Greetings from New York City!

Each summer, volunteer groups/mission teams from across the country come to New York City to help create quality, Christ-reflective, fun experiences for children in New York City. C.L.U.E. Camps (Children Living the Urban Experience) occur in two separate NYC locations - one in Midtown Manhattan/Hell’s Kitchen at Metro Baptist Church and the other in Crown Heights, Brooklyn at Greater Restoration Baptist Church. Each camp site comes with its own unique character, cultural diversity, and set of 40+ children in grades 1-6. We are currently seeking camp volunteer teams for the following weeks in 2024!

July 6-13, 2024

July 13-20, 2024 (BOOKED!)

July 20-27, 2024

July 27-August 3, 2024

QUICK FACTS

• Teams will partner with local staff to lead a week of day camp for children in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
• All team members must be high school aged or older.
• Full teams are invited to stay in the group dorms at Metro Baptist Church but will be split into two groups, one serving in Manhattan and the other in Brooklyn each day.
• Teams will need to arrive in NYC Saturday afternoon/evening prior to their week of camp and check out by 10:00 AM the following Saturday.
• Each group must attend church at their respective camp site on Sunday, followed by an afternoon orientation.
• Teams participate in camp Mondays through Thursdays (except Week #1, which will not operate camp on Tuesday, July 4 and will operate on Friday, July 7).
• Each week of camp includes one day devoted to an off-site field trip coordinated by the local camp staff with leadership provided by that week’s team.
• Evenings are free for teams to do as they please. In the past, groups use this time for exploring the city, further camp preparation if needed, group bonding/devotions and rest.

APPLYING FOR CLUE CAMP

Each summer, we aim to have a mix of veteran and new teams lead each week of camp. Additionally, we seek to expose campers to a diversity of volunteer groups (denominationally, geographically, generationally, etc).

AVAILABILITY FOR SERVICE

Camp runs Monday-Thursday of each week, with an orientation on Sunday.

COMMITMENT TO PREPARATION

One of the greatest aspects of serving with CLUE Camps is the opportunity it provides for teams to creatively and uniquely plan and lead camp, bringing their own spark to their week for the children! Groups must commit to thorough training & planning prior to arriving in NYC for their camp week. A detailed camp notebook (70+ pages) will be provided with curriculum, guidelines, and ideas. While a unique curriculum will be developed for the summer by RMM staff, teams have some freedom in coming up with specific activities, crafts, games, skits, etc. that work with their assigned theme. The notebook also includes important community, church, and cultural information that we believe is imperative for our mission partners to have knowledge of as they plan. Suggestions of books and articles for team members to read are also included as the volunteer experience is just as much about a cultural immersion and introduction to issues such as urban living, poverty, homelessness, and cultural sensitivity for your team as it is about a week of putting on camp for children.

FINANCIAL AGREEMENT

Teams must commit to a $2,750 mission fee that covers the group’s housing for a week, camp t-shirts, background checks for each team member, as well as helps to greatly defer the cost of camp for the children attending. If circumstances require a group to bring more than 25, an additional cost of $50 per person is added. The CLUE Camp leadership team must approve such requests for more than 25 participants prior to Camp Directors’ Meeting in Winter/Spring 2024. Your group is responsible for travel to and from NYC, meals, and entertainment. Weekly Metro cards are available for an additional fee.

GROUP LEADER ORIENTATION & TRAINING

Please note that this year, we will be holding the Group Leaders' Orientation via Zoom. The date of that multi-hour orientation will be scheduled once groups have been confirmed, but will likely occur in late February/early March 2024. Additionally, this year, we will schedule monthly check-in meetings for group leaders to ensure groups have all information and resources needed to ensure a successful week of camp. An optional on-site orientation will also be offered later in spring 2024 for any leaders who are interested in visiting the camp sites prior to bringing their entire group (housing provided, but all other expenses covered by Group Leader/Church/Organization).

TEAM LOGISTICS

Teams must be made up of participants who have completed the 9th grade and older. Teams of more than 25 participants must be approved before arrival. If you intend to bring a youth group, at least three adults (25 or older) must be on site at each camp location each day, therefore youth volunteer teams must also have at least 6 adults total. NO EXCEPTIONS TO THESE GUIDELINES. Thank you for your cooperation.

ADHERENCE TO INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Each participant, regardless of age, is required to fill out an individual volunteer application and must agree to a national criminal background check to be conducted through Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries (cost is covered in mission fee).

Thank you for reading over all of the guidelines. If you are have any questions or interested in bringing a camp volunteer team in summer 2024, please email Jana at cluecamp@rmmnyc.org.

Throughout the years, CLUE camp has proven to be an amazing experience for both the campers and the teams. We hope you will consider joining us!