our discussion reaffirmed some of our core beliefs: our belief that our programs work best and change lives most profoundly when campers are able to return each year, and our commitment to serving children within the Baltimore Yearly Meeting. We structured our acceptance policy around these beliefs. We felt that the Quaker testimony of integrity requires a full and complete disclosure of the process that is used for admission to the TA programs, and the step-by-step process is now posted on the Camping Program website.
Leadership
We are blessed with talented and committed Camp Directors with long successful tenures. However, for a few, success and growth in other areas of their lives has required them to look for new ways to be a part of the camping program. CPC helped interview 3 new directors—Jennifer Schneider and Alison Downey to replace outgoing TA co-directors Melissa Poole and Whitney Thompson, and Alex Jadin to join Linda Garretson as Catoctin co-director. The CPC has observed that the co-director design seems to be a good system for highlighting and complementing strengths, helping with off-season requirements, and supporting the leadership of the camping program.
Under-enrollment
Despite last summer’s experience with a shortage of TA positions, the camping program as a whole has been underenrolled for the past few years, particularly at Opequon and Shiloh. In our Advance Report of 2005, we noted a problem with underenrollment, which we believed was “caused partly by demographic trends, and partly perhaps by overconfidence in the power of word-of-mouth advertising and past patterns of family commitments. We may have failed to recognize the demographic trends in time to advertise appropriately.” We also believe this is a nation-wide problem for overnight summer camps. Neverthless, we continue to explore ways to increase enrollment, including more effective advertising in Quaker publications and in other arenas, presentations to monthly meetings, and individual recruitment efforts.
Finances
It is always a challenge to provide a budget for the following year, when our current year hasn’t even started yet. In the past, the CPC has generally been a year behind in the budgeting process, but over the past several years, our Camp Administrative Secretary and our Budget subcommittee have worked very hard to bring the CPC budgeting process in line with BYM’s budget timelines. For several years the CPC has been working to make the Camping Program fiscally viable so that it does not rely solely on the financial support of BYM in order to function. This has required us to raise the camp fees. Although the new fees are higher than we are accustomed to, they are still well below comparable camping programs. Moreover, the increased fees will allow us to take care of necessary equipment upkeep. Finally, retaining experienced staff is a key to the quality of our programs, and meaningful pay increases for our wonderful camp directors and staff are long overdue.
We have also acknowledged the need to be able to change the way the scholarships are financed. Currently, many meetings provide scholarships for their young friends, and others put effort into raising money to sponsor youth from the wider community. Beyond that, BYM has a Barry Morley endowment that helps provide additional scholarships. The amount of scholarships requested outnumbers the amount of scholarship funds currently available through this endowment. As a result, we must continually choose between forgoing equipment replacement and other operational needs or denying campers the opportunity provided through the scholarship program. CPC has begun working with stewardship & finance committee re: fundraising to increase the scholarship endowment.
Relationships with other BYM committees
We generally have a joint meeting once a year with the Camp Property Management Committee, and we continue to find this beneficial to the operation of the camping program. This year, in our ongoing efforts to nurture more formal connections with other BYM committees, we worked with Youth Program Committee as they grew and changed, and we hope to continue supporting each other in areas of common focus.
More news from Camping Programs...
|
