Frequently Asked Questions
About Summer Programs
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Frequently Asked Questions
About Summer Programs
|
We find that the
following questions are frequently asked by parents of summer campers.
Click on the question to get an answer.
Unable to find your question?
Click here to submit submit a question not
listed above.
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Q: My child could go to more than one program because of their age. How should I decide which program is best? |
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A: We usually say that parents know best. Although
your child will be in a cabin with children their own age there are times
when they will be with others in the program. The key question to ask
is "Do they generally get along better with children a little older
or a little younger"? Also consider that the older the age
group of the program the more freedom there is to plan their day. |
| Q: How many activity periods are there in a week? |
| A: The Blast program offers four activity periods
per day. During the week campers rotate between ten different activities.
Discovery programs offer five activity periods
per day whereas Venture offers four and Nitro
offers three. "Instructional"
activities are taken each day for the entire week and are generally
one hour in length. "Recreational"
activities are generally one hour in length and can be taken as often
as possible. |
| Q: How do activity boards work? |
| A: Activity boards are used for all programs except for Blast.
Campers are assigned a number at the beginning of the week and they use
that number to "sign-up" for activities on the activity boards.
Each day they take their numbered tags and place them beside the activity
they want to do. Campers love the opportunity to choose what they want to
do. |
| Q: Can I choose activities prior to camp? |
| A: Some activities may be chosen prior to camp. Discovery,
Venture and Nitro campers
may choose Adventure Tours, Adventure
Clubs and Rocketry. Other activities are chosen once you get to camp. |
| Q: Is my child going to be limited from doing certain activities because of their age? |
| A: The only age restrictions are for the program itself. In other words,
if your child's age is appropriate for the program, their age will not be
a restriction for choosing activities in that program. |
| Q: What is the camper to staff ratio? |
| A: It is important to distinguish who you are counting in the ratio. At
Medeba there are two staff members in each cabin with up to eight campers.
That is a four to one camper to staff ratio. But, if you count all campers
and all staff in the program, the ratio is closer to a 2:1 camper to staff
ratio. |
| Q: How are staff selected? |
| A: All potential staff go through an extensive process of selection. They
must fill out a detailed application and obtain three references. After
that a personal interview is arranged to determine their suitability. The
final step involves a police check to determine if they have ever been in
trouble with the law. |
| Q: How old are your Cabin Leaders? |
| A: Cabin leaders must be at least 18 years old and generally they have
a college or university background. Assistant Cabin Leaders are usually
at least 17 years of age. |
| Q: What is your staff return rate from summer to summer? |
| A: Many of our staff return year after year. A number of them were even
campers and Leaders-In-Training at Medeba. The return rate changes from
year to year averaging around 60%. |
| Q: How closely supervised are the campers? |
| A: Campers are supervised all the time. Cabin Leaders and Assistant Cabin
Leaders sleep in the same cabin as the campers. During the day the level
of supervision changes according to the activity. |
| Q: What safety standards do you have? |
| A: Medeba adheres to a rigid set of safety standards. We exceed the standards
established by the government and meet or exceed the standards of the Ontario
Camping Association. Every four years there is an extensive review process
to be accredited. Besides all of this Medeba has established its own Risk
Management Manual which stipulates how activities are run. We do our best
to ensure your child's safety. |
| Q: How close is the nearest hospital? |
| A: The nearest hospital is located in the town of Haliburton, which is
about a ten minute drive from camp. |
| Q: What is Medeba's Statement on the West Nile Virus? |
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What do we know? The disease virus is primarily carried by the common household mosquito, Culex pipiens. We know the following about the mosquito and the West Nile Virus: " It is found most frequently in urban areas. What Medeba is doing? Even though we know that the Culex mosquito is found primarily in city
centres, Medeba is taking the following precautions: We encourage families to keep in mind that in the United States in 2002, 70,000 people died of the flu, and 164 from West Nile Virus (most if not all had underlying medical conditions as well as West Nile Virus). Out of the 164, two of them were under the age of 40 and none were children.
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| Q: My child is taking medications. How will this work at camp? |
| A: Medications are controlled by our Heath Care Coordinator and are stored
in our Health Centre. The Health Care Coordinator distributes them when
the camper requires it. |
| Q: Can I arrange a visit to Medeba prior to camp? |
| A: Yes, just give us a call to arrange a visit. |
| Q: Can my child be in the same cabin as their friend? |
| A: We do our best to accommodate any requests to be in the same cabin
as a friend. Most times this is possible if they are of a similar age. |
| Q: What is the food like? |
| A: All meals are served family style with good, wholesome food that campers
generally like. We continually evaluate our menus to be able to ensure this
goal. A fruit bowl is available each meal at the beverage table. We try
our best to be able to accommodate vegetarians but it really helps us to
know this before camp. You have the opportunity to indicate any special
dietary needs on the Restricted Diet Checklist, which is sent to you with
your confirmation package. |
| Q: Can I correspond with my child during camp? |
| A: Yes, there are several ways to do this. Generally we prefer that you
do not phone them but calls may be taken during meal times. Faxes and emails
can also be received. Send emails to info@medeba.com. On the "subject
line" put your child's name. Each fax and email costs 25 cents. This
is deducted off your child's tuck account. All mail, including "snail
mail" is distributed every evening after supper. |
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Q: I read in your literature that you are a Christian camp. What does that mean? |
| A: Medeba is a nonprofit, interdenominational, Christian camp. The founders of the camp established Medeba to be a place where people could grow in all areas of life - physically, socially, mentally and spiritually. We are not connected with any specific denomination, meaning that we have many different Christian backgrounds represented in our leadership. Everyone is welcome to attend Medeba regardless of their religious background, if any. Many of our campers are not regular Church attenders. Each day, during our "Cabin Impact" time we share the Christian message through some great singing and an interactive stories that emphasize principles from the Bible. Staff also desire to share the Christian message through a consistent lifestyle. For a statement of what we believe click here. |
To ask questions or comment on
this web site, please e-mail webmaster@medeba.com.
Copyright © 2006 Medeba Adventure Learning Centre
Last modified:January 25, 2006