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Frequently-Asked Questions About Talisman

1. Do you take kids on medications? Yes, the majority of our campers are on medications. We train our staff who are over 21 in medication administration. Our nurse oversees all medication needs. We use a med-packing company to allow easy administration. We strongly discourage parents from altering their campers' meds (no med vacations!) while at camp.

2. What is your approach to food? (My child is a picky eater.) We do not use food as reward or punishment. We provide wholesome food that is generally familiar to kids (e.g. hamburgers, hotdogs, PB&J, cereal, eggs, etc.). We encourage them to try new foods. They are given substantial first servings, and must try small no-thank-you helpings if they wish to come up for seconds or be eligible for the occasional dessert. We do have limited meal alternatives, and will never let a child go hungry. We do not feed our campers much junk food, and do not accept any care packages with food. We have vegetarian alternatives and can meet most special dietary needs.

3. How physically-fit does my child need to be? Be able to walk across campus with a 20-lb pack. All programs are designed to bring unskilled campers slowly into shape in their activities. The Base Camp 4-day hike is appropriate for beginners, and all groups do day hikes in preparation. Teen Program(s) participants should do basic physical training before camp (even just walking every day would be helpful). We do a lot of walking every day in all programs and eat healthfully, so our campers increase physical fitness while they are with us.

4. How do you discipline the children? We address issues when they happen, in "group": we stop what we're doing and circle up to identify the problem, have the camper take responsibility, come up with some better alternatives, and decide whether there is a natural consequence. Some examples: throwing food might mean eating the next meal outside; horseplay in the van might result in missing the next van trip; being disrespectful may require apologizing and doing something nice for the other person. Group lets our kids practice expressing their opinions and feelings appropriately, and listening to others. Time-outs are used to allow people to calm down and prepare to come to group. Sensitive issues may be dealt with one-on-one with a staff person. Yelling, punishment, and physical discipline are never allowed.

5. How qualified are your staff? Our staff are college students or recent graduates who are studying a related field (e.g., education, outdoor leadership, or psychology) and are seeking hands-on experience. Most have had experience working with kids. They are chosen for their good judgment, compassion, and insight. They receive 2 weeks of intensive training in a wide variety of safety, program facilitation, and wilderness skills. They are supported by senior staff with extensive experience working with kids.

6. How will you communicate with me? We will arrange to call you once a week with an update. In addition, you may call or email us more frequently with your concerns. At the end of the session, we will send you a written summary of your child's Talisman experience. We discourage visits (except between sessions) and do not generally allow kids to make phone calls, as this disrupts the process of group (exceptions are made for family birthdays).

7. What should we bring? We will send you a complete packing list with your confirmation packet. Some campers will need a backpack, sleeping bag, hiking boots, and long johns (there are a few more small items for Teen Program(s)). Things we don't allow are electronics, food, and money.

8. What is a typical day like? Every day is different for each program. Most days for Teen Program(s) involve a good bit of hiking or paddling, with group members increasingly taking charge of daily tasks. Base Camp and Sight groups usually get up, do morning chores, eat breakfast, and head out into their day's activity. This could be a field trip to a waterfall, rock climbing, tie dying, swimming, or packing up for a camping trip. Meals are served in our dining hall, and groups take turns with kitchen clean-up. Group discussions happen throughout the day, to plan for the next activity, to talk about what we learned in the last activity, or to resolve an issue. Evenings are time to wind down and prepare for bed. Cabin groups are age-based, allowing us to practice age-appropriate peer interactions.

9. What happens between sessions if my child is staying? You must either pick up your child for the weekend or enroll in a special stay-over program at additional cost, which will be based on campus.