Camper/Staff Interaction Policy

To be clear, this memo distinguishes three groups. Campers, Camp Support Staff, and Campground/Retreat Venue Staff (Venue Staff).

Campers and Campground Staff are allowed to interact within certain parameters.

To the Campers and Camp Support Staff:

• The Venue Staff that works for the campground/retreat venue is a vital support for the event, and they’re great people. Please say hi, thank them for their hard and valuable work, ask if hugs are wanted, and interact with them as you feel drawn.
  • Some of the campground/retreat venues we rent are conscious community-oriented venues that host sex-positive events regularly, and some are more “traditional” yet open-minded retreat centers that welcome sex-positive events like Camp.
• The Venue Staff are there to support the event and they work for the venue. They are welcome to attend teaching/educational sessions as their duties and time permit. If they’re in the teaching space to learn, feel free to have friendly or educational session-related interactions with them, but please don’t bring camp-related needs or questions to them. (If you need something, ask Camp Staff – don’t ask Venue/Campground Staff, because they’re probably enjoying free time).

To Venue Staff:

• In service of not reinforcing unhealthy, “you are the hired help” power dynamics, as we stated above, you’re welcome to attend educational lectures and interact with Campers with the caveats listed below.
• You are also welcome to share meals so long as you are honoring the agreements established with your employers.

To Both Venue/Campground Staff, Camp Support Staff, and Campers:

• Venue Staff are not to make sexual advances on the Campers or Camp Support Staff. Campers, if they choose, may request to initiate a sexual or personal connection with a Venue Staff person, if that is permitted by the Venue.
• Sexual connection is not off-limits — it just must be initiated by a Camper, and only if allowed by the Venue’s existing protocols for Venue Staff (Again, some —not all— of the venues we rent for events are run by sex-positive/conscious community-focused folks so what’s “appropriate” may vary from venue to venue — Please check in with Reid for specifics if you are unclear or have questions).
• Venue Staff is asked not to attend evening events, as these are for networking for Campers. They are also asked to stay out of the play/temple space. Campers should not invite Venue Staff to these events or spaces.

CONSENT POLICY: Touch/Affection/Photos… Ask permission and get a verbal yes before initiating any action and practice checking in and re-establishing permission frequently. Consider power dynamics and check-in explicitly and discuss the power dynamics involved. Thanks in advance for being awesome with that.

Post Camp Requirement: All Campers (Support Team is an exception*) must leave the campgrounds by 1pm on the final day of Camp. We regret that we cannot make any exceptions to this rule. Please don’t ask us to.
*Due to packing up and loading out Camp supplies, the Support Team will be staying on after Campers leave.

Camp was created for us to work hard and play hard. The way that this works best, is if everyone brings their childhood creativity along with their adult superpowers.