2019 Trimble County 4-H Camp. July 8-12, Informational Packet for Parents and their Campers.

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1 2019 Trimble County 4-H Camp July 8-12, 2019 Informational Packet for Parents and their Campers.

2 4-H Camp 2019 This year s 4-H Camp will be held July 8-12 at Lake Cumberland 4-H Center in Jabez, Ky. Anyone who is 9-14 as of July 8, 2019, or entering into 4 th Grade fall of 2019, can attend 4-H Camp. Anyone age may apply as a Counselor-In-Training (CIT). Anyone age may apply for a Teen Leader position. CITs and Teen Leaders must interview and be selected. Applications are available at the Extension Office and due by March 22, Cost is $ and includes transportation, insurance, meals, lodging, and activities. Registration will be accepted until camp is full. Camp fees are due by June 28 if paying by check, or July 7, if paying by cash. But you may register any time before then. Please do not wait to send in the Camp application. We will operate on a first-to-register by completed application, first-to-go basis. Camp may be full before June 28, so be sure to get your application in NOW! A full refund will be given until June 15, after that, all but the transportation fee will be refunded. Make check payable to Trimble County 4-H Council. A limited number of 4-H Camp Scholarships are also available if you do not have funds for 4-H Camp. The scholarship is $ Recipients are required to pay the remaining $ of the camp fee. For more information about the requirements to qualify for a camp scholarship, phone the Extension Office at Camper/Teen/CIT Orientation Tuesday, July 2 at 6:00 PM at the Trimble County Extension Office. All campers and their parents are encouraged to attend this orientation regardless of past camp experience. Lice Check Lice Checks will be held on Sunday July 7, 2018 from 2-6 pm at the Trimble County Extension Office. All Campers must attend this check prior to leaving for Camp. We cannot do Lice Checks the morning that we leave!

3 4-H Staff attending camp from Trimble County: Ralph Hance, 4-H Agent, CAMP ADDRESS: Lake Cumberland 4-H Center Highway 196 Nancy KY Important INFO CAMP PHONE NUMBER: (270) Emergencies Only! NO CELL PHONES! Parents must call the camp phone, not a personal cell phone. DEPARTURE DATE: Monday, July 8 th TIME: 7:30 AM (Be at the T.C. Old Middle School. by 7:00 AM) PLACE: Trimble County Board of Education, Bedford RETURN DATE: Friday, July 12 th TIME: 4:30 PM (approximately) PLACE: Trimble County Board of Education, Bedford NEW THIS YEAR FORMS, FORMS, FORMS! NEW THIS YEAR PLEASE NOTE: Physical exams are NO LONGER required on the Registration/Health Form. If youth are taking a prescription medication, a Prescribed Medication Form (Last Page) must be completed and signed and given to the 4-H Agent at the Bus Stop. To keep track of what s happening with 4-H and 4-H Camp, check us out on Facebook at the Trimble County Extension Service Page, or at our website at or use your smart phone to access the QR code to the right of this line.

4 THINGS TO BRING TO 4-H CAMP: Toothbrush/toothpaste Casual clothes-enough for the entire week (no laundry facilities). DO NOT bring your good clothes. Swimsuit, swim towels Towels and wash cloths (old ones) Soap/shampoo/deodorant Comb/brush Light jacket or sweater Paper/stamps for writing home Spending money but NOT A LOT (no more than $20 for snacks, souvenirs, crafts, etc.). Blanket, sheets or sleeping bags, pillows Insect repellent Flashlight Two pairs of comfortable shoes, no sandals Flip flops for showers Label bedroll and suitcases with your name, county, phone number and address. THINGS NOT TO BRING TO 4-H CAMP: Any valuable items (The camp staff, agents, and leaders are not responsible for your property.) CD Player, DVD Player Ipod MP3 Players Cell Phones Weapons Knives/hunting knives Firecrackers Shaving cream SHAVING CREAM will absolutely not be allowed at 4-H Camp! Any shaving cream found in the possession of a camper will immediately be confiscated. Shaving cream stains the wooden walls both inside and outside of the cabin. It is now University policy to fine the camper and/or county $ per cabin to re-clean the outside walls of any cabin stained by shaving cream.

5 4-H Camp Cell Phone Policy No Cell Phones at 4-H Camp Please! FOSTERING INDEPENDENCE: When campers have cell phones at camp, this can cause trust issues. When children come to camp, you are temporarily transferring their primary care from you as their parent to the camp staff. This is one of the growth-producing, yet challenging aspects of camp. As children learn to trust other caring adults, they grow and learn, little by little, to solve some of their own challenges. We believe this emerging independence is one of the greatest benefits of camp. It is one important way your child develops greater resilience and develops self-confidence important life skills. When campers feel they must have the ability to call home, this essentially means they have not made this transition. We can assure you that if your child is experiencing a challenge in their adjustment to camp, the 4-H Youth Development Agent will contact you. If your child expresses concern about being away from you, you can help by sharing with them that there is always someone at camp available to help them. They will have access to trusted activity leaders, cabin counselors, camp directors and the medical staff. We respectfully ask you to consider that if you send a cell phone to camp with your camper in case they need you, you are essentially communicating to your child that you as a parent have not truly come to peace with the notion of them being away from you and that you have reservations regarding our ability to care for your child. If you don t trust us, your children certainly won t.

6 VALUABLES: Cell phones are expensive and can get lost or stolen. In addition, the physical camp environment is not kind to such items. HIDING CELL PHONES: We appreciate that most families will honor our request and support our reasoning for not bringing cell phones to camp. We also recognize that some families may feel that hiding a cell phone in camper luggage is OK because their child won t get homesick or won t abuse the opportunity. Why we ask for your support: if your child brings a cell phone and passes the phone to another child to use, it can have and has had a negative effect on the camp experience of the other child and their family. We ask that you are considerate of ALL camp children and respect other families as they help foster their child s independence. TEXTING: We also understand that for many teens, and increasing numbers of younger children, texting is a favored means of communication. We certainly are not against this form of communication outside of camp. At camp, however, another goal of the camp experience is to connect with other people face to face and nurture the art of interpersonal communication. Texting friends outside of camp during the camp session, impedes the ability of campers freedom to truly benefit from this special aspect of camp and the process of building these new friendships. By leaving the cell phones at home, this does not become an issue. DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS: Another drawback of having cell phones at camp is the built-in camera. As with schools, there are camps around the country where children have secretly taken inappropriate photographs of other campers or staff and displayed them publicly. Please help us maintain a safe environment by explaining this to your child. You should know that any camper that takes a compromising photograph of another camper or staff member and makes it public in any way may be subject to dismissal from camp and may not be allowed to return. If the law is broken, the appropriate authorities will be notified. This includes websites like, but not limited to, youtube, Twitter, Instagram and facebook. In this technology age it is difficult for youth to not be in contact via cell phone. Camp is a unique environment. We are trying to help youth develop life skills at camp including independence and self reliance. Oftentimes homesickness, which is a normal part of a week at camp, can be worsened by talking to mom and dad. We respect and appreciate the wonderful relationship youth and families have, but if our campers are to enjoy camp fully they must to able to develop this independence. If there is an emergency or we are concerned about the youth s well-being, parents will be contacted. Thank you for your support! Ralph R Hance III Cooperative Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development 2