Safety

Our camp counselors and staff are thoroughly interviewed, carefully selected, and specially trained to provide campers with thoughtful, spiritual, and compassionate attention. Our incredible staff help make LLYC an exceptional experience for young people.

The camper-to-staff ratio at LLYC is 4-to-1, ensuring no camper gets overlooked. We are pleased to say that more than 55% of our staff return to work the next summer, ensuring lots of valuable experience in the Canyon. The majority of our referrals for new hires come from our existing staff, who we trust most to bring us great people.

We get to know each applicant through a rigorous application and interview process. We ask intentional questions about their story, their interests, their strengths and weaknesses, and their faith. LLYC applicants are also required to submit two references. In addition, we complete thorough background checks on all levels of staff and volunteers at camp for both in-state and out-of-state hires.

We work hard to hire people with the highest relational abilities, integrity, personal and spiritual maturity, enthusiasm for life, and an aptitude for working with young people.

Our staff receive 40-80 hours (varies by position) of intensive job-specific training. Every staff member attends sessions on mental health awareness, social and emotional care of others, abuse awareness and prevention, how (and how not!) to respond to misbehavior, as well as many practical activity and facilitation trainings.

Our counselors receive additional training in how to engage in ministry at LLYC. We discuss how to lovingly walk alongside campers with questions about faith and life. We teach helpful strategies for getting to know campers well. We talk in depth about how to listen and help campers feel heard. We practice facilitating meaningful discussion. We discuss how (and how not!) to respond if a camper opens up about challenges, tough issues, or painful experiences. In addition, we teach staff to recognize and respond to bullying in the camp setting. Our goal is to create a healthy, encouraging environment in cabins and in camp so that campers can be themselves without fear of judgment or criticism from anyone.

We pack in a LOT of information during our staff training sessions, and we work hard with our staff in order to equip them to care for campers with the highest level of hospitality and love.

At LLYC, we want to do everything in our power to keep campers safe from all forms of abuse. We are committed to educating every staff member in how to look for and stop potential threats and how to report them.

All staff are required to complete a comprehensive online course prior to arriving at camp. This course teaches and tests each person on facts about sexual abuse awareness and prevention. During our Staff Training Week we use a state-approved consultant and professional counselor to make sure everyone understands the rules of conduct with campers and best practices for abuse prevention. The counselor is also a resource to any staff with personal issues related to any form of abuse. During our training, we teach standards for community living and articulate and demonstrate appropriate behavior when working at camp and building relationships with campers.

With regard to all activities, LLYC is committed to the highest quality experience, excellence in training, professional construction to industry standards, comprehensive inspections, and the best equipment in the industry. This applies to high ropes activites, target sports, mountain biking, and waterfront activities.

To ensure the highest level of risk management for our guests, all staff who lead or supervise any activity must go through a thorough training and evaluation process.

For our high ropes activities, LLYC contracts with a third-party Professional Vendor certified by the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) to service and inspect all of our challenge course elements and equipment on a yearly basis. We also contract with this accredited vendor to perform an intensive, 40 hour, on-site training which supplies our high ropes facilitators with an ACCT Level 1 certification. Our policy is that any use of any high ropes element must be under the direct supervision of a facilitator currently certified for that element.

For all activities in the Canyon, we encourage campers to seek their own level of challenge and do not coerce anyone to participate.

LLYC is committed to meeting or exceeding the industry standards for waterfront policies and procedures which are set by the American Red Cross. To ensure the highest level of risk management for our guests, all waterfront staff must go through a rigorous training and evaluation process before they may lead or supervise a waterfront activity.

For the sake of safety and efficiency, a minimum number of staff are required to operate each waterfront. All waterfront staff are trained to respond to any emergency or crisis that might arise and are equipped by a robust Emergency Action Plan.

Historically, rains in excess of five inches in a few hours can cause flooding. We have a robust flood response plan in place. We have the ability to quickly scan our river road for pedestrians and traffic and, if necessary, we are able to shut down all access points to the river. None of our buildings or lodgings are below the one hundred year flood plain.

Our full-time youth camp directors and our operations team are deeply committed to maintaining the excellence and safety of our camp facilities and grounds. All buildings and property are surveyed daily for potential hazards, and we address issues quickly as they arise.

Our staff are strategic and thoughtful about protecting campers during adverse weather. We control for hazardous terrain, trees and limbs. We regularly maintain playfields, roads, and trails. And we have robust Emergency Action Plans in place for any situations which may arise on our property including but not limited to fire, flood, active shooter, and lost persons on property.

We have full-time staff in the canyon at all times who are trained in the prevention of and response to any type of emergency or crisis in the Canyon. In addition to that, our summer staff are trained to implement our Emergency Action Plans.

We use vehicles to transport campers to activities outside the immediate boundaries of Singing Hills or Echo Valley. All passengers are required to be seated in the bed of a pickup truck, outfitted with benches and safety rails, with the tailgate up.

Laity Lodge Youth Camp is a licensed camp with the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS). To learn more about what it means to be a licensed camp in the state of Texas, visit the TDSHS website.

TDSHS inspects our camp each summer and grades us on every critical aspect of camp facilities including kitchen facilities and food preparation, clinic facilities and administration of health care, cabin standards and ratios between campers and counselors, waterfront safety and life-guarding procedures, adventure-recreation elements and target sports safety. They also audit our staff-application process, our Sexual Abuse and Awareness Training program, and our criminal background checks. We are pleased to report our recent TDSHS inspections scores have been perfect with no deficiencies.

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