Camper Code of Conduct | Beyond Akeela

We are fortunate to have a group of kind, thoughtful, and caring teens in our program, who take pride in being part of Beyond Akeela. It makes creating a community in which our teen’s feel comfortable being their true selves possible. We recognize for many teens, this is one of the only places they may feel that way, and it is important for us to protect that feeling.

As in any camp environment, some interpersonal issues will arise between teens, and as much as we work with families before camp, teens can respond to new environments in different ways. In some cases, teens may present unexpected behaviors that require additional attention and support from our team. We train our team to recognize and manage behaviors that are detrimental to maintaining a physically and emotionally safe environment for everyone.

Beyond Akeela does not tolerate aggression / violence, harassment, bullying, nor any other behavior that creates a physically or emotionally unsafe environment for anyone. Simultaneously, we are a youth development community devoted to social development and preparing teens for a college environment. We will balance our responsibility to keep Beyond Akeela an emotionally and physically safe place for all with our mission to teach teens sensitive, inclusive, and appropriate speech and behavior. Our approach will always favor thoughtful and planned responses, as opposed to knee-jerk reactions. However, we do want to make everyone aware that a teen may be asked to leave Beyond Akeela if:

the behavior (e.g. aggression or hurtful language) persists after staff intervention/education and collaboration with the family,
it is severe or explicit in nature, such that it injures, demeans or harasses another member of the camp community, or
the behavior has a larger or ongoing impact on the emotional and/or physical safety of anyone in our community.

This decision is always a last resort. Before this decision is made, the teen’s parents will be engaged in problem-solving discussions and all other possibilities will be exhausted. In these very rare cases, we work with parents to make arrangements for a smooth transition home. Most importantly, we want all teens to leave Beyond Akeela feeling great about themselves and what they’ve accomplished in our community. In cases of early departures, we will make sure that teens recognize their successes at camp – and we hope that parents will be equally committed to emphasizing their accomplishments.

In effort to help your teen have a successful Beyond Akeela experience, we ask that you review the following Beyond Akeela Code of Conduct as a family.

As a Beyond Akeela Teen I will:

Show respect to other teens, and treat them as well as I would like to be treated.

Respect the rights and beliefs of others, and treat others with courtesy and consideration.

Recognize my responsibility in maintaining a safe space for all community members. I will do this by respecting the physical and emotional boundaries of each individual.

Refrain from sexual interactions with peers. I understand that sexual interactions may be age appropriate, and Beyond Akeela is not an appropriate environment to explore them in.

Communicate in an appropriate manner, which means I must not use foul language or gestures, harsh words or harsh tone of voice.

Communicate directly with another camper and/or staff member if a problem arises, rather than talking to others and spreading rumors.

Conduct myself responsibly. I understand that making fun of peers or other unkind behaviors are not allowed.

Refrain from deliberately causing bodily harm to others. I understand that pushing, kicking, hitting or fighting are not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Respect the property of others; which includes not stealing, damaging property, making graffiti or vandalism.

Be fully responsible for my actions and understand that irresponsible behavior will result in disciplinary action and potentially dismissal from camp.

Know and follow the rules of camp.

Let an adult know if someone is bullying or harassing me. (Reporting is confidential)

Let an adult know if I witness someone else being bullied or harassed. (Reporting is confidential)