by Adam Delezenne
Our schedule for next summer is out, and we are excited to be on the road to getting ready for summer again!
In 2022 we made some changes to how our schedules were put together. For example, rather than listing many camp programs that would run concurrently, we asked families to sign up for the week of camp that would work best for them based on time. Each week we offered as many program activities as possible. To adapt to challenges with staffing, we only provided one-week sessions and cut a week from the beginning of the summer. Expeditions and the Free to Be week also dropped off the menu due to the transition in leadership and the time they take to plan well.
2023 will be different again, but this time we are really pleased to be able to listen to our families’ feedback and bring some things back.
Two-week camp
A two-week session is back! Mark it on your calendars, July 9-21! We love our one-week sessions, but there is something about the extended time that really amplifies the Camp Westminster experience. Everything becomes more profound when we have extended time to get to know our community, practice skills, and discover more. We’re developing an expansion to our standard one-week program so that those campers aren’t just getting the same week twice.
Day Camp all Summer
Last year we did one week of all-day camp at the end of June. To minimize new COVID in the community, we did not allow day campers the rest of the summer. In 2023, we hope to relax those measures and offer day camp during every overnight session and day camp week.
Bringing Back Overnight Week 1
Last year we cut a week out of the summer to make it easier for summer staff to fully participate in staff training. Some tweaks to the schedule will allow us to add another week of overnight camp in the last week of June! Huzzah!
More Coming Soon
Rolling our summer out in parts means that we can get you information sooner, but some pieces are still in development. These are the next couple of pieces of the puzzle that we’re working on:
Fees
In past years our fees have jumped up $10-15 every summer. This year, I wanted to set our prices based on the actual cost of offering summer camp. We intend to offer one fee tied to the actual cost of running Camp Westminster and another subsidized by donations. These two tiers (rather than our usual three) will be available across most of our programs. Campers will have the same experience regardless of the payment tier their family can pay.
These fees are not yet locked in, but I can tell you that they are going up compared to last year. If you want to help keep those fees down, please consider making a donation.
Registration
Our goal is to have registration for the summer up in early December!
Summer Staff Application
Central to a great summer at camp is a great summer staff! This year we’re hoping to hire a larger team of counselors and support staff.
Campership Application
We’ll announce our target for camperships and a new application process. This year, mirroring our two registration tiers, we will offer half or full camperships.
COVID-19
It has almost been three years since our lives were turned upside down by COVID-19. Even if you’ve managed to avoid contracting it yourself, we have all been affected by the pandemic. Camp Westminster, as an organization that gathers people together, was not immune (that’s a COVID pun) to the effects. Apart from any external requirements imposed on us, we care about the health and well-being of our community. That concern has been hard to navigate these past three years.
For 2023 we will redevelop our policy based on where we’re at now. I (Adam speaking) would like to see an approach built around how we handle all infectious diseases at camp, giving particular attention to illnesses that are emerging or are of special concern. This would not reduce our care around COVID but would put it in a broader context which could help us be on better footing for future needs. We will gather our committee and reconsider these things in the Winter.
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