Chalice Camp
Registration Now Open for Chalice Camp 2020
Join us for a week of community building, nature exploration, spiritual practice, and lots of fun, all grounded in Unitarian Universalist values and principles. Together we’ll get to know each other and ourselves a little better, make art, play games, sing songs, and put our faith into action.
This year we will use Chalice Camp II: Identity and Justice.
Campers explore the root causes of systemic racism in the US and develop a religiously grounded approach to countering racism and building just community. This curriculum is more challenging and can make some children and some parents feel uncomfortable. Part of white privilege is not learning about this history. Children do lose some innocence when they come to know the history of our country, which laid down the racism we live with today. Children of color often learn this history from their families as a way to provide them with resilience. There is power in these truths. As a religious movement building the beloved community, becoming anti-racist, anti-oppressive and multicultural, we believe all our children need to understand where racism comes from and why it is so important that we all work against it. (Content is designed to be developmentally appropriate.)
Campers will spend part of each day in small, age-based groups, and part of the day learning and playing as a multi-age community. We will have a balance of mellow activities and time for running and playing together. Led by a team of caring UU adults and teens, we’ll form a community of creativity, justice, and love.
Who: For children entering 1st-6th Grade(Participants are not required to identify as Unitarian Universalist.)
Cost:$200/$250/$300 sliding scale
Please contact cscheffman@firstunitarianportland.org to inquire about possible scholarship funds.
Dates/Locations: (both camp weeks will use the same curriculum/schedule):
Chalice Camp Week One: July 13-17 — Columbia Park (Location)
Chalice Camp Week Two: July 20-24 — Westmoreland Park (Location)
Dropoff window between 8:30 and 9am, camp 9am-4pm, pickup window 4-4:30pm.
Food: Campers should bring a sack lunch and two snacks for each day of camp.
Leadership Training description
Who: Middle and high schoolers entering 7th through post-high school
Cost: No cost for those who volunteer for one or both Chalice Camp weeks
Though all are welcome at the leadership training, we do reserve the right of discretion in determining which youth are invited to be counselors at the elementary camps.
Dates/Location: July 6-10 at First Unitarian Church (with possible nearby field trips)
Food: Campers should bring a sack lunch and two snacks for each day of leadership training.
This week will prepare high-schoolers to be counselors for our Elementary Chalice Camps (they can choose to do one or both weeks) and for middle-schoolers to be camp helpers/CITs (Councelors in Training).
We’ll cover safety, group management, child development, and techniques for leading groups and activities, and explore styles of leadership. We’ll also have lots of fun as we learn the games and activities to lead Elementary Camp! Councelors will also have the opportunity to help shape some of the content.
High schoolers who wish to be counselors who are at least 15 years old prior to camp will be eligible for a paid stipend for volunteering as counselors. Stipend is higher for those who complete Basic 1st Aid/CPR training before the start of camp. We can work with families to get service/learning credit for those who volunteer in the Elementary camp weeks.