Ardèche river Teens Adventures Camp - Chasselay, Salavas. France

Campers sleep in large all-weather tents with spring beds, mattresses, table, chairs and ground cover. This is comfortable roughing-it. Each camper is assigned to a tent according to age and gender and an experienced counsellor is responsible for taking special care of campers in each tent.

A central building houses the classrooms and dining room as well as modern toilets and shower facilities. The exciting Ardèche River borders our site with mountain bike trails, hiking trails and rock climbing right on our doorstep.

Not far away, in Vallon, there are historic caves to be explored, cafes and a night market with traditional local shopping for off-campus visits as and when time permits on this busy camp programme.

A fully-supervised activity programme is organised for each age group. The varied schedule includes several periods where all campers have their choice from a selection of activities available. Campers in both the French Language Camp and the Adventure Camp will receive comprehensive instruction in canoeing in preparation for the highlight of the camps – the two-day, 30 km descent of the Ardèche River in Canadian canoes including bivouacking for one night at a pre-arranged site under the stars. All campers will also enjoy an unforgettable canyoning experience under the close supervision of local guides.

Healthy, varied food in unlimited quantities is prepared by the chef, who also caters for most diets.

If you haven’t done so already, please be sure to complete the medical form and submit it to us at least 4 weeks before the start of camp. It is essential that this form is completed as clearly and accurately as possible, as it provides both the camp director and the health care staff with vital health and other information.

MEDICAL AND INSURANCE PROCEDURES

The camp fees cover basic first aid care provided by our staff. Should your child require special care, medication or hospitalisation and you have not subscribed to the Camps accident/illness insurance you will be fully responsible for all the costs incurred. In this case, we will make the following arrangements for any

costs to be settled:

For small amounts, or where the care provider is not able to send invoices directly to your own insurance company, we will either deduct the amount from your child’s pocket money, or settle the costs from camp funds and send you an invoice. In either case, the care provider’s invoice will be sent to you should you wish to claim from your own insurance company.

For larger amounts, where direct settlement is necessary, we will supply the care provider with the details of your own insurance policy. If your child is covered by the Camps accident/illness insurance, we will make all the necessary arrangements for any costs to be settled by the insurance company.

MEDICATIONS

It is camp policy that all medications are presented to the health care staff on arrival at camp and they will be kept and dispensed by our staff. If your child requires any medication (prescription or non-prescription), please ensure that it is clearly labelled with your child’s name and provide clear written instructions as to how it must be dispensed.

Prescription drugs must be in the original container with licensed physician’s instructions. Should your child be required to keep any medication on his/her person (e.g. an asthma inhaler), please provide a written medical certificate from your family doctor to this effect.

We highly recommend that communication with family and friends be done by email. Please mention your child’s name in the subject line.

CALLING YOUR CHILD

Many of our camps are large and operate in a number of different buildings. All of our camps are very busy, with a full programme of activities from wake-up to lights-out. Telephone calls to your child, therefore, can interrupt a child’s camp routine, and homesick children in particular do not often benefit in the long term from telephone conversations with their parents. In fact, hearing parents’ voices often makes the situation worse.

In addition, a child who has regular telephone contact with his/her parents can make other children without such contact, particularly those sharing his/her room, feel forgotten and encourage feelings of homesickness which would otherwise not occur. It is for these reasons that we do not encourage incoming telephone calls to children at camp, and counsellors strongly discourage children from telephoning home.

One of the main reasons for children attending residential camp is to encourage independence, and speaking to parents breaks the continuity of the experience. If you would like information on your child’s progress at camp, please contact the camp during office hours to arrange a suitable time to speak to either the camp director or your child’s counsellor.

We welcome visits to camp by children’s parents or guardians, but please consider how your visit will affect your child’s adjustment to camp life. Receiving a visit from a parent can be more upsetting than a phone call for a homesick child and can be disruptive to his/her growing sense of independence. If you would like to visit your child, please telephone the camp director to arrange a time that is convenient both for the camp and for your child.

For obvious security reasons, we normally only allow visits from the parents or guardians named on the Summer Application Form. If you wish other family members or friends to visit your child(ren), please provide a written request to the camp director in advance of their visit. In addition, please ensure that the camp reception is advised of your child’s departure from and return to the camp, should you wish to take them away from the centre.

If you receive a letter, email or telephone call from your child expressing concerns or strong feelings of missing home, you should telephone the camp and discuss the situation with the camp director. If your child is taking time to adjust to camp life, his/her counsellor will already be paying special attention and encouraging him/her to make new friends and join in with games and activities.

The camp director will ask that you reinforce the same message with a positive reply. Let your child know that you understand the feelings but maintain confidence in his/her ability. Communicating by email is preferable to telephone calls as hearing a parent’s voice can make the situation worse. Ask specific questions to help him/her to focus a reply.

With support from camp and home, most children, even those who seem extremely upset in the first few days of camp, can make it to the end of the session. The majority of these children will have enjoyed their stay and will feel a huge sense of achievement – some even wish they could stay longer!

In very rare cases, though, a shortened stay at camp may be considered as the only answer for a homesick child. You should discuss this with the camp director, and never suggest this to your child until a decision has been made. Once you show doubt that your child can make it through to the end of the camp, he/she may lose confidence in his/her own ability and give up trying if they feel that going home early is an option.

SMOKING AND DRINKING ALCOHOL

At all our camps, we maintain a very strict policy that children are not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol at any time. This policy is reiterated very clearly to all children on the first evening of camp. This policy applies to all children at camp, whether or not they are allowed to smoke or drink at home, and whether or not they are legally old enough to smoke or drink in the country of the camp.

Should your child smoke or drink alcohol at camp, the camp director will contact you immediately to discuss what action he or she feels is appropriate in the specific circumstances.

In the case of drinking alcohol, the appropriate action is always that your child is sent home at your expense as soon as is reasonably possible. In the case of smoking, the camp director may feel that a strong warning is more appropriate, on the understanding that a second violation of the rule will result in your child being sent home, again at your expense.

In this case, the camp director will look for your support and ask that you explain the situation very clearly to your child by telephone in order that there is no misunderstanding. It is very important that you discuss this policy with your child before he or she travels to camp, in order that he/she fully understands the implications of smoking or drinking alcohol at camp.

POSSESSION OR USE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS

Should your child possess or use any drugs at camp, other than those prescribed for medical reasons, he/she will be sent home immediately at your expense. We reserve the right to also notify the police given the seriousness of this matter.

MOBILE TELEPHONE

If children decide to bring their mobile phone to camp please understand that campers younger than 13 will be required to hand them in at reception to be kept safe and that they can have access to them only during afternoon free time using a sign-out / sign-in procedure. Campers who are older than 13 years old will be allowed to keep their phones with them under very strict rules which are explained to them on the first day. If these rules are broken the mobile phone is confiscated and returned to the camper on departure day.

DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

It is important that children treat the property of Camps and its suppliers with the greatest of care and respect. Any damages resulting from negligence, even if accidental, will be invoiced to the parents or guardians, who, as part of the booking conditions, agree to this stipulation. Where individual guilt cannot be accurately assessed, damages will be shared amongst those involved and families invoiced accordingly.

FREE TIME

Every day at camp is well-structured and very busy, with a wide variety of activities on offer. For this reason, we find it extremely beneficial to both children and staff to offer them some free time during the day. During free time, there are always alternative activities available and counsellors are assigned to supervise children in both the activity and accommodation areas. Should a visit to the local village be offered in free time, children will be supervised according to our excursion supervision policy, as stated below.

EXCURSION SUPERVISION

At some point in all excursions, children are given “free time” for shopping for souvenirs, having a snack, etc., in a designated, controlled area. During this time, not all children are with a counsellor. The following explains our supervision policy on excursions:

• Children 12 years and younger are always accompanied by a counsellor (the exception to this is inside Aqualand and similar activity parks where counsellors are stationed about the various attractions).
• Children 13 years and older will not be accompanied at all times, but will always be in groups of a minimum of three children.
• All children will be given emergency phone numbers.
• Meeting points and times will be established and shown to the children.
• The maximum amount of time between meetings will be 90 minutes.
• Counsellors will be stationed at various locations around the designated area in case of an emergency.

If your child is 13 years or older, but you prefer that he/she be accompanied by a counsellor at all times during excursions and visits to local villages, etc., please indicate this preference in writing to us before the start of camp. If we do not receive your written instructions to the contrary, we will assume you agree with the above supervision policy.