Camp Policy Manual

CSC Sail Camp Staff Policy Manual

Introduction

This manual describes the CSC Sail Camp policies to be followed by all staff and volunteers.  It includes rules for use of the facilities and equipment, conduct of daily operations, and personal behavior.  All staff are expected to abide by these policies and those in the separate Sail Camp Safety Manual.  Violation of these policies may result in disciplinary action.  These policies will be enforced by all team members.  All staff are expected to sign-off that they have read and understood this document prior to commencing employment.  Additional instruction and narrative information on professional behavior and ethics is provided in the Sailing Instructor’s Handbook.

Programs and Objectives

Our objective is to ensure that everyone has a safe and fun time while at our Sail Camp.  Our goals are to see that all campers are comfortable with sailboats and enjoy the sport of sailing.  We hope that campers will want to continue with sailing activities at CSC or other places long after this Sail Camp.  Although we teach the mechanics of sailing, the fundamental values underlying the instructions are threefold:  safety and respect for the elements, stewardship and respect for the environment, sportsmanship and respect for others.

Specific goals at CSC Sail Camp are (in no particular order):

  • Create a safe environment in which children can have fun.
  • Create an atmosphere in which children want to participate.
  • Develop a respect for the water, and the elements.
  • Instill an admiration for sailing in the students.
  • Learn and incorporate safety and seamanship.
  • Instill responsibility for boats, equipment and respect for our waterways and environment.
  • Develop sportsmanship, integrity, and interpersonal skills.
  • Provide a setting and education for those who want to compete and those who do not.
  • Run a cost-effective program.

To accomplish these goals, we need the help and active cooperation of the committee, staff, parents, sailors, and friends.  Members of the board, CSC volunteers and Concord Yacht Club members spend countless hours every year working to make sail camp a success.

Organizational Structure

The Concord Sailing Center is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization.  CSC’s mandate is to provide sailing education programs at the Concord Yacht Club facilities.  The CSC Board has ultimate authority over all employees, instructors, campers and volunteers.  The Sail Camp Committee reports to the CSC Board.  The Sail Camp Committee is chaired by the Sail Camp Director, who is responsible for organizing all aspects of the camp, including setting the budget and hiring all staff.  The staff are led by the Head Instructor and Shore Director, and include the Sailing Instructors and Teaching Assistants.  General responsibilities are outlined below and detailed in their respective handbooks.

Director

  • Reports to CSC Board
  • Organize and oversee the activities of the Committee in preparation for camp.
  • Set the annual budget and approve any purchases
  • Interview and hire staff
  • Interface with parents

Head Instructor

  • Reports to the Director
  • Organize and oversee all instructional activities by the staff
  • Assign additional duties such as maintenance and cleanup
  • Manage staff employment files
  • Administer camp discipline
  • Prepare and collect staff and camper reviews

Shore Director

  • Reports to Director
  • Communications center for the camp
  • Manage camper information files (sign in/out, medicals, waivers)
  • Directs parent volunteers
  • Organize camp-wide activities and crafts
  • Organize and distribute snacks to each fleet
  • Responsible for First Aid supplies and application
  • Watch for weather disruptions

Instructors/TAs

  • Report to Head Instructor and Shore Director
  • Responsible for immediate safety of all campers
  • Responsible for all instruction ashore and afloat
  • Responsible for supervision of campers during camp-wide activities

Staff Certifications

Staff are required to hold the following minimum certifications, according to their position.

Shore Director

  • Red Cross First Aid/CPR
  • SafeSport certification

Head Instructor/Sailing Instructor

  • TWRA/NASBLA Boating Safety Education certificate
  • First Aid/CPR
  • US Sailing Level 1 Small Boat Instructor
  • SafeSport certification

Teaching Assistant

  • TWRA/NASBLA Boating Safety Education certificate
  • First Aid/CPR

Life Guard

  • First Aid/CPR
  • Life Guard

Hours of Operation

If the wind is good, the typical schedule is:

  • 8:30-9:00 camper sign-in (staff meeting)
  • 9:00-12:00 sailing instruction with mid-morning snack
  • 12:00-1 :00 lunch and free play
  • 1:00-4:00 sailing instruction with mid-afternoon snack
  • 4:00-5:00 optional afternoon activities
  • 5:00-5:30 camper sign-out (staff debrief)

All staff members are required to attend staff meetings.  Staff meetings are scheduled for 8:45 each day.  These meetings are to discuss weather forecasts, lesson plans, pertinent information, ideas, problems, and maintenance.  It is imperative that staff members are on time in the mornings for these meetings to discuss organization for each day.

Instructional staff may not have on-water activities scheduled during the afternoon but are not off-duty.  They are expected to maintain supervision of their fleet throughout the day and may be assigned additional duties by the Head Instructor and Shore Director that may include maintenance and repair, supervision of games and crafts, shopping, cleaning or other chores.  A debrief meeting is scheduled for 5:00 to review any problems from the day and plan tomorrow’s activities.  Before departing for the day, staff will check in with the Shore Director for any final clean-up tasks.

General Staff Policies

All staff members must attend the entire instructor orientation prior to the beginning of the first session of camp.  All staff will read and sign-off on the Safety and Staff Policy procedures.

Staff are required to be on site between 8:45-5:15 Monday-Friday during Camp.

Respect other sailors.  Offensive language or actions are not appropriate at any time.  The use of profanity, obscene language, or inappropriate discussions is not permitted.  Instructors are expected to act as role models at all times.  Do not talk about alcohol consumption in front of any students.

Smoking, vaping, alcohol and drug use (except for medical purposes) on CYC property during Sail Camp is prohibited.  This includes after hours.

Staff are required to be dressed appropriately at all times.  All staff members should wear their camp T-shirts at Camp so as to be easily identifiable.  Proper shoes must be worn at all times.  Shoes should be designed to stay on while swimming (must have ankle strap, preferably closed toes, no flip-flops).  PFDs must be worn while on the docks or on the water.  Clothing labels should be appropriate for young children (no beer, alcohol, vaping or tobacco product endorsement).  Any bathing suits worn by staff are required to be modest.

All staff are considered to have a position of authority over campers and will conform to SafeSport training guidelines with respect to sexual/physical/mental abuse.

All staff members are prohibited from accepting gratuities, either monetary or other, before the awards ceremony concluding the current session.

CSC Sail Camp is not responsible for loss or damage to personal property of staff or students.  Students and their parents are responsible for willful damage done to CYC or CSC property, or the property of another student or instructor.  Cell phones should be left in a secure location.

Disruptive students will be disciplined according to Sail Camp Policy and Discipline.  Any physical contact with campers for punishment purposes is strictly forbidden.

Instructional staff are required to submit Lesson Plans at the beginning of each day for approval by the Head Instructor.  These plans should be prepared in advance of the morning Staff Meeting.  Fleet maintenance logs, camp evaluations, and camper skill sheets must be submitted to the head instructor at the end of each session.  Staff are required to update the Red Book of their campers.

All instructors are directly responsible for the conduct or their group, including TAs and volunteers assigned to the group.  Also, instructors are responsible for maintaining their fleets, safety boats, and safety bags, and for reporting any damage to the Head Instructor.

Understand and obey the “Rules of the Road”.

Use of CYC Facilities

CYC Clubhouse

The CYC clubhouse is equipped with a kitchen, a lobby area, and a large room with tables and chairs.  The space between the clubhouse and the bathrooms will be used for camp sign-in and sign-out.  The fireplace in the lobby will remain off during Sail Camp.  Please encourage students to consume water during the day.

The Deck

The picnic tables and concrete balcony are open to students and staff for lunch or for classes.

The Restrooms

The bathrooms and showers are available for campers and instructors.  Young campers should not travel from the docks to the restrooms unattended.  Rowdy groups of campers should not be unmonitored in the restrooms.  Cell phones are not allowed in the change rooms.

The Bunker

The downstairs area (the Bunker) is divided into a classroom on the right and an instructor area on the left.  We will be using the left side for staff meetings.  The lockers in the instructor area are for CSC only and will have Sail Camp materials in them.  There will be additional materials for instructors in notebooks in an instructor locker (skills sheets, damage report forms, etc).

Marks, extra lines, sponges, and old life jackets can all be found in these lockers.  You may store your instructor bags in these lockers.  Campers are NOT allowed in the instructor room.  The classroom area can be using during Sail Camp during inclement weather as long as an instructor is responsible for the students and is with them at all times.  Try to keep the campers outside and in our normal meeting places to preserve an area for instructors only.

The Sail Lofts

The West Sail Loft (Opti or 420 Barn) will be used during Sail Camp as overnight storage for C420 and Opti parts.  Similarly, the East Sail Loft (Fusion Barn) will be used for storage of Fusion and Bic sails and blades.  There are toolkits and a first aid kit in the West Loft.  Keep these areas organized and clean as a lot of traffic will run through here daily.

Pavilions

Fleets are assigned specific areas at the beginning of each session.  Water will be placed at various pavilions around the club.  Advise your campers to get stay out of the sun and to drink water as much as possible.

Swimming Area

The swimming area will be used for the swim test (all fleets, see schedule), for recreational swimming when the lifeguard is present, and for launching the Fusion and Skiff fleets.  Please make sure that your students are wearing shoes at all times (even while swimming), and swim wearing a PFD unless a lifeguard is present.  The Fusion and Skiff fleets will store boats and rigs to the right of the swim area on the grass.  Swimming is not permitted within 300ft of any powered dock.  This includes the Opti and 420 docks.  Capsize drills will be executed between the Thistle dock and the Swim docks.

Docks

The Optimist fleets have their own docks.  Supervise the students when they are on the docks.  C420s will use the dinghy docks and/or the floating winter dock.  No other docks besides these and the Swim dock are to be used for camp.  Life jackets are to be worn by anyone on any dock at any time during camp hours – this includes staff.

Boats

The safety boats may only be used by properly trained and certified personnel.  Personal use of Camp motorboats is prohibited at all times.  Personal use of Camp sailboats is prohibited except by properly approved UTSC and CSC youth sailing programs outside of Camp hours.  Use of motorboats or sailboats for the purposes of personal training may be allowed by permission of the Director or Head Instructor.

Facilities NOT to be used include any other dock, the boatlift area, the parking lots, any wooded areas, any construction site areas, the instructor room, and the shoreline outside of the swimming area are all off limits.  Discourage running (especially on gravel) and exploration of new CYC territories.

Property Damage

Sail Camp does not have exclusive ownership of any of the property used during Camp.  This includes the sailboats, safety boats, marks, anchors, outboards, docks and buildings.  In addition to the property owned by CYC, some is owned by club members personally and loaned to the program free of charge.  Please be aware of other people’s property at all times.  Please make your students aware that they are using other people’s property and keep it clean and free of trash.

The Sail Camp Staff will handle any damage to the equipment.  If a camp participant damages a boat or other equipment due to reckless or irresponsible behavior, the parent or parents of those campers will be charged for repairs of the damage.  This requires an incident report with property damage.

General

One of the joys of Sail Camp employment is the ability to enjoy the outdoors in a casual environment, but remember that the CYC Clubhouse, grounds and other facilities constitute your “office” during the time of your employment.  Please treat them with the professional respect and professional behavior that would be expected of you in a bricks and mortar office.

Discipline

Preventive disciplinary techniques are usually quite effective.  If the need for disciplinary action is required, the prescribed steps are listed below.  An important part of the process is explaining to the camper what will happen if there is a repeat offence.  These steps are meant to control disruptive behavioral issues.  Physical or verbal abuse of any kind will not be tolerated.  Physical violence, such as deliberate hitting or kicking, should be immediately elevated to a third offence.

Step 1 – The offender will be taken aside and explained the nature of the offense and why it is not acceptable.  The camper will be told that if this or another offense occurs again it will be reported to the Head Instructor.

Step 2 – If a second offense occurs, the camper will be reminded of the prior offence and told why he/she is being reported to the Head Instructor.  The camper will be told that if any offense occurs again his/her parents will be contacted.  An incident report will be filed noting that this is a second offense.  If the Head Instructor considers this severe enough, parents may be notified immediately.

Step 3 – If a third offense occurs, the Camp Director will be informed so appropriate action can be taken.  It will be explained to the student that the offense is being reported to his/her parents.  If the offense occurs again, they will be asked to leave the camp.  The notification to the parent will be in writing in the form of an incident report.  The parent will sign the report in acknowledgement of having been informed.  A copy of the signed report should be provided to the parent at this time.

Step 4 – Should a fourth incident occur; it will be explained to the student that he/she is being asked to leave Sail Camp.  The camper will be told that his/her parents will be asked to bring him/her to a special meeting to explain his/her behavior and justify why the camper should not be removed from Sail Camp.  If the parents cannot offer sufficient justification for the child’s behavior problem, the camper will be removed from Sail Camp.  No refund of fees will be provided for expulsion due to behavioral problems.

Incidents between campers in different fleets, whether on the water or on shore, should be dealt with by both Instructors in parallel.  Activities such as pirating other fleets is strictly forbidden, and retaliation must not be allowed to escalate the problem.  Each Instructor should discipline their own campers, letting them know that the same thing is happening to the other party.  Write up separate Incident Reports and alert the Head Instructor so that they can deal with the relevant campers as necessary.

Similarly, Instructors and TAs are subject to Disciplinary Action by the Head Instructor, Shore Director or Camp Director.  Failure to live up to expectations (such as following camp policies, conducting yourself in an appropriate manner, adequately supervise your fleet, teaching the material properly) may lead to corrective actions up to and including dismissal from Camp.

When interviewing campers in the aftermath of an incident, be wary of your audience.  You may do this one-on-one but not out of sight.  Do not do this in front of parents or other (non-involved) campers.

Incident reports will be turned in to the Camp Director at the end of each day.

Abuse and Reporting

CSC is dedicated to the protection of its campers and staff from injury and harm in all its forms.  Starting in 2019, US Sailing required all staff to complete SafeSport training certification.  CSC also requires this training for all staff above the level of TA and has introduced these policies specifically to deal with this potentiality.  Staff are required to comply with their SafeSport training with respect to their behavior towards campers and each other.  Specific procedures are outlined below.

All staff are considered to exercise a position of authority over campers.

Staff will report all observed, suspected or reported criminal violations to the Tennessee Child Abuse Hotline (1-877-237-0004) within 24hrs, then to SafeSport through the online reporting form or by phone (1-720-531-0304), and then to the CSC Board.  Record any incident or case numbers that are assigned.  When reporting, the concordsail@gmail.com email address should be used as one of the points of contact to receive follow-up reports.

Non-criminal violations will be reported to SafeSport and to the CSC Board through the Director.  These include any non-criminal physical or mental abuse, bullying, harassment or policy violations.  Reports to the CSC Board may be made through the Incident Report form included in the Safety Manual document.

All victims of abuse, whether campers, staff or volunteers should report abuse to TN Child Abuse Hotline or SafeSport or any CSC Board member as appropriate.

Staff will not confront any accused person unless immediate intervention is required to stop potentially unwanted or inappropriate contact, violence or bullying.

Staff are prohibited from working alone with campers on a repetitive basis.  One on one time should be limited to escorting campers from the docks to the clubhouse and back.  To minimize the risk exposure, instructors should limit their contact with campers in private settings.  Where possible, two staff (e.g. Shore Director plus one other) should be in attendance while a camper is alone in the clubhouse for activities such as recovering from heat or being disciplined.

Staff are prohibited from contacting campers outside of camp, either in person or through social media, for the duration of their employment, except where such contact pre-dates employment.

Examples of appropriate physical contact with campers includes water rescue, administering first aid, group games, team huddles, greetings such a fist-bumps and high-fives, adjustments to sailing position or technique.  Examples of inappropriate physical contact includes any contact with the genitals, buttocks or breasts, fondling, groping, kissing, massaging.  Marginal activities include applying sunscreen, spontaneous hugs from young campers or comforting behavior towards injured or distressed campers.  These latter activities should be limited to single incidents and should never be in private.

CSC exercises zero tolerance for violations of these principles and policies.  Staff, volunteers or campers who violate, or are accused of violating, these policies will be immediately suspended from all camp activities until an investigation is complete.