Submitted By: Steve MacDonald Camp Director, Big Cove YMCA Camp
Camp Director s Report On many an occasion this and August, I found myself paddling across the Cove, or learning about a plant from a camper, or hearing a counsellor glow about the growth in confidence they saw in a camper. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the amazing team that made our 2016 camping season what it was. I learned an incredible amount each day from the campers and staff and look forward to more of the same going forward. Given that transitions in a leadership role always present challenges, I would say that 2016 was a success. Our staff team delivered safe, quality programs to our campers. Parent/camper feedback was positive and consistent with our satisfaction goals. Record registration numbers for the summer were posted, serving 775 campers in 2016. We served 585 youth and adults through our spring and fall programs. Including our 58 staff, 1,418 individual youth benefited from the Big Cove YMCA Camp program in 2016. Program and operational developments in 2016 included: the natural playground, new program scheduling process, earlier bed-time for junior campers, daily appreciations, new Camper s rights session, OT celebrations, and many more. From a facility perspective, we built a brand new camper cabin called Pyxis, installed a new drinking water well with a new filter system, increased the sources of fresh drinking water at camp and more. These strides allow us to continue to improve our site and our programs. In the spring of 2017, we will be installing a Yurt as a new type of camper accommodation. We are pitching two brand-new tipi canvases on leadership hill, and introducing bunk-beds to tipi living for improved space and comfort. We are also updating our dock system and improving our laundry facilities. This fall, we will build a new camper cabin in the style of Pyxis. Other new program changes include new team-belays at our high ropes course, our yoga retreat in June and family weekend in September. Thank you for your continued support of one of our countries most enduring YMCA youth programs. Steve MacDonald Camp Director, Big Cove YMCA Camp
Camper Registration Our total camper registration for summer 2016 was 796 campers. Session 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 Little Big Cove 77 69 64 46 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Week Sessions 599 528 491 490 467 450 393 199 209 192 2 Week Sessions 73 81 98 91 112 115 110 221 290 285 Leadership 1 30 33 40 48 27 28 29 34 38 38 Leadership 2 17 20 23 11 20 24 19 20 21 22 Total # of Campers %occupancy 796 93% 765 92% 704 91% 686 91% 626 97% 617 91% 551 86% 474 88% 558 102% 537 99% Session Occupancy Rate for 2016: Little Big Cove One-week Sessions Two-Week Sessions Leadership 1 Sessions Leadership 2 Sessions Total Camp Occupancy 80% Occupancy 94% Occupancy 101% Occupancy 100% Occupancy 85% Occupancy 93% Occupancy In 2016, attendance at two week sessions continued to decrease. While our one week sessions increased. Little Big Cove continued to grow. Leadership was slightly down from 2105. Our new 6 day model will help increase the quality of the most popular program at Big Cove, one week sessions.
Program I entered the summer with the goal of making improvements to three main areas of camp life: 1. First Day of Camp 2. Bedtime 3. Meals These basic, elemental parts of camp life have a major impact on campers experiences. While none of these were broken, each one had room for improvement. 1. We introduced more structure to this day and eliminated some unnecessary transitions which made it difficult for counsellors to build group dynamics. By posting scheduled times for swim tests and health center/lice checks, these happened very smoothly and in a timely fashion. Many returning counsellors pointed out that this structure was a positive change from previous years. We also introduced camper s rights (see appendix) and tick check instruction to all campers on the first day of camp. 2. We moved the bedtime for Junior Campers from 9:15pm to 8:15pm. Senior bedtime was moved from 9:15pm to 8:45. Starting the bedtime routine earlier meant campers and staff were more well rested. 3. The pavilion is an amazing building and its character and link to camp s amazing history cannot be denied. However, it is not conducive to a pleasant dining experience when filled with campers and staff. To start the meal on a quiet note, a few moments of quiet thankful reflection was introduced after the pre-meal song of thanks. Also, the meal announcements are before breakfast and lunch, so when a group has finished eating, they can dismiss themselves. Announcements happen after dinner. A new program introduced this year was the natural playground. It was built with and by campers, with their direction. It will continue to evolve and grow in future years. See photos in appendices. Given the transition and my newness to the role, while lots of other small changes were introduced (camp newspaper, for example) no other major program changes happened in 2016. Outdoor Centre Overall we served 585 youth and adults through our Outdoor Centre. All the groups that attended in 2016 were happy with the program delivery and indicated they would like to return in 2017. We continue to experience losses in spring and fall rental revenue. My predecessor has indicated that is primarily due to the Nova Scotia Schools Insurance Program s (SIP) approach to our Zipline and high ropes course, namely that they did not have it listed as an approved activity for schools to participate in. A major focus of this winter will be to develop a new and exciting grade six program aimed at attracting schools to Big Cove in the future, along with the development of new family and yoga weekends for camp.
Staffing The 2016 summer staff team consisted of 58 staff, 43 of which were returning staff. That is a 68% staff return rate. The team was an extremely dedicated group of young adults who did an outstanding job. They handled difficult situations professionally and patiently and supported the YMCA mission and values over the course of their employment. Two staff were dismissed during summer, which was handled well by all involved and these situations did not negatively impact camper s experiences. Big Cove 2017 Registration has begun for summer 2017. The dates and fees for the summer are found on the next page. Important Dates for 2017 March 15: Info night at Community YMCA May 1: Spring Staff training begins May 10: Spring Camp Begins at the Big Cove YMCA Outdoor Centre May 13: Annual Spring Work Day (Staff and Alumni volunteers) May 19-21: Annual Bluenose Marathon Weekend May 26-28: Family Weekend June 4: Camp Open House June 9-11: Yoga Retreat June 16: Spring Camp Ends June 20: Support Team and Leadership Training Begins June 24: Staff training begins 2: Summer Camp Begins! August 26: Last Day of Summer Camp August 30 Fall Camp begins October 1: Fall Camp ends
2017 Big Cove YMCA Dates and Fees PROGRAM FEE Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4 Session 5 Session 6 Session 7 Session 8 Junior (ages 7-11) (6 days) $535 2-7 9-14 16-21 23-28 30 August 4 August 6 11 August 13-18 August 20-25 Senior (ages 12-15) (6 days) $535 2-7 9-14 16-21 23-28 30 August 4 August 6 11 August 13-18 August 20-25 PROGRAM FEE SESSION A SESSION B SESSION C Junior (ages 7-11) (13 days) Senior (ages 12-15) (13 days) $970 2-14 16-28 30 August 11 $970 2-14 16-28 30 August 11 PROGRAM FEE LBC1 LBC2 LBC1 LBC2 Little Big Cove (ages 6-11) (3 nights) $350 Aug. 13-16 Aug.1 16-19 Aug. 20-23 Aug. 23-26 PROGRAM FEE SESSION 1 SESSION 2 Leadership 1 (age 15-16) (27 days) Leadership 2 (age 16-17) (27 days) $1620 2-28 30 August 25 $1620 2-28 30 August 25 Bus Transportation $30 One way fare to/from Halifax Airport Shuttle $75 One way fare to/from Halifax Stanfield International Airport
2016 YMCA Overnight Camp Survey YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth Introduction YMCA Camp Big Cove We are pleased to provide you with the results of your 2016 YMCA Overnight Camp Survey. This is the second year of our national camp survey. Overall, 19 camps from 16 Associations coast to coast participated in the survey, generating a national sample of more than 2,900 responses. REPORT CARD YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth YMCA Camp Big Cove Percent National Percent Certain to Renew 61% 63% Camper Outcomes - Program 92% 93% Camper Outcomes-Personal Growth 79% 79% YMCA Camp Big Cove Score National Score Overall Satisfaction 91 91 Camp Operations 82 86
Appendix 2: Natural Playground and newspaper Photos