Policies
Camp Leadership
Each camp is led by a senior staff person in the role of Camp Commander. An Elder and Chief of Staff, along with the Desung (physical and mental health officer), work with the Camp Commander to foster health and well-being for campers and staff, alike. The Desung is specifically accessible to the campers as someone they can come to with any concerns or worries. All staff are trained to hear the concerns of the campers and to support a joyful and safe camp for all participants.
Governance & Decision Making
Sun Camp operates under the governance of the Sun Camp Leadership Group (SCLG), a international team of experienced volunteer staff, mostly former campers, that is responsible for overseeing all three camps, in France, Nova Scotia, and Colorado. Rotational leadership and consensus decision-making are key to the governance of the group. We strive for a gender balance and inclusiveness both on the SCLG and in the makeup of each camp staff. Committing to active participation, each member attends at least one camp yearly, contributes to operational projects, engages in online discussions, and provides support to families in their region.
Zero-Tolerance Policy
We have a zero-tolerance policy at camp in regard to the use of drugs/alcohol or engaging in sexual activity during camp. Participants who violate this regulation face expulsion from camp. We make this explicit in a discussion with all participants 13 years old and older which also provides space to explore the ways we distract ourselves from the present moment and issues around consent and personal interaction. The discussion outlines that this is a clear-cut safety and legal issue, rather than a moral guideline. We emphasize that camp is a time for participants to be together and with themselves without a lot of the pressures and distractions that they face in their “regular” lives.
Incidents & Concerns
Each year the Camp Commander and other senior staff positions write a report about their experience at camp, which is debriefed during the SCLG’s autumn retreat. Issues that come up at camp are evaluated with the entire group present. In the interim, if any concerns are raised by participants or parents, they are forwarded onto the whole group for both reflection and action steps. Over the years, we have developed and refined policies related to how we respond to medical incidents, safety and security in the wilderness, and campers’ experiences based on parents and participants’ feedback and our own evaluation process.
Boundaries & Body Safety
Boundaries, consent, and body safety are an important part of the mindfulness practices that we engage with at camp. Our policies and practices are aimed at supporting healthy communication and creating a safe space for everyone. We see Sun Camp as a training ground for compassionate future leaders, and as integral to that training is an engaged understanding of social and emotional safety.
Inclusivity
It is of utmost importance that campers feel safe and included at camp. The SCLG and each camp’s staff help the participants create a camp that is free from bullying, welcoming to queer and non-gender conforming participants (and staff), and works cooperatively to recognize and address other issues of discrimination or exclusion when they arise. We talk about this with the participants in the context of our understanding of basic goodness (the idea that each human being is inherently good, worthy, and fundamentally not broken). The social environment at camp is cultivated based on this understanding of basic goodness and on the prioritization of the bodily, relational, and emotional safety of all persons in camp.
Discipline
The Sun Camp approach to discipline is neither religious, moral, nor philosophical, but practical. Providing discipline is often a matter of safety; the well-being of one child cannot wait for the mindfulness of the next. Even so, these reminders must be based upon a personal understanding of the inherent goodness in everyone and that gentleness is one of our most powerful tools in diffusing difficult situations. Great effort is put into making expectations of appropriate conduct clear, and then applied uniformly and as fairly as possible.