Group Experience Details

Schedule

Daily Schedule

The following is an outline of the "basic" CP daily schedule. Times stated are to give the trip participants a rough idea of when and how things happen, not a concrete timeline. Often we will deviate from the schedule to allow for certain activities like swimming, visiting scenic overlooks, finishing up a worksite on the last day of work, etc. Depending upon your choice of adventure activity, Friday's schedule may look drastically different. As the youth leader, feel free to talk to your CP staff about adjusting the schedule to match your objectives for the trip.

• 7:00 A.M. Rise & shine
• 7:15 A.M. Breakfast/pack vehicles & lunch
• 8:15 A.M. Seed Thought (devotion and quiet time)
• 9:00 A.M. Leave for daily activity
• Monday through Thursday-worksites
• Friday-adventure activity
• 12:30 P.M. Lunch
• 5:00 P.M. Arrive back at base camp
• 6:00 P.M. Dinner
• 7:00 P.M. Free time/leaders meeting
• 8:00 P.M. Processing of the day (debriefing)
• 9:00 P.M. Worship
• 10:00 P.M. Quiet hours begin

Regarding Arrival Day

• Make sure that your group has eaten prior to your arrival.
• Meet your staff at your designated campground after 6 pm (EST) on Sunday. Let us know beforehand if you are planning to arrive after 7 pm (EST)-we would advise against this if possible.
• Introductions and campsite set up.
• CP staff and group leaders meet to clarify the group's goals and objectives for the week, take care of any paperwork, break the group up into smaller chore teams, discuss the weekly schedule, etc.
• Large group orientation meeting. In this time, CP staff introduce the week's activities, goals, etc. They will also cover the policies that need to be followed for the week. This time will also be used to establish (or review) a group covenant.
• Bedtime.

Regarding Departure Day

• Eat breakfast.
• Help the CP staff clean, inspect, and pack all camp equipment.
• Pack up and leave by 8:00 AM (EST) on Saturday.

Wilderness Adventure Activities

Home Repair Mission Experiences include a wilderness adventure activity on Friday. Your group can choose:

• Caving
• Rock Climbing and Rappelling
• Canoeing (additional $5 per person)
• Ropes Course (additional $20 per person)
• Whitewater Rafting (additional $25 per person)

Special Activities

During your trip, there may be times to deviate from the schedule for a special activity. Often a group will finish up the day at the worksite an hour early so they can go swimming, hiking, site seeing, etc. The availability of these activities is dependent on the schedule and location of your trip and is not necessarily an included activity.

Swimming is not a part of any CP mission experience. Our staff members are not trained lifeguards, and without this precaution we cannot take any group swimming (ACA regulations). Please note that if you would like to swim on your trip, you need to provide a lifeguard (with current certification). This individual is not just present, but ON DUTY at all times. Further, we need to have a copy of their certification on file. Without this precaution we cannot take any group swimming (ACA regulations). In some instances, the park where you are staying may have a pool with a trained lifeguard. In these instances, your group may go swimming at your expense. When you receive your park assignment, your program manager will be able to let you know whether swimming is available at that park.

Worksite Information

Worksite Leadership

Each work crew (6 to 12 youth) will need at least one adult chaperone from your group who will serve as the worksite leader. They will transport the group to and from the site, oversee the safety of the group and supervise the work project itself. This person should feel comfortable with leading the chosen level of worksite. They will be provided with basic construction plans for their specific project as well as a basic repair manual for reference purposes. Constant referral to the manual by the youth is the most ideal situation. If you have other books on general home repair, please feel free to bring them to add to the resources.

If you are bringing a construction specialist with you, you must prepare them for the frustrations of working on imperfect structures with imperfect helpers. We often see skilled chaperones slipping into professional mode and taking total control of the worksite, relegating the youth to the role of helper, rather that letting the youth take an active role in decisions and projects. We need empowerment from the leaders, not dictatorship. The more you can encourage your leaders to be enablers, the more your youth will gain from the experience.

CP staff will be on site, but do not have master carpentry knowledge. The role of CP staff on the worksite is to provide guidance, safety, materials and logistics. They will also work alongside your group, encouraging them and communicating with the homeowner on the work to be completed. In some cases, CP staff will manage logistics for multiple worksites. In this case, they will typically spend the morning with one worksite and the afternoon at another. Worksite leaders (your chaperones) must be informed and prepared for this.

Though Confrontation Point staff members are First Aid and CPR certified, CP strongly recommends-though does not mandate-that a minimum of one additional individual with comparable certifications is present at each worksite (adult or student). Again, CP staff may not be available at the worksite at all times. Confrontation Point will supply each worksite with a first aid kit.

Your Specific Worksite Assignments

You will receive your specific worksite assignments and pertinent information in an e-mail two weeks prior to your trip. This e-mail will include a worksite briefing, outline, blueprint and a site-specific tools list for each of your worksites. It is your responsibility to get this information into the hands of your worksite supervisors.

Necessary Tools

You will be responsible for bringing the necessary tools to complete your work project(s). We have provided two different resources to assist you in planning for your tool needs. First, is a general tool list. These are tools you are required to bring regardless of your project assignment(s). Secondly, a site-specific tool list is provided for you to plan your tool needs once you have been given your specific project assignment(s). Used in conjunction, you should be adequately prepared for assigned mission project(s) or any last minute project changes due to weather.

Construction Standards

While Confrontation Point Ministries seeks to empower incoming youth and give project ownership to the group, we believe that specific construction standards must be met to be good stewards of the money and materials that have been placed in our trust. Furthermore, recognizing that the quality of the labor of our hands reflects upon the Body Of Christ, all projects completed under the name of Confrontation Point Ministries should meet or exceed the following four requirements:

• Useful Life - All structures built or repaired must have a minimum useful life of five years. Purely cosmetic projects and projects that mask the underlying problem should be avoided if at all possible (i.e. painting over rotten wood, etc.)
• Simplicity of Design - All structures built or repaired shall be designed in a safe, simple, and cost effective manner.
• Structural Integrity - All structures built or repaired should conform to accepted load span standards. Load bearing beams and supports must be fastened with lag or through bolts, not nails.
• Quality of Craftsmanship - All structures built or repaired should be square, level, plumb, leak free, and free from "material" defects. Note that "immaterial" defects may occur as a result of youth leadership over the project. The question "What is material?" may be answered with the question "Would you be happy with the repair if it was on your own home?" Necessary materials should be obtained to fix "material" errors.

Choosing The Right Worksite Levels

Choosing the right worksites is definitely a delicate matter. It will obviously be directly affected by the age, maturity level, and construction experience of your youth. Also of great concern should be the experience and confidence of your adult chaperones to assume the role of project leader. Only you, the youth leader, are qualified make these decisions. That said, the most common misjudgment is underestimating the capabilities of the youth.

Though we ask you to make worksite quantity and level decisions in your group application process, we understand that it may be necessary for you to change your selections based upon availability and experience of chaperones and number of youth participants. You are free to make changes to your worksite selections until May 1st. Please contact the Home Repair Director if you are having difficulties determining appropriate worksite selection levels.