California Christian Camps

Initial Planning

STOP! It's hard to resist the urge to move forward and make "real" progress, but until you clearly understand what it is that you hope to get out of a camp, you're just going to get frustrated when nothing seems to be what you hoped it would be.

Lets take a look at some questions that would be good to ask of yourself and your group before you go any further.

• What do I want to accomplish?
• What do my students want?
• What do my students need?
• How long will it take to accomplish these goals?

• Are there any dates on my calendar I need to avoid?
• Are there any dates on my student's calendars I need to avoid?
• When does school end/start?
• What do I want to do/accomplish before and after this trip?

• How much can I reasonably expect my group to pay for this?
• Do I have any money available for scholarships?
• What expenses will I need to cover in addition to the cost of camp?

• How far do we need to travel for this to be a "special" event?
• How far can we travel before the trip there and back is all that everyone remembers?

• Are you looking for a Camp or a Conference Center?
  "Camp" typically refers to a location where the camp staff will take care of most of the day to day planning and running of your trip, while a "Conference Center" typically refers to a situation where the camp staff takes care of the behind the scenes details (like meals and housekeeping) and you take care of the plan for each day. Many camps offer both including combinations of everything in between, but you should know if you want one extreme or the other.
• How much do I want the camp to take care of?
• What activity options do you want at your camp?