Camp Douglas is a Place, a Plan, and an Experience.
- Camp Douglas is a Place. It is located in a beautiful, outdoor setting on the Sunshine Coast
of British Columbia, and it is an opportunity for children and adults to develop an
awareness and appreciation for God’s beautiful and diverse creation. It encourages
the development of a greater understanding of the natural world, and of our role in it
as stewards of the environment.
- Camp Douglas is a Plan. The shorter catechism1 states that “the chief end of man is to
glorify God and to enjoy him forever”. If campers are in an atmosphere where they
feel close to God and are challenged with his Word, they will make decisions for
Christ. Every activity begins with a sincere concern about every camper’s
relationship with God, and therefore, all curriculum and activities must be Christcentred,
child and Word related. This also means that the Camp leadership, Staff and
Volunteers are involved in Christian ministry and must be mature Christians. They
must also be encouraged, trained, and supported in their personal relationships with
Christ, so that they can relate to the campers and grow along with them.
- Camp Douglas is an Experience. It is an intentional community of people whose
overriding purpose is to live in loving and harmonious relationships with each other,
modelling the love and relationship of Jesus Christ and His church. Camping ministry
is filled with fun activities – such as knuckleball, hiking, archery, Triple H, and
campfire – but the focus is to create relationships which demonstrate the love of
Jesus Christ for each and every person. Camp is people-centred, not program-centred.
It is most importantly Christ-centred.
Commitments
At Camp Douglas we are blessed to be entrusted to care for campers. We have worked to earn that trust through a dedicated focus on the following areas:
- Safety: We prioritize the safety of campers and staff by ensuring best practices in first aid, waterfront supervision, staff to camper ratios, minimizing risks, and practicing emergency procedures.
- Inclusivity: Each camper that comes to camp is a child of God. Every camper has value and is welcomed into the community at Camp Douglas.
- Staff: Staff members are mature Christians that have been carefully selected through a best practices hiring process which includes an application, 2 references, interview, criminal record check, and pre-camp and on-site training.
- Challenge by Choice: We work to develop self-esteem and resiliency in campers by challenging them at an age appropriate level. At Camp Douglas we value the concept of challenge by choice which means that campers have the choice at the end of the day. Provided that a camper maintains the standards of conduct required by our policies, all staff must respect the choice of the camper.
- Christ-Centred: A day at camp revolves around the worship of Christ.
- Fun: We value a program that is fun for campers. We strive to incorporate new and interesting program options, moulding our programs to suit the needs of campers.
- Releasing Campers: Campers will not be released to anyone except the responsible parent or guardian unless there is permission from the parent or guardian that is confirmed by the Camp Director.
- Protection of Personal Information: We are committed to providing our campers and families with exceptional service. As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our campers and families protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities. See the Personal Information Protection Policy for more details.
Campers at Camp Douglas are required to follow the “Three Bees”—Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible. When attending Camp Douglas, campers are expected to abide by the following guidelines. Camp Douglas campers are responsible for their behaviour. Our leaders will model and teach campers to be safe, respectful and responsible during their stay at camp.
Be Safe:
• Follow ALL safety instructions coming from the Camp Douglas staff.
• Leave dangerous or valuable items at home (including pocket knives).
• Enjoy “hands off” play as physical aggression is not tolerated at Camp Douglas.
Be Respectful:
• Respect the camp property by treating it with care and being a good steward of the environment.
• Respect the diversity of the campers and staff in the camp community.
• Treat others the way that you would like to be treated.
Be Responsible:
• Campers will refrain from behaviour that would threaten, harass, or bully any person in the Camp Douglas community.
• Smoking, alcohol, drug use, and sexual activity are prohibited at Camp Douglas.
• Use electronic devices such as digital cameras in an appropriate way. Cameras are not permitted in the bathrooms or cabins.
Any camper who is found behaving in a way that compromises our ability to foster a sense of respect and community, or who is unable to be safe, respectful, and responsible, may be sent home at the discretion of the Camp Douglas Director.