THEME: Fostering the Spiritual Health of Families and Communities
With Study and Reflection on Guidance as to Importance of Summer Schools
Please bookmark this page to check for updates.
First Aid and Emergency Information
Onsite First Aid – A medical personnel will be on site and available from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM each day. During session times, please speak with a school organizer/volunteer. Or refer to the Program board by the Gazebo for any updates.
EMERGENCY CONTACTS
On-site First Aid: Saturday & Sunday – Rosemary Graham
On-site Assistance:
Michelle – (250) 466-0423
Adriana – (250) 466-0466
For overnight emergencies (7:00 PM to 9:00 AM), please call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest 24-hour Emergency Ward located at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital,1200 Dufferin Crescent, Nanaimo BC V9S 2B7
For 9-1-1 emergencies, Camp Caillet address is 4161 Biggs Rd, Nanaimo, BC.
General Information/Housekeeping
Parent/Guardian Responsibility – Outside of daytime workshop and program times, children are the responsibility of their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians are responsible for their children during meals, breaks, recreation times, and when all together at the Gazebo.
Registration Desk – Please check in upon your first arrival to Camp Caillet. The registration desk will be on the inside of the gate, on the right-hand side of the lane towards the trees.
Cell phones – Please put on silent mode during program and workshop times.
Spirit of Volunteerism – We rely on the spirit of volunteerism and the proven theory that ‘many hands make light work’. Please help out where you see a need.
Washrooms require constant upkeep. Please be sure to clean up after yourself – drying off the counter with your hand towel when you’re finished makes a big difference throughout the day. If you notice more supplies are needed, please let the school organizers know.
Service in the Kitchen – Our kitchen team needs your assistance. Please share the load if asked to assist to serve or clean up for meals and snack times.
A Kitchen schedule for those that have volunteered will be posted on the Notice Board by the Gazebo. Other than volunteers, the kitchen is off-limits to others due to Food Safe requirements. Those with special dietary needs will be served separately, by the kitchen.
Meals – Please allow and assist elders, as well as parents with small children, to proceed to the front of the line.
Wash dishes – Do wash your dishes promptly after eating to allow time for all participants to do this. This consideration allows us all to complete this task to then move to the next part of the program.
Sinks are provided at the back of the kitchen building. Be sure to wipe clear your plate before washing.
What to Bring
- Dishes for your meals: plate and cutlery for each individual
- A soft cushion for sitting on the wooden tiered seating inside the Gazebo (a few chairs are available)
- Chair: Camping / Outdoor chair
- Refillable water bottles for the whole family
- Reusable Coffee/Tea Mugs
- Sanitizing items: hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, etc.
- Flashlights and extra batteries / head lamps
- Runners/comfortable shoes
- Rain jackets including warm wear (if needed)
- Prayer Books
- Sunblock/Sunscreen/Sun hat
- Mosquito repellents
- Sports supplies: soccer ball, Frisbees, volleyball, etc.
- Modest clothing: We request all participants to adhere to the high standards of our blessed Faith by wearing clothing that is modest in nature. We greatly appreciate your help in fostering an uplifting spiritual environment that allows us to immerse ourselves in our community with the least amount of distraction possible
- Last and most importantly, a joyful spirit!
We also recommend you bring:
- A journal/notebook and pen
- Markers and pencil crayons
- Musical instruments
- Quiet games (non-electronic) for kids during down times
For Campers: You are to bring your own tent or camper. Tents will not be provided. Bring your own bedding such as a sleeping bag, pillow, and any other personal items. Water and electricity hookups are not available.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE – 7pm Friday, August 14 until 2pm Sunday, August 16
After arrival and check-in, everyone will gather at the Gazebo for the beginning of each day’s program.
From the Gazebo, Children and Junior Youth will go with their teachers at the start of their class time. They will be returned to the Gazebo by their teachers at the end of their class to be reunited with their parent/guardian.
Adult / youth programs (ages 15 and up) At the Gazebo
Children’s Class (ages 5–10) Held at the south end of field (see map).
Children (ages 0–4) Space provided in the Lodge; Accompanied at all times.
Junior Youth Program (ages 11–14) Held at a tent, mid-field (see map).
FRIDAY Building our Summer School environment
| 5:00-6:00pm | Arrival and Registration |
| 6:00-7:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00-8:30pm | Welcome and Devotions Deepening on Summer Schools Participatory Arts Activity |
| 8:30-9:30pm | Music and Fellowship |
| 9:30pm | Final departure time for day participants |
| 10:00pm | Quiet time Campers prepare for lights out by 10:30 |
SATURDAY Spiritual Health of Families and Community
| 7:00 am | Dawn Prayers – meet at circle by field |
| 8:00-9:15am | Breakfast – remember to wash your dishes Day participants arrive / check-in by 8:15 |
| 9:15am | Morning music |
| 9:30am | Welcome, devotions |
| 9:45-11:45am | PROGRAM TIME (includes time for a snack break) Adults and Youth: “Soul of Education” Presenter – Dan Vaillancourt. Children and JY attend their own program |
| 11:45 am | Announcements / Group Photo |
| 12:00-1:15pm | Lunch – remember to wash your dishes |
| 1:15 – 3:15pm | PROGRAM TIME (includes time for a snack break) Right of God workshops: 15+ Youth, Jeanette Foreman – Work, Wealth and Service; Adults, Lynn Smith – Right of God and the Promotion of Social Justice; Children and JY attend their own program |
| 3:15 pm | Announcements |
| 3 30 – 5:30pm | ALL PARTICIPANTS Cooperative Games at the Field; Art activities |
| 5:30 – 6:30pm | Dinner |
| 6:30pm-9:00pm | Everyone – Gazebo Group Sharing of arts, prayers, songs by children, JY, 15+ Sharing songs and music |
| 9:30pm | Final departure time for day participants |
| 10:00pm | Quiet time Campers prepare for lights out by 10:30 |
SUNDAY Growing together in Faith, Service and Unity
| 7:00 am | Dawn Prayers – meet at the circle by field |
| 8:00-9:00am | Breakfast Day participants arrive / check-in by 8:30 |
| 9:00am | Welcome, Morning Devotions |
| 9:15am | Reflection on Summer Schools |
| 9:45-11:45am | PROGRAM TIME (includes time for a snack break) Adults and Youth “Forces, Challenges and Opportunities” Presenter – Harold Rosen; Children and JY attend their own program |
| 11:45am | Group Sharing / Announcements / Feedback / Closing Circle |
| 12:30-2:00pm | Lunch / Clean up / departure (Many hands make light work for the many tasks required for final clean-up) |
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
The Soul of Education
The soul of education is education of the soul. We are all educators, whether formally or informally, whether intentionally or unintentionally. As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends or community members, we have an influence on those around us. Our words and actions can affect how others think, feel and do. They can even have an effect on the souls of others. The purpose of this presentation is to explore how we can awaken and nurture our own souls as well as the souls of others around us in a time which is desperately calling for a spiritual response to a troubled world. The Baha’i Writings offer a plethora of guidance on spiritual education, which will be the focus of this session, not only as it applies to the Baha’i community, but especially to society in general. We will cover such topics as the nature of spiritual education, the importance of a holistic approach towards life, and some practical applications readily available to all of us.
Social Action and the Right of God (Adults)
The Right of God supports humanity’s material progress guided by spiritual principles. Social action is not merely about addressing material needs but also about empowering individuals and communities to become active participants in their own development. The Right of God is founded on principles including justice, equity, cooperation, mutual aid and reciprocity.
Work, Wealth and Service (Youth)
A workshop covering the Baha’i attitude toward wealth, the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty, work as worship, and the societal transformation that occurs when we focus on both our material and spiritual lives.
“Forces, Challenges & Opportunities”- Reflecting on Guidance from the Initial 9-Year Plan Letter
Paragraph 36 of the December 30, 2021, Letter of the Universal House of Justice is especially rich with implications for our community-building, public discourse and social action.
Let’s explore and apply some of its guidance related to
- Prioritizing our plans for collective action
- Harnessing the productive powers of technology
- Prizing the sweetness of teaching and the joy of serving
- Embracing opportunities for cooperation and service.
PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES
Dan Vaillancourt
Dan Vaillancourt is a mostly retired professional educator who holds a Master’s degree in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) and a Bachelor’s in English. His career has taken him and his family to several parts of the world and afforded him the opportunities to appreciate a wonderful diversity of cultures, beliefs, customs and peoples. He has held teaching and administrative positions in a variety of educational settings that include: elementary, secondary and post-secondary, international, private and public, Indigenous, ESL, bilingual and Baha’i-inspired schools. For the past several years, he has served as a part-time Affiliated Global Faculty member of the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE). Each experience has helped him to greater appreciate that the best school setting is the one where love and unity are strongly valued.
Harold Rosen
Harold Rosen is a community educator, interfaith activist, researcher and author living in Ladysmith-Cedar with his wife Wendy, his daughter Kess and three grandchildren. He has been pondering and gaining experience with the guidance in paragraph 36 through Baha’i community-building, public teaching, interfaith cooperation, restorative justice, refugee assistance and promoting the arts as a catalyst for social action and public discourse.
Back to Table of Contents
Map of Camp Caillet with information
