CAMPER PREP

Thank you for registering your group! We can't wait to see you at camp. Use these resources to get going:

• Start with the Group Leader Welcome Packet (Access, AVL, RVA, Honduras). It gives you the full picture: timeline, group requirements, and pre-camp sessions.

• Read the Week Walkthrough for your program (Access or Awareness) to see what each day of camp looks like.

• Review your Registration Agreement and our Policies & Procedures.

• Meet with your program administrator to walk through your group's Google Drive folder. Everything for your week, including invoices and forms, lives there. Need a refresher? Watch the Google Drive Tutorial (video).

• Add these payment deadlines to your calendar:

  • March 1, 2027: Second payment due and deadline to drop participants. Balances are adjusted at this time.

  • May 15, 2027: Final payment due.

• Deposits are non-transferable and non-refundable. Want to add people? Contact your program administrator to confirm space first.

• Pay online from your invoice, or mail a check to: Carolina Cross Connection, 3540 Toringdon Way, Suite 200 #208, Charlotte, NC 28277.

You have your week. Now it's time to fill it with the right students and adults.

• Hold your interest meeting early. Use the Interest Meeting Slides and Interest Meeting Guide.

• Recruit adults. You need at least 1 adult for every 8 students, and for Access, 1 adult driver for every 8 non-drivers. Every adult will need a background screening (see Group Leader Guide). Questions about ratios? Email Haley.

• Use the Adult Meeting Guide to choose volunteers who fit the role and prepare them well.

• Read the Camper Adult Covenant. Knowing what everyone agrees to helps you recruit people who are a good fit.

• Grab our free Social Media & Promo Templates to announce sign-ups and meetings.

• Plan fundraising with our Fundraising Ideas. Church members who can't come can sponsor a camper, a great way to build intergenerational connections.

• Register your final number of participants. Drops after March 1 are still billed.

• Review the Group Leader Guide for Group Requirements for vehicles, drivers, coolers and first aid kits.

• Finalize vehicle rentals or borrowing. Cross Connection can't provide vehicles, and the ones you bring are used every day to reach worksites.

• Schedule your three Pre-Camp Sessions plus one Adult Leader meeting between February and May.

• Be on the look out for dates for your Group Leader Prep session (held in March) with your program administrator to review Forms, Google Drive and updates.

Vehicle & driver requirements

• One suitable vehicle and one adult driver for every 8 people. Must be able to hold all people along with tools for Access.

• A seatbelt for every passenger (NC law). No pickup beds or cargo vans.

• Able to handle daily driving, sometimes in hilly or mountain areas.

• Trailers or tool trucks are welcome but come in addition to work-group vehicles.

• Your group covers all vehicle costs, including gas.

All forms are signed digitally. Form links are below, on your roster in Google Drive, and in your email.

Participant & Medical Consent

• Every student and adult. Youth need a parent or guardian signature and insurance info. No pastor or leader signature needed.

Adult Screening Form

• Every adult 18+, drivers or not. Signed by the adult, group leader and a pastor. Screenings done 3 weeks before camp and valid through your week.

Roster, Work Groups & Projects

• Finalize on your Google Drive roster so summer staff can plan your week.

• Share the Parent/Guardian Paperwork Instructions and Adult Paperwork Instructions with your group. (NEED TO ADD MORE DETAILS HERE ON NEW PROCESS)

• Track who has signed: All forms for each student will be in your drive for you to track.

• Adults without a screening form on file by the deadline will not be permitted on camp property.

Every group holds required sessions for all youth and adults (parents welcome!), plus one adults-only meeting. Aim to finish at least two by May 15. Groups that do these well have better weeks. Want to co-host a session with another group or have a CC representative lead a session? Ask your program administrator.

SESSION 1 · DO FIRST

General Camper Prep

Get to know each other, share why you're going, walk through the devotion and Camper Prep Packet, and get every form started.

• Session outline

• Camper Prep Packet

• Devotion

• Release of Rights · 4 Types of Guests · Empowering Others

SESSION 2 - ACCESS ONLY

Tools & Project Safety

20-minute stations on ladders, drills, hammering, lumber, measuring, saws, worksite safety and first aid. Invite skilled church members to lead. First aid is not taught at camp.

• Session outline

• Tool & Safety stations

• First Aid info

• Project Manual

SESSION 3

Community Prep

A presentation with discussion on being a neighbor, language, implicit bias, asset-based thinking, county information and our community partners. Do it at once or in parts.

• Community Prep Presentation

• Facilitator notes

ADULTS ONLY

Adult Leader Meeting

Adults set the tone for the week. Cover expectations, practice real scenarios, and reflect on how to lead students.

• Adult Leader Meeting plan

• Scenario cards

• Your site's Program Director will call you to confirm your roster, work groups and room assignments.

• Chase down any missing Adult or Participant/Medical forms. Everything must be complete before arrival.

• From this point, adults can't be substituted without approval from your program administrator.

• ACCESS - Have your adults read the Project Manual so Monday morning on the worksite isn't their first look.

• Hold one final Pre-Camp Session to get everyone excited and ready.

Bring for each work group

• A vehicle driven by an approved adult

• One food cooler, big enough for lunch and ice

• One 5-gallon cylindrical water cooler

• One fully stocked first aid kit per vehicle

Tool donation

Bring a check or Lowe's gift card (suggested $20 per person, so $200 for a group of 10), or ask your Program Director for the camp's current needs. Adults may bring personal tools; keep them with your vehicle.

Your week

Sunday: Arrive 1:30–3:30 PM. Visit registration for name tags and rooms, turn in extra forms and supplies. Programming starts promptly at 4:00 PM.

Monday–Friday: Worship, Work, Play & Pray!

Saturday: Breakfast, camp clean-up, closing prayer. Depart 9:00–10:00 AM.

‍ ‍PACKING LIST‍ ‍WHAT NO TO BRING

• Use the Debrief Guide to help your group process the week together. [TO CREATE]

• Share the Serve at Home ideas so campers can serve their own communities. [TO CREATE]

• Partner with CC through the Ministry Leadership Center's CDP process to serve in your community. (with Link to more info). Reach out to Salem to learn more (link to email)

• Sign up for the Group Leader Recap Meeting to help us improve. (Link to Salem's Calendar)

• Know a high school senior or college student (17–25) who'd be great on Summer Staff? Applications open November through January.

• Bring your students or adults back for a Year-Round Retreat. Contact Emily Wyant at emily@crossconnection.org.