Pilgrim Pines Policies on Bullying

 

OUR MISSION & VISION

Pilgrim Pines Camp and conference center, a ministry of the United Church of Christ, affirms persons of all ages, sexes, genders, gender expressions, sexual orientations, racial or ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic positions, intellectual, developmental, emotional, and physical abilities, or religious affiliation.

Pilgrim Pines Camp leadership and its governing Board affirm our commitment to the safety and

wellness of all campers, staff, and volunteers.

 

 

Pilgrim Pines recognizes the harmful effects of bullying on camper well-being and desires to provide a safe environment that protects all from physical, social, spiritual, and emotional harm. Camp staff and volunteers shall establish camper safety as a high priority and shall not tolerate bullying of any type.

 

Strategies for addressing bullying at and after camp events shall be discussed and enhanced continually with the involvement of key stakeholders, including campers, parents/guardians, volunteers, staff, Pilgrim Pines committees, and the Board. These shall be incorporated into parent information, staff/volunteer training, camper orientations, and safety talks.

 

Bullying Prevention- To the extent possible, Pilgrim Pines shall focus on preventing bullying by establishing clear rules for campers, staff, and volunteer conduct and implementing strategies to promote a positive, collaborative camp climate. Campers, parents, guardians, and caregivers shall be informed, through registration follow-up material and other appropriate means, of Camp rules related to bullying, mechanisms available for reporting incidents or threats, and the consequences for engaging in bullying.

 

Pilgrim Pines will provide campers with age-appropriate instructions, that promote effective communication and conflict resolution skills, social skills, character/values education, respect for and individual differences, self-esteem development, assertiveness skills, and appropriate online behavior. These should all be covered in an age-appropriate manner at the orientation at the start of each camp event.

 

Staff shall receive related professional development, including information about early warning signs of harassing/intimidating behaviors and effective responses at the staff training and additional follow-up meetings throughout the camp events.

Based on an assessment of bullying incidents at camp, the Executive Director or Program Director may increase supervision and security in areas where bullying most often occurs.

 

Intervention- Campers, staff, and volunteers are required to notify camp staff if they are being bullied or suspect that another camper is being victimized. In addition, the Program or Executive Director shall communicate the means for campers to report threats or incidents confidentially and anonymously.

 

Camp staff who witness bullying must immediately intervene to stop the incident and let the Program or Executive Director know. When appropriate, based on the severity or pervasiveness of the bullying, the Program or Executive Director shall notify the parents/guardians of victims and perpetrators and if necessary, contact law enforcement.