2015 CAMP DESTINY INFORMATION PACKET

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1 2015 CAMP DESTINY INFORMATION PACKET Dear Families, Welcome to Camp DESTINY! We are excited to embark on a summer of fun and learning with your child(ren)! This year s staff features some of the bay area s most talented and experienced educators in their field, as well as junior counselors who are Destiny students and alums themselves. Please read through the entire packet. It contains important information about what to bring and what to expect. If you have any questions, please contact the Camp DESTINY program team at (510) See you this summer! Sarah Crowell, Ethan Zatko, Amber Julian Camp DESTINY Program Team ABOUT CAMP DESTINY Camp DESTINY is a program of Destiny Arts Center, a non-profit community arts center that has provided high quality, low-cost after-school, weekend, and summer programs to youth ages 3-18 for 26 years. Camp DESTINY provides 7 12 year olds the opportunity to delve into Destiny s core practices: hip hop dance, martial arts, conflict resolution, self-defense and performance, as well as experience summer camp staples like arts & crafts and outdoor fun. Campers work together to build community, focused on the principles of Love, Respect, Care, Responsibility, Honor and Peace, and perform each Friday for friends and family.

2 FRIDAY PERFORMANCE AT 5:15PM Every Friday from 5:15-6:30pm students will showcase the skills they learned throughout their week at Destiny. Bring family and friends to celebrate all the campers and their accomplishments! Your child(ren) will need to have a Destiny T-shirt for the performance. IMPORTANT THINGS TO BRING FOOD Bring a bagged, cold lunch every day to Camp DESTINY. CLOTHING Wear comfortable clothing that will be easy to work out in: tennis shoes, T-shirts, sweatpants, stretch pants, or shorts. All students should have at least one Destiny Arts Center T-shirt that MUST be worn on Friday for the weekly Camp DESTINY performance. DO NOT WEAR jeans, skirts, flip-flops or boots, large jewelry or anything that would constrict movement. POSITIVE ATTITUDE Bring a positive attitude, and a willingness to work with the other students at Camp Destiny! Leave ipods, mp3 players, video games and cell phones at home please. LUNCHTIME PARK VISITS Each day Camp DESTINY will travel by foot as a group, including campers and the full day staff, to the Golden Gate Park in Oakland, CA to enjoy outdoor play and lunch outside. This is a wonderful park just blocks from our center, complete with bathroom facilities. Please direct any questions or concerns about daily visits to this public facility to Ethan Zatko at (510) x106, or NEW MARTIAL ARTS CAMP In addition to the 3, 1-week sessions of Camp DESTINY we will offer this summer, we will also be offering 2, 4-day weeks of a special Martial Arts Kajukenbo intensive camp for students in grades k-7, complete with morning martial arts training and special fun afternoon activities. These 4-day sessions will take place from 9am-4pm each day, Monday- Thursday, with optional pre-care starting at 8am and after-care continuing until 6pm available. DAILY CAMP SCHEDULE ALL CAMPERS MUST BE SIGNED IN AND SIGNED OUT BY AN AUTHORIZED ADULT 8 9AM Pre-care 9:00AM CAMP DAY BEGINS 9 9:30AM Opening Circle 9:30 10:15AM Dance/Martial Arts 10:15 10:30AM Snack 10:30 11:15AM Dance/Martial Arts 11:15AM 12:00PM 5 Fingers Curriculum 12:00 1:00PM Lunch 1:00 1:30PM Community Building Activities 1:30 2:15PM Theater/Arts & Crafts 2:15 3PM Theater/Arts & Crafts 3-3:15PM Closing Circle 3:15 PM END OF CAMP DAY - EVERYONE OUTSIDE FOR PICKUP 3:15 6:00PM After-care

3 CAMP DESTINY GROUND RULES Respect Yourself and Others Put your shoes, backpack and lunch in areas set aside for your things Wear clothing you can move in. No large jewelry or jeans allowed. Please wear tennis shoes. NO SOCKS and NO flip flops or sandals. Wear a Destiny T-shirt every FRIDAY for the performance No put-downs or cursing No cliques Safety First! Keep personal belongings secured in your bag IN YOUR CUBBY & avoid bringing valuables to the center Names must be written on lunch bags No fighting or horseplay No touching the mirrors NO YOUTH IN THE KITCHEN. COLD LUNCHES ONLY NO USE OF MICROWAVE FOR COUNSELORS OR CAMPERS. Make sure your counselors know where you are at all times Be Responsible Be on time! If you have an injury speak to your instructors when you arrive Only practice martial arts during class or privately at home Listen Attentively & Follow Directions Listen to ALL instructors with focus and give 100% Be a role model for younger or newer students No Cell Phones No cell phones during camp hours. The office phone is available for emergency phone calls. Keep Destiny Clean Everyone will participate in Soji. Soji is "service" to the community through keeping our space clean and neat. Throw away garbage and recyclables in the right containers Camper Participation In accordance with our core values, Camp DESTINY staff work collaboratively to engage all participants. The camp day is densely packed with physical activity, skill building and enrichment activities and we recognize that it can, at times, be challenging for some students. Our expectations are also clearly expressed in our ground rules, and our goal is that each camper receives the full benefit of the Camp DESTINY program. We will therefore be in contact with families of any campers who are experiencing challenges that prevent them from participating fully, and we ask for your cooperation in addressing these challenges. Please feel free to be in touch with the Senior Counselor at any time to address any questions or concerns about your camper's experience at Destiny. Feedback Destiny Arts Center welcomes feedback regarding you and your family's camp experience, including kudos, concerns and everything in between. Please feel free to contact Ethan Zatko, Camp DESTINY Senior Counselor, in person or by phone or . If you would like to submit feedback regarding a Senior Counselor, please speak with Sarah Crowell, Artistic Director, by calling x 102 or ing

4 THE WARRIOR S CODE Love A Warrior is skilled in body and kind in heart. Respect A Warrior respects him or herself and all living things. Care A Warrior believes that caring for him or herself means caring for our world. Responsibility A Warrior takes responsibility for her or his own actions and makes a superior effort in every situation. Honor A Warrior uses fighting skills honorably only to protect self and loved ones. A Warrior never raises a fist in anger. THE FIVE FINGERS OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION 1. USE YOUR HEAD Identify their natural senses Understand what awareness means Develop keen observation skills Understand the concept of intuition as a way to receive information Understand how to breath and relax 2. USE YOUR VOICE Develop their voice as a powerful tool for communication Understand nonverbal communication Practice boundary setting Differentiate between passive, aggressive and assertive behavior Develop positive communication and problem solving strategies Develop the capacity to use the 7 Steps to Conflict Resolution in conflict situations 3. USE YOUR FEET Understand the concept of safe spaces Develop decision-making skills Practice physical agility in escape techniques Understand the social pressures related to walking away from conflicts or using verbal skills to resolve differences 4. USE YOUR FIGHTING SKILLS, BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO Students learn Basic self-defense skills and an understanding of the difference between an anger situation and a danger situation 5. TELL SOMEBODY WHAT HAPPENED Identify a trusted adult to whom they can report tough situations or any time they had to employ any of the first four fingers

5 PARENTS/GUARDIANS Below is the form that camp staff will review with your child on the first day camp before they sign the agreement. Please take the time to read it along with your child so that they are prepared for what to expect regarding Destiny s values. CAMP DESTINY CAMPER AGREEMENT FORM Destiny Arts Center Values Destiny Arts Center is a violence prevention center and is based on the philosophies of peace and non-violence. The Warrior s Code (see attached sheet) expresses the Destiny philosophy. As a member of the Destiny community, you will be working with the code on a day-today basis. Please read the Warrior s Code and become very familiar with it! Camp Destiny Ground Rules On the first day of Camp Destiny, all campers and counselors agree to a set of ground rules that all campers are expected to follow. See attached sheet. Warning System 1. If a rule is broken once: verbal and written warning to the camper. 2. If a rule is broken again: verbal and written warning as well as a call home. 3. If a rule is broken a third time: camper sits out of the days activities, a meeting with the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the camper, and a suggestion that the camper leave Camp Destiny. I,, agree to follow the Camp Destiny ground rules. Student Signature:

6 CAMP DESTINY PARENT/GUARDIAN CONSENT FORM Please sign and return on the first day of camp I give my child(ren) permission to attend Camp DESTINY at Destiny Arts Center nd St., Oakland, CA. I agree to do the following: - Drop my child(ren) off ON TIME at 9am (or 8am if enrolled in pre-care) and pick them up at 3:15pm (or by 6pm if enrolled in after-care) at the Destiny Arts Center. - Make sure that my child comes to Camp DESTINY with a bagged, cold lunch every day and dressed appropriately (no jeans, sandals or flip flops). I understand that if I fail to do the above more than twice in one week of camp, my child may be asked to leave the program and I will not be given a refund. I give permission to CAMP DESTINY staff to take my child to the Linden Street Community Park, right next door to Destiny Arts Center, for lunch daily during Camp hours and for after-care my child is enrolled. I understand that if my child breaks any of the enclosed CAMP DESTINY ground rules that they will be given three warnings. I understand that if my child continues to disobey CAMP DESTINY rules they may be asked to leave the program and that there will be no refund given under these circumstances. I have completed the Destiny Arts Center Policies & Releases Form that gives Camp DESTINY staff permission to take my child to the local Hospital if they require medical attention. I also acknowledge that Camp DESTINY staff will NOT administer any medication. Parent Name: (Please Print) Parent Signature: Date: