Program Safety

Both our ministry staff and board of directors have years of combined experience working in youth-based ministries, and are well-acquainted with the important concerns of parents.  We have invested much thought and preparation into the safety of our programs.  During our programs we have staff on-site with extensive experience overseeing and working in other camp-related ministries who understand the important precautions for providing a safe camp environment.

Because we take on a serious responsibility to parents to provide a safe environment we choose to disclose the policies and procedures that we use to pursue that goal.  If you have any questions you are welcome to Contact Us and speak directly with our Program Director who is responsible for implementing and overseeing these precautions.
 

Precautions

1. Applications – Volunteers are required to go through an extensive process that begins with filling out a detailed Volunteer Application asking them questions about their life, faith, and intentions.  Many of our volunteers apply because they were personally invited by a member of our ministry team who is acquainted with their character and reputation.  It is very rare and unlikely that we approve volunteers with no connections to anyone in the ministry.
2. Interviews – The Program Director and or Volunteer Coordinator thoroughly interview each applicant.  These are substantial interviews that usually take between one and a half and two hours.  One of our goals is not only to ensure that our volunteers are qualified and spiritually mature, but to get to know them on a personal level.
3. Accountability – We ask prospective volunteers to be quite vulnerable about their current struggles and past mistakes, and to take responsibility for the impact those things may have on their qualification to serve.  This gives our staff the opportunity to discuss these matters with potential volunteers and ensure they are not a risk.  It also acts as a detomrant to those who would rather not go through the effort of this kind of transparency.
4. Personal References – When filling out an application volunteers must provide three non-family personal references and give us permission to contact those references about their suitability to work with children.  Requesting references is a effective safeguard because it makes the application process much less attractive to unqualified applicants.
5. Background Checks – We obtain a professional background check on every person volunteering during our two week discipleship program.  In addition to this extremely important measure, many of our volunteers have been involved in other youth-related ministries where they were obligated to meet similar requirements.
6. Approval – Once our volunteers have thoroughly completed an application and the interview process, they are carefully evaluated by both the Volunteer Coordinator and the Program Director.  The board of directors also reviews applicants and must vote on the approval of every volunteer that is allowed to serve during the two-week program.
7. Training – In preparation for serving, volunteers must complete online training that is designed to help them identify and prevent the appearance, opportunity, and the occurrence of various forms of child abuse.  Like many of the other precautions we take, training contributes to the rigorous nature of our volunteer process.
8. Guidelines – During the two week discipleship program itself we implement many common sense and conservative guidelines that are intended to dramatically reduce the potential for an incident.  The program staff is aware of these policies and has the responsibility to enforce them and help maintain a safe environment.