Update from the CWM Camping Committee

The newly formed CWM Camping Committee met for the first time on the evening of March 5. Representatives from Hills of Peace and Samish Island were present, and there may be others who are willing to participate in the future. We were initially uncertain about the exact purpose of the committee, so we took the evening to discuss our overall objectives and identify what information we are missing in order to reach our goals.

The initial purpose of the group is to:

1. Explore what is important to uphold as the values and goals of Community of Christ camping programs in Western Canada; and
2. Assist Camp Directors (particularly at Hills of Peace) in finding ways to develop and improve programming. This may take a variety of forms, including succession planning, scheduling, promotion of Registered Youth Worker applications, staff recruiting as needed, assistance with budgeting, etc.

Some specific ways this committee can help:

• Make sure camps are scheduled well ahead of time (multiple years in advance) and that registration is available at the beginning of the year, even if details are not completely finalized.
• Make sure there is a SPEC plan that clarifies who will be going with which groups (e.g., BC with GPNW, Prairies with CEM) and determine the best transportation options.
• Make sure Samish, Hills of Peace, and SPEC calendars align without unnecessary overlap.

Our discussion covered a wide range of topics, including the representatives from each campground gaining a better understanding of the operations of the other campground. We will need to meet further to develop a practical approach to achieving our goals.

Our next meeting will take place sometime in April.
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Wish us luck,
CWM Camping Committee