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General Food

Housing Medical Forms

Registration Transportation

* Many of these answers can also be found in your camp handbook, available on the Downloads page.

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General

1. When does camp begin and end?

The first scheduled event at every camp is dinner on the day of your arrival. Camp officially closes after the evening meeting on the fifth night. You are provided housing for this fifth night, but breakfast is not provided the following morning. 

2. What does the cost include?

Cost includes housing for 5 nights. In most cases, all meals are also included. However, at some locations there is a free day scheduled when groups will provide there own meal as they explore the local area. Please see your handbook for specifics. Cost also includes all materials and programming fees. 

3. What age students can come to The Great Escape?

We consider this a middle school event, so it is planned for students in grades 6 – 8. We leave it to the group leader’s discretion as to whether rising 6th and/or rising 9th graders should attend as part of their group. More than age, maturity is an important consideration. (For example, consider if your rising 6th graders have been away from home before.) Remember, The Great Escape is counselor-centered, meaning you are responsible for your students at all times.  

4. What is the recommended counselor/ student ratio?

We recommend that you bring one counselor for every six students. Obviously, if you have female students, you need a female counselor and vice versa. 

5. Do counselors/ chaperones have to pay?

Yes, counselors pay the same amount as students. 

6. How much spending money should the kids bring?

There will be tables selling books, CDs, t-shirts, etc. at every event. In addition, if your camp offers a free day you will be responsible for whatever activities you decide to do. Also, most students will want money for snacks and drinks, etc. Finally, there will be an offering taken at every camp.  

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Housing 

1. Describe the accommodations.

All Great Escapes take place on college campuses, with the exception of Southwind which is at a Young Life camp. On the college campuses, you will be housed in dorm rooms; at Southwind, you are housed in cabins. For more specifics about your camp, click on Trip Details from the event’s webpage. 

2. How many people are in a room?

We will not know the answer to this until you arrive at camp because numbers fluctuate continually up until the day camp begins. The minimum and maximum numbers per room vary from location to location. 

3. Can we make housing requests? (i.e specific dorms, near another specific youth group, etc.)

The only housing requests we can guarantee are those related to a medical condition. If you need to make such a request, please contact Rachel Cobb in the YCM office. 

4. Do we need to bring linens, sleeping bags, air mattresses, etc?

This varies from camp to camp. Please check the Trip Details section of the website or the handbook for your camp. 

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Medical Forms

1. Where do I get the med form?

You can print off a medical release form from the Downloads section of this website. PLEASE NOTE: You must have each student fill out the YCM medical release form - your church permission form is not a suitable replacement for this. You need to have two copies for each person – one to turn in to us and one to keep for your return trip. 

2. When do I turn in the med forms?

You do not need to send these to our office – just bring them with you to camp. You need to have two copies for each person – one to turn in to us and one to keep for your return trip. 

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Registration/ Financial 

1. How do I register for The Great Escape?

A $90 per person deposit is required for registration. You can register online by clicking on the Registration button in the menu at the top of this page. Follow the steps to input your contact information. If you would like to pay by credit card you can do this by continuing the online registration process. If you prefer to pay by mail, you may print out the contact page when prompted and mail it to our office with a check. Important: We do not receive notification of online registration activity unless it is accompanied by credit card payment. In other words, filling out the initial information does not reserve spaces, nor does it notify us of your interest. The only way to insure that your spaces are reserved is with a payment.  

2. Is my deposit refundable?

Our policy is that all deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable.

   But what if I need to drop spaces after my initial registration?

There are two drop dates that are important to remember. The first drop date is Wednesday, April 29, 2009 for all June Great Escapes and Wednesday, May 20 for all July Great Escapes. If you notify us in writing (email) of dropped spaces PRIOR TO 5 PM on your drop date, the deposits for those spaces will be applied to your balance. After this date, you will lose the deposit for any dropped spaces.

The second drop date is the Wednesday three weeks prior to the first day of your event. After this date, your church is held responsible for the full cost of each dropped space. 

3. When is the balance due?

For all camps excluding Southwind: Though you are welcome to make payments prior to camp if it is more convenient for you, the balance for your group is not due until the first day of camp. PLEASE bring your payment in the form of one check from the church as opposed to individual checks from each student. You may also pay by credit card on site.

For Southwind: Final payment must be sent to our office prior to camp. 

4. Is there a deadline for registration?

We will accept registrations on a first come, first serve basis until the camp is full.   

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Transportation

1. Will we need transportation once we have arrived at camp?

Technically, you could come to The Great Escape and never leave the campus until the end of the week. However, there is free time in the afternoons and many groups like to go off-campus during this time for ice cream, etc. In addition, several camps offer a free day for groups to explore the local area and groups need to provide their own transportation for this.  

2. If we fly, can you pick us up from the airport?

We do not provide transportation to and from camp. We recommend renting a vehicle because you will probably want it during the course of the week (see above). 

3. We’re bringing a charter bus. Can you house our bus driver?

If space is available we can try to accommodate this for an additional fee. You may want to investigate other nearby hotels for your driver so he can get a good night’s sleep! Please contact Rachel Cobb in the YCM office if you would like our help in housing a driver.

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