The Core Purpose of the Camp Boyhaven Experience Is To

Camp Boyhaven

StaffManual

Updated April 15, 2015

The Camp Boyhaven summer camp experience is designed as an introductory summer camp program, which provides engaging activities for the first-time camper or the experienced camper. Scouting is outing, and, with that philosophy in mind, we strive to create a fun learning environment with a purpose:

The core purpose of the Camp Boyhaven experience is to:

• INFLUENCE THE SCOUT’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT & SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
• DEVELOP HABITS & ATTITUDES OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP.
• ENCOURAGE GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP & PRIDE IN GROWING STRONG IN MIND & BODY.
• IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING WITHIN THE FAMILY.
• STRENGTHEN THE SCOUT’S ABILITY TO GET ALONG WITH OTHERS.
• FOSTER A SENSE OF PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT BY DEVELOPING NEW INTEREST & SKILLS.
• PROVIDE FUN & EXCITING NEW THINGS TO DO.
• SHOW A BOY HOW TO BE HELPFUL & DO HIS BEST.
• PREPARE HIM TO BE A BOY SCOUT.

The methods in which we will we achieve these objectives are as follows: The program, as presented to our customer, will stress FUN, ADVENTURE, and EXPLORING in the outdoors. By default, Cub Scout advancements will occur but we do not focus our primary objective on advancement exclusively. Instead, it is the responsibility of all camp staff to focus on the intangible rewards of a summer camp experience, such as SPORTSMANSHIP, RESPONSIBILITY, HELPFULNESS, TEAMWORK, CITIZENSHIP, PROBLEM-SOLVING, RESPECT FOR OTHERS, and UNDERSTANDING OF ONE’S SELF.

This manual is for all staff members of Camp Boyhaven. They are advised that they are staff members of Twin Rivers Council, Boy Scouts of America Inc. Here after, Camp Boyhavenshall refer to the professional and volunteer staff, where appropriate.

This manual has been prepared to inform you of Camp Boyhaven’s history, philosophy, employment practices, and policies.

Some Things You Must Understand

The policies in this manual are to be considered as guidelines.

• Camp Boyhaven, at its option, may change or discontinue any part or parts of the policies in this Staff member Manual at any time with appropriate advanced notification as business, employment legislation, and economic conditions dictate.

• Any such action shall apply to existing as well future staff members.

• Staff members shall not accrue eligibility for any rights, or privileges beyond the last day worked.

• No one other than the Director of Camp Boyhaven may alter or modify any of the policies in this Staff member Manual. Any alteration or modification of the policies in this Staff member Manual must be in writing and added to the manual within twenty-four hours.

• No statement or promise by a supervisor, other than the Camp Director, may be interpreted as a change in policy nor will it constitute an agreement with a staff member.

Should any provision in this manual be found to be unenforceable and invalid, such finding does not invalidate the entire document, but only that particular provision.

This manual supersedes any and all other or previous Camp Boyhaven StaffManuals or other Camp Boyhaven policies whether written or oral.

An Overview of Camp Boyhaven

About Camp Boyhaven

Camp Boyhaven was purchased in stages by the Schenectady County Council, BSA. The first purchase was in 1924, which encompassed approximately 20 acres from the Frink Family. Over the years, Camp Boyhaven grew to 324 acres, all from the old Frink Family Farm.

Camp Boyhaven was primarily a Boy Scout Summer Resident Camp up until the Schenectady County Council merged with the Twin Rivers Council. After that point in time,Camp Boyhaven began its transformation to the council’s Cub and Webelos Resident Camp. In 2013, Camp Boyhaven officially merged its Day Camp and Resident Camp operations under a single professional staff, utilizing the traditional resident camp property and program areas for both camp operations.

Camp Boyhaven’s mission:

The mission of Camp Boyhaven is to provide a quality introductory scout camp experience for Cub Scouts, their leaders, and their parents through FUN, age-appropriate outdoor program focused on the core values of the Boy Scouts of America, specifically Character Development, Citizenship, and Physical Fitness.What You Can Expect From Camp Boyhaven

Camp Boyhaven believes in creating a harmonious working relationship between all staff. In pursuit of this goal, Camp Boyhaven has created the following staff relations objectives:

1. Provide an exciting, challenging, and rewarding workplace and experience.

1. Select people on the basis of skill, training, ability, attitude, and character without discrimination with regard to age, gender, sexual orientation, color, race, creed, national origin, religious persuasion, veteran, marital or family status, political belief, or a disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions.

1. Compensate all staff according to their effort and contribution to the success of our mission.

1. Assure all staffan opportunity to discuss any issue or problem with management of Camp Boyhaven.

1. Take prompt and fair action of any complaint, which may arise in the everyday conduct of our business, to the extent that is practicable.

1. Respect individual rights, and treat all staff with courtesy and consideration.

1. Maintain mutual respect in our working relationship.

1. Provide buildings and accommodations that are comfortable, orderly, and safe.

1. Promote staff on the basis of their ability and merit.

1. Make promotions or fill vacancies from within Camp Boyhaven whenever practical.

1. Keep all staff members informed of the progress of Camp Boyhaven.

1. Promote an atmosphere in keeping with Camp Boyhaven’s vision, mission, and goals.

What Camp Boyhaven Expects From You

Camp Boyhaven expects that all employees will maintain the integrity of the Scout Oath and Law in their actions and words while at Camp Boyhaven and when in the general community while under contract for employment.

Camp Boyhaven needs your help in making each day enjoyable and rewarding. Your first responsibility is to know your own responsibilities and how to perform them promptly, correctly, and pleasantly. Secondly, you are expected to cooperate with management and your fellow staff members and to maintain a good team attitude.

How you interact with your fellow staff, those whom Camp Boyhaven serves, and how you accept direction can affect the success of our programs. In turn, the performance of one person can impact the entire service offered by Boyhaven. Consequently, whatever your position, you have an important assignment: perform every task to the very best of your ability.

You are encouraged to grasp opportunities for personal development offered to you. This manual offers insight on how you can perform positively and to the best of your ability to meet and exceed Boyhaven’s expectations.

We strongly believe you should have the right to make your own choices in matters thatconcern and control your life. We believe in direct access to management. We arededicated to making Boyhaven a place where you can approach your supervisor to discuss any problem or question. We expect you tovoice your opinions and contribute your suggestions to improve the quality of our programs.

Remember, you help create the pleasant and safe working conditions that Camp Boyhaven intendsfor you. The result will be better performance for the company overall and personalsatisfaction for you.

Open Communication Policy

Camp Boyhaven encourages you to discuss any issue you may have with a co-worker directly with that person. If a resolution is not reached, please arrange a meeting with your supervisor to discuss any concern, problem, or issue that arises during the course of your employment. Any information discussed in an Open Communication meeting is considered confidential. Retaliation against any staff members for appropriate usage of Open Communication channels is unacceptable. Please remember it is counterproductive to a harmonious workplace for staff members to create or repeat corporate rumors or office gossip. It is more constructive for a staff member to consult his/her supervisor immediately with any questions.

Staff members also have an Open Communication channel to the management of Boyhaven.

In addition to the daily exchanges of information and expressions of ideas, make certain you are aware of and utilize all Camp Boyhaven’s methods of communication, including this Staff Manual, bulletin boards, discussions with your supervisor, memoranda, staff meetings, and training sessions.

Suggestions

We encourage all staff members to bring forward their suggestions and good ideas about how our company can be made a better place to work and our service to customers enhanced. When you see an opportunity for improvement, please talk it over with your supervisor. S/he can help you bring your idea to the attention of the people in the Camp who will be responsible for possibly implementing it. All suggestions are valued and listened to. When a suggestion from astaff member has particular merit, we may provide for special recognition of the individual(s) who had the idea.

Customer Relations

The success of Camp Boyhaven depends upon the quality of the relationships between Camp Boyhaven, our staff, campers, suppliers, and the general public. The camp staff has a significant impact on the overall impression we leave for our campers. The more goodwill you promote, the more our campers, their leaders, and their parents will respect and appreciate you, Camp Boyhaven, and our programs.

Below are several things you can do to help give customers a good impression of Camp Boyhaven. These are the building blocks for our continued success.

1. Act competently and deal with campers, leaders, and parents in a courteous and respectful manner.

1. Communicate pleasantly and respectfully with other staff members at all times.

1. Follow up on orders and questions promptly, provide businesslike replies to inquiries and requests, and perform all duties in an orderly manner.

1. Take great pride in your work and enjoy doing your very best.

These policies apply to all areas of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, transfer, termination, layoff, social and recreational programs, and all other conditions and privileges of employment in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Camp Boyhaven, Twin Rivers Council is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other factor protected by law. Camp Boyhaven, Twin Rivers Council complies with the law regarding reasonable accommodation for handicapped and disabled staff members.

It is the policy of Camp Boyhaven, Twin Rivers Council to comply with all the relevant and applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Camp Boyhaven will not discriminate against any qualified staff member or job applicant with respect to any terms, privileges, or conditions of employment because of a person's physical or mental disability. Camp Boyhaven will also make reasonable accommodation wherever necessary for all staff members or applicants with disabilities, provided that the individual is otherwise qualified to safely perform the essential duties and assignments connected with the job and provided that any accommodations made do not impose an undue hardship on Camp Boyhaven.

Equal employment opportunity notices are posted near staff member gathering places as required by law. These notices summarize the rights of staff members to equal opportunity in employment and list the names and addresses of the various government agencies that may be contacted in the event that any person believes he or she has been discriminated against.

The Camp Director is primarily responsible for seeing that Camp Boyhaven’s equal employment opportunity policies are implemented, but all members of the staff share in the responsibility for assuring that by their personal actions the policies are effective and apply uniformly to everyone.

Any staff members, involved in discriminatory practices as describe by current law will be subject to termination.

Harassment Policy

Camp Boyhaven intends to provide a work environment that is pleasant, professional, and free from intimidation, hostility or other offenses that might interfere with work performance. Harassment of any sort - verbal, physical, and visual - will not be tolerated, particularly against staff members in protected classes. These classes include, but are not necessarily limited to race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected status defined by law.

What Is Harassment?

Workplace harassment can take many forms. It may be, but is not limited to, words, signs, offensive jokes, cartoons, pictures, posters, e-mail jokes or statements, pranks, intimidation, physical assaults or contact, or violence. Harassment is not necessarily sexual in nature. It may also take the form of other vocal activity including derogatory statements not directed to the targeted individual but taking place within their hearing. Other prohibited conduct includes written material such as notes, photographs, cartoons, articles of a harassing or offensive nature, as determined by the management, and taking retaliatory action against an staff member for discussing or making a harassment complaint.

Responsibility

All Camp Boyhaven staff members, and particularly management, have a responsibility for keeping our work environment free of harassment. Any staff member, who becomes aware of an incident of harassment, whether by witnessing the incident or being told of it, must report it to their immediate supervisor or a member of the management with whom they feel comfortable.

Reporting

While Camp Boyhaven encourages you to communicate directly with the alleged harasser, and make it clear that the harasser's behavior is unacceptable, offensive or inappropriate, it is not required that you do so. It is essential, however, to notify your supervisor immediately even if you are not sure the offending behavior is considered harassment. Any incidents of harassment must be immediately reported to a supervisor or member of the management. Appropriate investigation and disciplinary action will be taken. All reports will be promptly investigated with due regard for the privacy of everyone involved. Any staff member found to have harassed a fellow staff member will be subject to severe disciplinary action up to and including termination. Camp Boyhaven will also take any additional action necessary to appropriately remedy the situation. Retaliation of any sort will not be permitted. No adverse employment action will be taken for any staff member making a good faith report of alleged harassment.

Policy Statement on Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment may include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature when such conduct creates an offensive, hostile and intimidating working environment and prevents an individual from effectively performing the duties of their position. It also encompasses such conduct when it is made a term or condition of employment or compensation, either implicitly or explicitly and when an employment decision is based on an individual's acceptance or rejection of such conduct.

Sexual harassment may exist on a continuum of behavior. For instance, one example of sexual harassment may be that of an staff member showing offensive pictures to another staff member. Generally, two categories of sexual harassment exist. The first, "quid pro quo," may be defined as an exchange of sexual favors for improvement in your working conditions and/or compensation. The second category, "hostile, intimidating, offensive working environment," can be described as a situation in which unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature when such conduct creates an intimidating or offensive environment. Examples of a hostile, intimidating, and offensive working environment includes, but is not limited to, pictures, cartoons, symbols, or apparatus found to be offensive and which exist in the workspace of an staff member. This behavior does not necessarily link improved working conditions in exchange for sexual favors.

Camp Boyhaven prohibits any staff member from retaliating in any way against anyone who has raised any concern about sexual harassment or discrimination against another individual.

Camp Boyhaven will investigate any complaint of sexual harassment and will take immediate and appropriate disciplinary action if sexual harassment has been found within the workplace.

How You Were Selected

Staff member Background Check

Prior to becoming astaff member of Camp Boyhaven, a job-related background check may be conducted. As you may know, a comprehensive background check may consist of prior employment verification, professional reference checks, and education confirmation. As appropriate, a credit, criminal, health examination and/or driving record history may have also been obtained.

Sexual Offenders Check

In compliance with New York State Department of Health mandates, Camp Boyhaven completes a background check on all staff members thru the Department of Justice Sexual Offenders List.

Boy Scouts of America Registration

All staff members are required to be registered with the Boy Scouts of America. If a prospective employee is not registered, then they can register prior to the start of camp with the onsite unit, Venture Crew 4150.

There is no registration fee for prospective employees.

Dress Code and Personal Appearance

A neat, tasteful appearance contributes to the positive impression you make on our campers. As a staff member, you are expected to be suitable dressed and groomed during working hours, or when representing Camp Boyhaven. A good, clean appearance bolsters your own poise and self-confidence and greatly enhances our image.