Chaperones
SSI Chaperones are one of our most valuable assets to the Summer Program. They are friends, counselors,
encouragers, leaders, moms and dads away from home. Each summer about 25 of these incredibly generous
individuals give up at least one full week of their summer for our future leaders!
"If you have the time, and you care about the souls of our youth, you can have a great opportunity to speak into their livves." - Larry R., SSI Chaperone
Guidelines: The following is provided so you will know what is expected of our chaperones. Please feel free to call the SSI office at 877-464-6388 for clarification or questions.
Please review the Policies document, Student Covenant and sample schedule. These documents are given to all the parents and students who register. These lay out the standard of behavior and expectations for our students, and we need our chaperones to model that behavior. All students, as part of their permission to attend SSI, are asked to sign the Student Covenant.
"SSI isn't just beneficial for teens; it is just as informative to adults too." - Katherine C., SSI Chaperone
You
will need to fill out the Chaperone application and send it to
SSI. If you have any questions about what you are expected to do, or about the application process, please
email Jeff Visscher at jeff@ssi-online.org or call 877-464-6388 ext. 105.
Start Time: Registration begins on Sunday evening at 6:00 PM. Chaperone orientation begins at 4 PM. We will need a few volunteers to help out with registration. Training for registration will begin immediately after Chaperone and ADC orientation, and we'll be ready to receive students by 6:00 PM.
Student Assignments - One: The students are divided into small groups called "committees" for the week (approx. 15 students). You will be assigned to a committee and should make sure that those students are present and accounted for whenever a new session or activity is beginning and ending. The students have activities off campus on three of the days: Monday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon and Friday almost all day. Chaperones will need to pay special attention when the schedule includes students loading onto buses.
Student Assignments - Two: Each chaperone will be assigned a set of dorm rooms. Once students are
situated in their dorm rooms, chaperones will keep record of which students are in each room, make sure
they are observing "lights out" (11 PM) each night and inspect their rooms at the end of camp (see "End
Time"). (You will be glad to know that we hire a Night Watchman to stand watch during the evening and
early morning hours.)
Devotions: We ask chaperones to rotate giving devotions each morning. Devotion outlines are prepared for you. You will receive a copy of the devotions at a later date, prior to the week of SSI.
Room Assignments: Chaperones will typically share a room with at least one other chaperone. Each chaperone room will have a phone to make personal calls using a phone card or calling collect.
"It was fun! I like how SSI is a training ground for young people to prepare them for the future." - Mollie D., SSI Chaperone
Participation: Chaperones have certain responsibilities each day, however there will be some free time as well. You are welcome to
attend all teaching sessions, but not required. You are encouraged to assist students with their assignments; however,
you should never "do the work" for them. Chaperones are not required to be "experts" on issues or on
government. Be positive, be helpful, and you'll have a great time learning right along with the students.
End Time: As you'll note on the schedule for Friday, we arrive back from the Capitol around 3:30 PM. Around 4:00 PM there is a 'closing ceremony' for the students and parents. Afterward the students may pack to go home. The parents have been instructed to pick up their students by 6:00 PM on Friday. Each chaperone will be responsible for post-camp room inspections. Students occupying a room will vacate and wait outside their door until an inspection is completed and they are excused by a chaperone. The students themselves will do any additional cleanup under your direct supervision.
