PSR Camp's Goals & Outcomes for Campers

From our 2014 parent survey, parents were asked the question, 'What does PSR Camp do well?'

If camp is a fun and exciting place where children spend a week outdoors making new friends and learning new things, then we're only doing half the job. Our goals for camper are just as diverse as the camper who attend each season.

Here are a few examples of the things we expect campers to reach for and find while on their camp experience at Pine Springs Ranch.

1. To connect campers with God.

• Cabin counselors will share a worship thought during family group time in his/her cabin. Family group time is designed with the camper in mind.  Counselors are provided with age appropriate worship material by the programming coordinator. Family group time is meant to be conducted with just the cabin, giving campers time to connect with each other and with God.
• Each morning the camp pastor will share a spiritual message during the camp council time. Camp council time provides campers with the opportunity to worship with other campers.  Songs, nature nugget stories and the camp pastor’s message is all geared towards meeting the developmental, social, and spiritual needs of the campers.
• All camp staff are required to attend and to participate in camp council activities along with the campers. Staff’s active participation reiterates the importance and value placed on camp council worship time.  

2. To provide opportunities that stimulate the development of each camper’s self-esteem, based on the value God places on them as His children.

• Campers will be told by their counselors, activity instructors and cabin assistances that they are a special creation of God and extremely valuable to Him and to camp.
• Camper’s will participate in class/rotation time activities  that have been designed to build self-esteem as an individual and as a member of a larger group.
• During big event, cabin free, meals and other camp events, campers will participate in getting-to-know-you games, team building activities, and other developmentally appropriate camp activities.
• Staff will provide the campers with positive self-esteem comments and encouragement throughout their stay at PSR camp.
• Campers are encouraged to share with their parents about what they have learned or have worked on at camp.

3. To share with campers the importance of respect.

• During village meeting, the boys and girls coordinators will share with every camper their expectations regarding respect for lead and assistance counselors, instructors, and other campers. Campers are also expected to respect themselves and respect each others personal spaces.
• Issues covered in village meetings will depend on the developmental needs of the particular age group and gender of campers.

4. Appreciate nature as God’s creation.

• Part of PSR’s mission is to encourage campers to take an active role in the stewardship of our environment. We have been charged to be good stewards of this earth, and it is our responsibility to teach campers how to be good stewards. Campers will participate in at least one nature session while at camp, work together as a cabin to help with campus cleanups and clean their cabin on a daily basis.
• Campers will have the opportunity to participate and connect with nature through hikes, outdoor programs, outdoor worships, and other environmental activities. Sabbaths are spent walking around campus participating in various “reach out” activities. these outdoor activities are age appropriate and are geared to meet the needs of the campers.
• Recycling bins are provided to campers and staff around campus.

5. To provide situations for each camper to set goals and challenge themselves while discovering his or her own skills and abilities.

• Campers will participate in activities during the week that will personally challenge them. Activities such as ropes challenge course, swimming, hiking, archery, go-karts, gymnastics, self defense, etc.have all been designed to challenge campers in a safe and developmentally appropriate way.
• Campers will have the opportunity to work in small groups during cabin time on site to contribute to worships, discussion, and activities. Trip campers will have the opportunity to work in small groups during cookouts, while they plan, prepare and clean up after meals as a group with each camper taking on different roles.
• Camp activities are designed to teach campers as least one or more new skills while at camp.

6. To allow each child to experience group living, away home.

• Campers stay in cabins, housing 5 to 8 campers. Campers are assigned to cabins by request or by random selection by the girls and boys coordinators. Cabin time presents many opportunities for campers to play, bond, and study the Bible together with their counselor. Having campers stay together teaches kids, lessons in getting along, respect, communal living and keeping the cabin clean.
• Campers will learn to follow their camp counselor.  
• Campers are encouraged and expected to aid in decision making. Cabins create the rules which are posted for everyone to see.
• During big event, outposts, free time, activity time, campers are given the opportunity to meet new friends. Big event games are designed to teach campers teamwork, positive sportsmanship and the benefits of healthy living.

We'll see you at camp!

~Jeremy

PSR Camp: Hiring Season is Winding Down (Interviews for April 29th)

2014 Ropes Course Staff

April 29th, 2015. 

Interview times and availability. 

All future interviews will be based on the qualification of the applicant.

10:30 am ~ Taken (JH)

12:40 pm ~ Taken (GL)

1:10 pm ~ Taken (DC)

In-Person interviews are conducted at the Southeastern CA Conference Office: 11330 Pierce St, Riverside CA 92505.

Skype or phone interviews are also available during the times listed above.

Request an appointment here.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

What Everyone Wants to Know About CUB CAMP!

The Basic Information
   1) Our first cub camp is a new session this year for children between the ages of 7-9.
   2) It will take place between June 24th - June 28th, 2015.
   3) If you register before April 30, Cub Camp is $99.

Why Start a Cub Camp?
   1) Cub camp is for parents who are looking for a shorter, introductory camp experience.
   2) Parents can attend our family camp session with younger (or older) children and enroll their children in cub camp. That way you're still close and able to see how camp operates with counselors, programs, and also observe how your child (or children) react to taste of the camp experience.
   3) Cub camp doesn't break the bank! The $99 price tag is makes this an affordable session for almost anyone. We believe that every 9 year old deserves a camp experience and cub camp is how we're planning on providing that option to the diversity of families who are our customers.

The Details
   1) Since Cub Camp starts on a Wednesday, we've added a transportation option to the session options if you want your cub camper to take the bus.
   2) Each cabin unit will have two counselors & a minimum ratio of 1 staff member per 3 cub campers. That way you know they'll always be two PSR counselors around your children at all times.
   3) Space is limited (only 40 spots)! Since this session takes place during our Family Camp, we've made it small enough so the two session do not interfere with each other.

   Reservations for cub camp have already begun @ www.psr.camp.

   We'll see you at camp!

~Jeremy

It's Camp for the Whole Family!

   My favorite session of summer camp is our family camp and it's because I enjoy seeing adults have fun with their families. We're glad to serve our guests in the cafeteria, during activity times, and with fun programs at night. Plus, parents come up to me during this session and tell me how much fun they're having, and what they would like to see changed for the next season.

   It really is great to get all of that positive input and meaningful suggestions so that even more people will make it a tradition year after year.

   Today we just passed the 1/3 mark on reservations for this session, which means it's filling up 200% faster than it did last year. We're expecting lots of guests this summer and we are already getting ready for your long weekend retreat to PSR Camp.

   

   If you saw the camp magazine, then you noticed that we're celebrating 100 years of church family together in 2015. About a century ago, the Southeastern CA Conference voted to split from the Southern CA Conference, and we've been worshiping together ever since. 

   This year we've added Thursday arrival, we've changed our prices, and made it easier for parents to register online. We've had to update a few policies, but otherwise it's going to be the same program you've come to enjoy.

   This year, Pastor John Brunt will also be joining us up at family camp to be our featured speaker.

 

   He's currently the senior pastor at Azure Hills Church, and we're really glad to be hosting him. I'm sure we'll all be blessed with the words he's going to share with us.

   We'll see you at camp!

-Jeremy Cruz

The 2015 PSR Camp Brochure: COMING SOON!

Brochure requests have been coming in recently, and we're still in the printing and mailing phase of this very intensive project. 

Cover, 2015 PSR Camp Brochure

   They say that print advertising is dying, but demand for the brochure has never been higher. If you follow us online via the blog or facebook, we'll be releasing pages every week along with some other helpful information.

   Some information we've already released for everyone (via the blog) is the camp leadership, but you'll also find them featured in the inside cover, along with a welcome to our camp family and guests. After our leadership training session in March, we really came together as a team and I feel very grateful to have these individuals leading our camper to Christ this summer at PSR Camp.

Inside Cover, 2015 Camp Brochure

   The thing most people want to know is the session information & dates for camp. This year we're offering seven sessions (with two of them overlapping) for our customers. We've made the cub camp small intentionally, so that it doesn't conflict with our family camp session.

   Which reminds me, family camp is already more than 25% full. Last season we had about 100 guests for family camp, but this season I believe it will be completely sold out.

Table of Contents + Session Information page + Sample Daily Schedule

A lot of potential staff and parents ask me what a typical camp day is like, and we've posted the schedule on the session information page to give you an idea of a normal camp day.

We hope this information helps you plan your summer and we'll see you at camp!

~Jeremy

April 16th Interviews: Times & Availability

April 16th, 2015. 

Interview times and availability. This will be the last round of interviews before our 3rd round of hiring on April 21st.

3:00 pm ~ Taken (AB)

3:30 pm ~ Taken (DC)

4:10 pm ~ Taken (MS)

4:40 pm ~ ~ Taken (EI)
5:10 pm ~ Taken (AB)

5:40 pm ~ Taken (AL)

In-Person interviews are conducted at the Southeastern CA Conference Office: 11330 Pierce St, Riverside CA 92505.

Skype or phone interviews are also available during the times listed above.

Request an appointment here.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Camper Enrollment Report, April 6th (2015)

Figure 1: Camp enrollment by April 6th over the past 5 seasons

The increasing pace of camper registrations
Last season, some of our activities filled up in late April & early May. This summer we're seeing registrations coming in a bit sooner (see figure 1) than usual and a few classes already have limited space available.

Example:
    Session: Junior Week #1 (July 5 - 12)
    Activity: Ropes Course
    Availability: Only 3 spaces (out of 12 total) remain.

For a lot of customers, class availability isn't a big deal. However, a few parents care a lot about which activity their children can register for in our 2015 season.

If you're a parent who cares deeply about activity selection & availability please register soon. At PSR Camp our desire is to accommodate all requests but sometimes we will be unable to help you because the activity is full; in other words PSR Camp will not be overloading any activity this season.

What is an overload?
When a class is full (example: 12 spaces available & 12 campers registered) parents sometimes call to ask, complain, negotiate, or bully our administrators into adding another space for their camper. In the past we have asked our staff to work extra hard to allow these requests, but overloads can cause more problems for other campers in the activity and diminish their experience.

Example:
   Parent calls to complain that their camper ate lunch last in the cafeteria every day. The reason was because their camper was enrolled in an activity with an overload, and that class was always running behind schedule because it took more time for them to finish the prepared lessons each day.
 
In other words, we've been able to solve one parent's problem with activity availability, but potentially created a new problem with the parents of 12 other campers who are potentially annoyed about the meal dismissal schedule.

Customer Service
Camp exists in an interesting intersection because it's both a ministry and a business. It's our job to make all of customers happy while also making sure that the camp experience is preserved for everyone.

Every time a parent has a problem we can't solve; I really take it to heart as a personal failing. Not because they were upset or angry, but because I did not anticipate their request or maybe they had an expectation that we couldn't fulfill. Please remember that we'll always try to do our best to make sure your camper & family have a great experience on top of the mountain.

Looking forward to serving you this summer!

Jeremy Cruz
~PSR Camp

April 8th Interviews: Times & Availability

April 8th, 2015. 

Interview times and availability.

2:30 pm ~ Taken (AD)

3:00 pm ~ Taken (GM)

3:30 pm ~ Taken (MP)

4:10 pm ~ Taken (TC)

4:40 pm ~ Taken (TC)
5:10 pm ~ Taken (SD)

5:40 pm ~ Taken (AC)

In-Person interviews are conducted at the Southeastern CA Conference Office: 11330 Pierce St, Riverside CA 92505.

Skype or phone interviews are also available during the times listed above.

Request an appointment here.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Update for all Applicants & Job Seekers

What you need to know:

4/01/15: Yesterday & tomorrow the first round of contracts are going out. Didn't get one? Don't worry. We still have two more rounds of hiring letters and another round of contracts going out in May.

For more information on the camp calendar, hiring rounds, and contracts see this post.

We also updated the JOB BOARD post today, based on what's still available.

4/10/15: We guarantee interviews to all applicant who apply for a position at PSR Camp until April 10, 2015. After the 10th, we'll only be interview applicants who have have skills that we can match up with an available position. 

If you have a friend, family member, or someone else who you know needs a job this summer please encourage them to apply before we start narrowing our interview schedule.

~Jeremy