The Latest News from PCCCA - The PCCCA Member Update for April 1 is now available. It spotlights today’s (and upcoming) Zoom calls, a new call for writers, a sustainability survey, and new Business Members. If you did not receive the update in your email inbox, you can subscribe by going to the sign-up page.
A Zoom Gathering for our Camp and Conference Leaders is Held Every Thursday - We gather every Thursday at 11:00am EDT for a Zoom call with our camp and conference leaders. The conversation will cover a specific topic, as well as offer mutual support. We hope you will be a part of the conversation each week. Our last Thursday call before the summer will be May 27. Please join the Zoom calls listed below at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85286395100. Topic for April 15 at 11:00am EDTPCCCA is partnering with the Outdoor Ministries Association of the United Church of Christ for a joint Zoom call on April 15. Our time together will be a presentation and Q&A session on proactive pitching, crafting a strong press release, and actively working to gain positive media coverage. Kelley Freridge, Chief Marketing Officer of the American Camp Association, will present resources and tools you can use to gain positive media coverage about your camp heading into summer 2021. We will also talk about helping parents understand what to expect for summer 2021. This session is for all experience levels and open to all individuals looking to promote camp. Topic for April 22 at 11:00am EDTOur time together will focus on how we create community and the emotional, social, and mental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For years our camps and conference centers have been role models in creating intentional engaging community. This year has been a challenge on all of us. When we think about the social, mental, and emotional impact of COVID-19 on our guest and staff, it will be important this year to really understand how that changes how we run our programs and the types of programs we offer. We will also address the major impact that mental/emotional health has on the ability to form a community, especially a camp community. How will you talk (or are you talking) about mental health/social/emotional issues? Will that include anything new because of COVID-19? Are you preparing staff to handle COVID anxiety with guest and themselves? In what ways? Have you renamed or excluded any activities because of the negative impact (insensitive, properly named, etc.) they may have on guests? What new ways of communicating have you introduced to make others feel more comfortable or not pressure someone into pushing their social boundaries? How do we create a community that accepts differences and meets people where they are (i.e. campers and guest that may have varying degrees of comfort related to your COVID procedures)? Any plans for when your COVID standards don’t match the comfort level of a guest (too strict or too loose)? In what ways have you modified programming so that different levels of comfort can participate? Can anyone speak to what it is like to have anxiety and how that relates to COVID? Do you have any tips on how to be provide aid or assistance for someone struggling with anxiety or other mental health issues? Topic for April 29 at 11:00am EDTPCCCA is partnering with the Outdoor Ministries Association of the United Church of Christ for a joint Zoom call. Teambuilding Guru and summer camp activity specialist Dr. Jim Cain will share his latest, newest and best connection-building activities and best practices, especially those incorporating physical distancing and other appropriate Covid-19 mitigation measures. Just in time for staff training and summer camp! Jim has written two books specifically on physical distancing and other best practices (The Dutchman’s Rope and Connection Without Contact). This workshop will pull the very best from these new books, and the collective wisdom of camp professionals, teachers, trainers, facilitators and youth development specialists around the world. If you have a topic suggestion for a future call, please contact Joel Winchip. 33 Discounts for Our 2021 Members! - We now have 33 member discounts! As a part of the benefits you receive through membership, PCCCA offers these special discounts on different products and services related to camps and conference centers. Utilizing two or more of these company discounts could save you more money than you pay in membership dues. You can check out the list by going to the PCCCA website. If you are a current PCCCA member, we hope you will login to the Resources page on the PCCCA website and utilize these discounts for your ministry. If you are not yet a member, you can join or renew at www.pccca.net/membership.
Have You Updated Your Website Listings? - PCCCA has websites that help potential retreat groups, summer staff, and summer campers find your ministry. While all of our camps appear on the websites, PCCCA members receive priority listings which include pictures and appear at the top of search results. Have you made updates to your listings? If you haven’t already done so, please go to the links below to access your login for each website. SummerToRemember.com for summer staffBookARetreat.com for retreat groupsBestSummerYet.com for summer campers
Join or Renew Your PCCCA Membership - For most of our camps and conference centers, their PCCCA membership expired on January 1. Now would be a great time to join or renew your PCCCA membership. You have the option of joining for one year or saving some money by paying for two years. Please keep in mind that PCCCA membership now lasts one (or two) years beyond your renewal date and does not follow the calendar year. If you are a smaller camp, keep in mind that there is a new discounted rate for membership. You can join using a check or credit card by going to www.pccca.net/membership.