Summer Camp 2021
Dec 27 - Jan 1
6 days for Youth from all across NSW to gather together and learn about Jesus in community with one another - and have a great time doing it!
Living Life in Love & Light
1 John – Jarrod McNaughton
Do you know the Gospel? Have you heard about Jesus and put your faith in him? Maybe the answer is yes or maybe it is no. Either way, the question of whether we live for God or not is one that we all have to face. But even if we think we have made the choice to follow God, how do can we know we really have?
What things in our life should show what it is that we live for, and how can we examine ourselves to make sure our faith is complete? This is the big issue we will be looking at this Summer Camp as we go through the Letter of 1 John. Firstly by making sure that we know the Gospel, and then looking at our life to see that we truly are living for Christ!
Information about Summer Camp 2021
Paying for Camp
Please make sure you pay for camp before you come. If you have not yet, please go to: https://brushfire.com/my-orders
Praying for Camp
As you prepare for Camp, please pray for the Campers and other Leaders, as well as the wider work of Camp as we seek to live the gospel in temporary Christian community.
COVID results
Heard back about your pre-camp PCR test results (positive or negative)? Please let us know when you’ve gone for a test so we can work out how many people will still need to provide tests before registration starts.
f you have received a positive COVID test result or have been told you need to isolate, please do so at home rather than coming to camp.
Arriving at Camp and Departure from Camp
Registration at Camp opens at 3pm on Friday 27th December. The registration period at the beginning of Camp is always quite hectic. There are a few ways you can help us.
Please make sure you arrive before 5:30pm as we want you to be settled in your room and at dinner for 6pm.
Camp ends at 3pm on Wednesday 1st January 2022.
In previous years, we would have invited parents to join us from 2:15pm for our final session.
This year, though, if you could please wait in your car at the car park in the Tops, and we will organise for campers to come back to the relevant car in a way that minimises contact across different household groups.
If you need to arrive later than 5:30pm on Friday 27th December or you need to leave earlier than 3pm Monday 1st January 2022, please make sure you let us know beforehand by emailing the office at camps@pynsw.org.au so we can plan ahead of time.
Packing List
Whether you’ve already started to pack for Camp or you’re the kind of person who does it last minute, here is a general guide for what you should bring with you:
Bible and pens – make sure you have a paper bible as digital ones usually contain other distractions (you can also buy one at our bookstall)
Toiletries:
•Soap
•Shampoo and conditioner
•Toothbrush & toothpaste
•Towel
•Sunscreen
•Mosquito repellant
•Water bottle (or buy a new PY one)
•Hand sanitiser (There will be a lot available on camp, but perhaps just in case)
Bedding:
•Pillow – The Tops no longer supplies these on beds.
•Sleeping bag or bed sheets – Make sure you have something warm, as the Tops no longer supplies doonas on beds.
Clothing:
•Light comfortable clothes for the warm days
•Warm clothes for the cooler nights
•Wet weather wear. It is currently predicted to possibly rain.
•Swimmers plus an extra towel – there are opportunities to swim in the pool
•Hat
• Enough masks for the week. With the new rules around indoor mask wearing, this will be needed for much of the week of camp.
For activities this year, we will be competing in an Amazing Race. For activities you will need:
•Clothes that can get messy
•Clothes that can get wet
•Comfortable shoes to run in.
NYE Party dress ups – please come dressed in #lockdownlooks.
Money to spend at Camp:
•Bookstall
•Snack Shop
•PYNSW Merch
Please think carefully about the valuables you bring along to Camp, as PYNSW will take no responsibility for damaged, lost or stolen items.
Medical and Emergency Contact
A lot can happen and change in the time between registering for Camp and going on Camp. Including medical information and details. We’d like for you to inform us of any changes so we can care for you during Camp.
We also need you to nominate an emergency contact. The person nominated as the emergency contact needs to be someone who is available during the camp, who could come and pick up the camper during the camp if the situation requires it. This is especially important if there is a COVID related issue with your camper.
Have you filled in the medical update and emergency contact form for everyone coming to camp?
COVID update
What to do if you have COVID-like symptoms:
If you wake up on the morning of the 27th December with COVID-like symptoms, then please do not come to camp. Instead take a PCR test. If you receive a negative result then you will be able to come to camp. It would be much more comfortable to be able to take the test at home and isolate there, instead of being isolated at camp and putting others at risk.
Mask Wearing Indoors
In keeping with the Thursday 23/12/21 announcement from the NSW Premier, we will be requiring mask wearing for all the indoor activities that are taking place on camp. Please bring enough masks for the length of camp – keeping in mind that masks need to be replaced every 3-4 hours.
We are asking everyone coming to camp to try and get a PCR test on Christmas Eve, in the hope that you will receive results for that test by arrival on camp on December 27. If you have not received your negative result you can still come to camp unless you are presenting any symptoms or must isolate due to the current COVID rules.
We are aware of the NSW Government announcement on 23/12/21 about PCR testing, but we can confirm that we have spoken with the NSW COVID Hotline today, and they have indicated that this measure is a reasonable step to protect all people who are attending Summer Camp.
–
We are asking everyone coming to camp to bring a Rapid Antigen Test kit with them, so that if you wake up with COVID symptoms on a given day, you can take that test. Recognising that these test kits are hard to find in stores, we have sourced some tests and will have some at camp, but we ask that you try and bring one (if you have spares, please bring them along – we will only be using them if we really need them).
What will happen at Summer Camp if someone presents with COVID symptoms?
As soon as someone on camp has something that could be COVID, The Tops staff take over and manage that situation. Parents will be informed; the person will be taken for a COVID test and will be asked to wear a mask and stay isolated until the test comes back negative. The Tops (as an organisation that runs their own youth camps) has a programme of activities to keep people who are isolating engaged and to care for their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health during that period – and they will be working with us in providing this kind of support to campers.
Other conditions
If you have a medical condition that may present as COVID symptoms (eg hay fever), you will need to bring a letter from your doctor regarding this and a negative PCR test to avoid the Tops’ stringent COVID policies.
NYE Theme
The dress-up theme for the New Years Eve event is #lockdownlooks – bring something to wear that reflects what you were wearing during lockdown this year.
