Youth Fest 2023 Coordinator Guide

Youth Fest has been upgraded! After much praying and planning, big changes are coming this year. What was once youth convention, the large conference-style weekend experience, is now becoming a two day retreat. We want to take a moment to explain the twofold purpose and motivation for these changes.

Most of us would agree that a youth retreat can be the catalyst in changing a student’s life and build major momentum for any youth ministry. However, it’s a lot of work! The set-up, financial requirements and preparation can overwhelm any leader! Two of the most important things we at OYM are focused on are serving the local church youth ministry and discipling students to produce life-long followers of Christ. We see this fall retreat weekend as a great opportunity to do both of these things.

Our local churches and leaders face growing obstacles each year when it comes to traveling overnight with students. Churches are trying to navigate the safety of students while still providing adequate supervision in settings that can be difficult, such as hotels. Attending events that require students to stay in hotels also adds additional expenses for rooms and meals that can quickly become overwhelming. By hosting Youth Fest as a retreat, we are now able to provide safe and suitable housing for students and leaders, while also providing meals on-site at a fraction of what it costs to eat out.

With all the elements of Autumn, like bonfires and hayrides, Camp Cargill will be the perfect location for hosting this event. Another great benefit of using Camp Cargill as a host is that safety and security is always a top priority. You will notice that each leader for Youth Fest will have the same screening process as we use for Youth Camp- Ministry Safe background checks & training as well as references.

The other way Youth Fest retreat is going to better serve our students is through discipleship. By providing a retreat weekend, we are able to create space for life changing moments through service, small groups and even some fun! Without having to spend all their time planning and executing an event, the youth ministry leaders will be able to fully engage with their group and truly pastor them. Youth Fest is designed for each local youth ministry to have time together and feel like it is their own event. Our goal is to do all the work, and leaders just become the hero’s! Think of it like this- we will provide the vehicle; you provide the driver. Because we really are better together... or as we at OYM say it, WE over ME!

We can’t see all that God will do at the very first Youth Fest Retreat and we hope to see you there!

Online Registration

• Registration is to be completed by the Youth Fest Coordinator on behalf of the entire group.

• During your registration, you will need to know the amount of people coming from your group in each of these four different categories: male campers, female campers, male staff, and female staff.

• Important!!- In order to best accommodate students and leaders, we recommend a ratio of 1:7 for leaders to students of the same gender. If the leader ratio is higher than 1:7, we cannot guarantee housing in the same room. We will try to accommodate each group the best we can.

HOW TO REGISTER ONLINE

If this is your first time registering, you will take a minute to create an account with our online system, Brushfire.

Create your group:

• Name of Group – Church City and Church Name

• Group Passcode (suggestion: church name-camp week, ex. Claremore-Camp3)

• Manage Passcode (suggestion: swap group passcode, ex. Camp3-Claremore)

• Enter Your Information

• Coordinator Name

• Coordinator Phone Number

• Coordinator Email (Double check that this is correct. Important information will be sent to this email)

• Lead Pastor Name

• Lead Pastor Email

• Church Name

• Church Address

• Choose “Continue”

• Fill out billing info on right side

• Double check your registration numbers and payment info

• Select “Place Order”

Helpful Tips for Online Registration

• Create a sign-up sheet with the student’s name, parent’s name, parent’s phone number, and email address. This helps you keep a hard copy of who signed up with parent information. This information will also be beneficial when it comes to the forms process of registration.

• If you have a large group attending camp, get a group of leaders together to help input student and staff information into Brushfire. Assign them a certain number of students to check in on regarding registration and medical forms.

Once your group has been registered, the Youth Fest Coordinator will receive a few very important things via email. Along with confirmation of your payment and spots, the email includes a link to the 2023 Youth Fest Medical Form and a Volunteer Staff Application. These forms are all digital. Only 2023 OKAG forms and the 2023 Youth Fest Medical Form will be accepted. Every person staying at camp will need to fill out a medical form. You can access this link via the Youth Fest website or through the link you have been given. You will send the Staff Application link to the volunteer staff you registered for. The Volunteer staff application is to be filled out and turned in by the application deadline. References will be sent out by the Youth Fest Coordinator. The links to these are available on the Youth Fest website. Please see the staff section for more information and details.

Important Dates

MEDICAL FORMS

• All student medical forms are due October 11, 2023.

STAFF FORMS

• Staff must have turned in their staff application by September 15th, this is also the last day to purchase staff spots. This is the last day to enter your staff names, ages, and staff assignment in Brushfire as well. Once a staff named is assigned in Brushfire, it is not transferable. You must purchase a new spot for replacement staff. You are responsible for making sure the replacement staff has turned in a staff application

• All Ministry Safe background checks and trainings, pastor reference, and character reference are due September 29, 2023.

BRUSHFIRE GROUP INFORMATION

• Staff spots and names must be purchased and entered into Brushfire by September 15, 2023.

• The last day to register campers is October 11, 2023 at midnight.

Staff

Here is the information we require all staff to have completed before arriving to Youth Fest. Youth Fest Coordinators are responsible for confirming with staff that these requirements are met. If the staff attended either Youth or Kids Camp in 2023 as a staff member and completed these requirements, they will not have to recomplete these forms. They will still need to be registered Brushfire to attend Youth Fest.

If we do not have the following completed by September 29, 2023, that staff member will not be able to attend Youth Fest.

REGISTRATION IN BRUSHFIRE

• Camp Coordinator will register staff with their group. They will also input their staff names.

STAFF APPLICATION

• Camp Coordinator will send a link to staff attending from their group to fill out a Staff Application. The application will include their medical form for Youth Fest. If the staff has come to either Youth or Kids Camp in 2023 as a staff member and completed the following, they will not have to complete these again.

STAFF NAMES IN BRUSHFIRE

• The Youth Fest Coordinator must enter all staff names, ages, and staff preference by September 15th.

PASTORAL REFERENCE

• This must be completed by the senior pastor of your church. If the senior pastor is related to the staff member, please have a board member fill this reference out for them. If the senior pastor is attending, please contact youth@okag.org. As the coordinator, please share this link with your pastor to complete the references needed.

CHARACTER REFERENCE

• This must be completed by someone that is not related or a family member to you. This reference cannot be your senior pastor. As the coordinator, please complete this form unless the previous statement applies.

BACKGROUND CHECK

• Once we receive your staff application and process it, we will send a link to your email to complete a background check application through Ministry Safe. Once the background check comes back, we will receive your background check and you will also receive a copy. If we do not have this background check completed, you will not be able to attend Youth Fest.

SEXUAL ABUSE AWARENESS TRAINING

• All staff must complete a Sexual Abuse Awareness training through Ministry Safe. The link will be sent to your email after your staff application has been processed by our office. The training consists of short videos with a quiz at the end. Once the videos and quiz are completed, we will be notified of your completion. You will also receive a certificate stating that you have completed the training.

MEDICAL FORM

• If there has been a change in staff medication or medical history from Youth or Kids Camp in 2023, please fill out the 2023 Youth Fest Medical Form.

**Please keep all confirmation emails and notifications in the case that there is an error.

Medical Forms

All attendees, including staff and students, must have an online medical form turned into us prior to attending Youth Fest. The link can be found on the Youth Fest Website. Staff will fill this out in their staff application. Only the 2023 Youth Fest Medical Form will be accepted.

• We also ask that the day you arrive at Youth Fest, you bring a final roster of who you actually brought with you to Youth Fest. Please have this separated by staff and students and sorted by Last Name, First Name. This helps us confirm we have a medical form for every student attending.

• If there are changes to your Brushfire Group Information, all new campers and staff must have a digital medical form filled out. Please email youth@okag.org of these changes.

• If your staff or student has a dietary restriction or allergy, please email youth@okag.org. We may be able to make accommodations for gluten free or gluten sensitive diets if known 3 weeks before Youth Fest. At on-site registration in the Rock, please let camp staff know. We may not be able to accommodate for other restrictions. Those who have restrictions are more than welcome to bring their own food. We have a fridge and microwave in the Dining Center to store and heat up their food. It is the responsibility of the coach or student to prepare any of these stored foods

Students/Parents

All students attending Youth Fest will need to have completed the digital medical form by October 11th. Only the 2023 Youth Fest Medical Form will be accepted.

Here are some tips to send your parents to help them as they fill out our digital medical form:

• Put the name of the parent in the name box and the parent email in the email box (or you can do this as the Youth Fest Coordinator). This helps us look for the correct medical form in our system.

• Read all lines of the form before completing the form.

• Double-check the signature box to make sure the parent/guardian signature is there. This signature cannot be a student’s name unless they are over 18 years old. If it is not there, double-click or double tap the signature box.

• Keep in touch with parents that might have issues with the form.

• Have them send you their confirmation email after they have completed the form. If they do not have a confirmation email, we do not have the form.

• Have a parent meeting with your group’s parents and walk them through the process. Have them fill out the form there.

• If there are changes in medication, please fill out a new form to ensure we have the most accurate information.

While no refunds are given for camper spots within your own group you may substitute one camper for another if they are the same gender. Depending on vacancies, you may be able to substitute for the other gender by contacting youth@ okag.org.

If there are changes to your Brushfire Group, please make sure that the new additions also turn in a medical form. This is the Youth Fest Coordinator’s responsibility to make these changes.

When you check in, you will need to bring a final roster/everyone present of who you actually brought with you to camp. Please have this list organized by Last Name, First Name and sorted by staff and students. This helps us confirm we have a medical form for every student attending Youth Fest.

On-Site Registration

Groups who come well-prepared to check-in with all the correct information will complete check-in fairly quickly. Here are a few things you can do prior to group check-in to help you have the smoothest possible experience.

DIGITAL FORMS

• Confirm that every person that came with you to camp has completed a digital medical form. Have parents and staff forward you their confirmation email. If they do not have a confirmation email, we do not have a medical form. No student is allowed to stay at camp without the Medical Release for m completed by a legal guardian.

• You will need to bring a final roster/everyone present of who you brought with you to camp. Have it arranged by Last Name, First Name and separated by staff and students. This helps us check to make sure that everyone who is staying at camp has a medical form.

• Confirm that every adult that are coming with you as staff have completed their staff application, medical form, references, background check, and their Sexual Abuse Awareness Training. We cannot allow adult staff who have not completed all these steps to stay at Youth Fest. All these steps must be completed prior to arriving. Youth Fest Coordinators are responsible for confirming that these steps have been completed. Please see the staff section of this guide for more details.

• A health screening will also be required. You will need to interview your group to complete this form. It will ask for recent history of your group participant’s contact with lice, bed bugs, or Covid-19. Only one form will need to be filled out for each group. The link to this form will be sent to the Youth Fest Coordinator’s email the week of Youth Fest.

MEDICATION AND DIETARY NEEDS

• Collect and organize all student medication from your group. All medication sent from home prescription and over the counter, including natural/homeopathic methods and essential oils needs to be turned in with our camp nurse’s office at check-in. The best way to do this is for each student to have a Ziplock bag with his/her name and your Church City and Church Name clearly written on it. This will help our nurse organize medicine for hundreds of campers in a timely manner. You can then place all the Ziplock bags from your group inside a larger bag or container for easy transportation to camp and back home. All medication must be in the original bottle or packaging to be turned in to the nurse. We cannot accept or administer any medication that is not in its original bottle, packaging, or past expiration date.

• If your staff or student has a dietary restriction or allergy, please notify us by emailing youth@okag.org. See medical form section for more information.

TIPS TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR ON-SITE REGISTRATION:

• Check with your staff and students 2 weeks prior to Youth Fest that they have turned in all the forms we require.

• When you meet at your church before you head to Youth Fest, create a check-in process to ensure that all forms, medication, and health screening are completed. Have parents either bring a print out or be prepared to show you their pdf copy of their child’s medical form.

• Arrival at Camp

• Please see Youth Fest website for details on parking.

Youth Fest Coordinator Check List

Register for Youth Fest

Enter staff names, ages, and staff position by September 15, 2023

Ensure that all Staff from your group has turned in their Staff Application by September 15, 2023

Ensure that all Staff from your group has completed the Ministry Safe Background check, Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, and both references by September 29, 2023

Ensure that all campers turn in a medical form by October 11, 2023. Confirm that medical forms have been submitted by the camper’s parents.

Have a final roster of both staff and campers arranged in alphabetical order by Last Name, First Name ready to turn in at day of registration at Youth Fest.

Example Final Roster Sheet

CHURCH USE ONLY

Staff Roster Sheet (Please place in alphabetical order by Last Name)