May 2014
Issue No.5
In This Issue:

  President's Message

  Special Needs Resource
  Committee 
 
  OCA Health Care
  Committee  
 
 
  Waterfront Training
  Weekend 
   
 
  Wilderness First Aid
  Courses 
  

  Camp First Aid
  Supplies 
 
  Social Media
   
President's Message

  

Dear OCA Members,

I know that this is a busy time of the year and I want to wish everyone a happy, safe summer.

The Health Care Conference held Saturday, May 3rd, was a great success 80 delegates were in attendance from across the province. Congratulations to the Conference Committee for a job well-done! 
 
The Counsellor Conference is a valuable event for Camp Staff. Take this opportunity to educate your staff. Stu Saunders will be the Keynote Speaker and his presentation is titled, "Moments that Matter". The Conference is scheduled for May 24th at Camp Robin Hood.  Busing will be provided from three locations at no extra charge. **New this year...the group rate is now available for five or more staff. Please click here to download a registration form.  

If you have ordered trees through the Canadian Camping Association's program, ChariTREE, further information will be provided to you in June.
 
Once again, I would like to thank you for your support this year. Please do not hesitate to contact me during the summer. 
 

Sincerely, 

      

 Adam


OCA Special Needs Resource Committee

The May SNRC Report provides information on: 

 

1. Spring SNRC Survey Update

2. Counsellor Conference - Saturday, May 24th

3. Autism Ontario One to One Camp Grant

4. Autism Speaks Canada

5. Excellent Staff Training Autism Simulation Videos

 

For more details please click here.

OCA Health Care Committee 

Health Care Rounds   

- Follow Up from the OCA Conference 2014  

 

Health issues creep up in camp conversations every day: Who can give out medication? What should we have in a first aid kit? Is it a good idea to have an AED on site? Epipen or Allerject? 

   

These and other similar questions were discussed at the Health Care Round Table at the Annual conference - by clicking the link below you will find answers which will help shed some light on these topics - or perhaps will raise more questions!    

 

If you would like any further info on the topics below OR other health related issues you can contact the OCA office, they will direct your question to a Health Care Committee Contact person.

 

For the full article,click here.

      

 

Camp Northland-B'nai Brith is hosting a Skills Weekend, to train staff, June 6-8th and is offering the following courses: 
  • Canoe
  • Kayak
  • Sailing
  • Windsurfing
Click here for the Registration Form. 

Camp Kandalore is hosting several Wilderness First Aid courses in the month of June. The 2014 dates are:

  • Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA)-June 6 - 9
  • WAFA to WFR Bridge, June 10 - 13
  • Wilderness First Responder (WFR), June 6 - 13
  • Wilderness First Aid (WFA), June 19 - 20

 Click here for the Registration Form.

  
   

 

Camps are responsible for two separate groups; their staff who would fall under Ministry of Labour guidelines and their campers who are not covered by the Ministry of Labour. However, if camps only stocked First Aid Kits to the WSIB Regulation 1101 guidelines, they wouldn't have supplies needed to treat all injuries and illnesses. Keep this in mind; the WSIB Regulation 1101 does not REQUIRE gloves or a CPR mask to be put into first aid kits, rather it is ADVISED.

 

Another challenge when it comes to first aid supplies at a camp is that every camp is different. Camps differ in size/layout; number of campers, activities and this all relates to different hazards, risks and needs. I advise that camps stock a mixture of WSIB Regulation 1101 First Aid Kits but also stock more comprehensive First Aid Kits that contain extra supplies which can be used to treat more advanced injuries and illnesses that camps see. This solution will meet the camps responsibility to both their labour (staff) and also their occupancies (campers). It is very important though that camps only stock first aid kits and supplies which their staff are trained to use. Again, this will vary with every camp based on whether they have first aiders, advanced first aiders, nurses and/or doctors.

 

For a detailed presentation on Camp First Aid that Kyle presented at the 2014 OCA Conference please click here.

  

 

The Ultimate Social Media Playbook for Camps

When you're focused on managing and filling your programs, it can be tough to keep up with the latest social media updates, even though you know social media is really important for camper engagement.  To help you stay current, ACTIVE Camps has created a playbook for camp organizers that explains (almost) everything that's important to know about social media in one fell swoop.

 

You'll learn about the five major social channels and get ideas on how to use them. Plus, the Playbook defines common social media terms and explains tools for analytics and results.

To help you cut to the chase, we'd like to bring your attention to some sections that give specific, actionable ideas. Check out these pages:

  • Page 9 - Which Platform Works Best?
  • Page 16 - How to Use Facebook Before, During & After the Event
  • Page 20 - How to Use Twitter Before, During & After the Event
  • Page 24 - How to Use You Tube Before, During & After the Event
  • Page 33 - Analyzing Your Plays

Get the complete Social Media Playbook for Camps here

We hope this guide will be incredibly useful when promoting your camps online!

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Visit the Let's Talk Camp Blog for more articles like this!


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Ontario Camps Association
70 Martin Ross Ave. Toronto, ON M3J 2L4
P: 416-485-0425  F: 416-485-0422
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