Deep Freeze 2012

Details for Group Leaders

What is Deep Freeze?

Retreats for junior high and senior high students featuring winter activities like broomball, tubing, ice skating, etc. along with carpetball, Bible-based teaching and worship. Deep Freeze is activity driven but we also hope kids grow in their relationship with God while creating bonds with their peers and youth leaders.

Our Vision

The purpose of Deep Freeze retreats is to create space and opportunity for youth leaders to build relationships with their students so that leaders can better share the love of Christ. Three goals direct our planning for Deep Freeze.

1) Fun - Deep Freeze is a time to make memories and allow you to experience a variety of activities with your students.

2) Different - Deep Freeze is a break from routine and allows student to be free from "normal" pressures of life. We want students to experience things they can't experience at home.

3) Spiritually Challenging - We hire quality, Bible-focused speakers and experienced bands to create an atmosphere where kids encounter God. We carve out small-group time so that leaders can take what's been presented to the large group and help each student connect with that truth.

Typical Schedule

Activities

The retreats include new elements every year, but here's a basic schedule:

Snow or not the activity options are endless:

Friday Night

Large Group Session

Snack

Saturday

Breakfast

Activity/Game

Large Group Session

Small Group

Lunch

Polar Bear Dip

Free Time/Broomball

Dinner

Large Group Session

Activity/Event & Snack

Sunday

Breakfast

Large Group Session

See below for a more detailed description of the schedule.

- Tubing

- Broomball

- Ice Skating

- Sledding

- Indoor Climbing Wall

- Bounce Castle

- X-Country Skiing

- Game Room

- Arts and Crafts

- High Ropes

- Camp Games

- Carpetball

- Board Games

- Camp Store

- Outdoor Cooking

- Mini Golf

Registration Instructions

Visit our registration page for instructions, policies, promo and forms. CLICK HERE to visit our registration page.

Housing

Covenant Harbor has a variety of housing that is used for Deep Freeze. Housing varies each weekend, based on total number attending. Groups will be housed based on availability and will share housing with other Church groups. CLICK HERE to learn more about camp housing.

Leaders

Groups can bring one leader of each gender for each 6-8 students of each gender at the "counselor rate". Any leaders above that ratio will be charged the "student rate".

Arrival and Departure

Deep Freeze will offically start between 8 and 9 pm Friday night. Please arrive between 6:30 and 8:00 to allow time to check-in, move in and attend a leaders meeting. Deep Freeze will wrap up around 11 am Sunday morning. Please schedule your return to Church to allow you to fully participate in Sunday morning events.

Pre-Retreat Communication

After pre-registering, your group leader will receive a confirmation letter detailing the next steps. As the weekend draws near, specific details will be sent out via email or facebook. Please pass on all information to all counselors/leaders.

What to Bring

The winter weather provides lots of opportunities for outdoor activities. Please be prepared for the weather. All winter housing units are heated and linens are not provided. Students may want to bring $10-$30 for snacks and Harbor merchandise at the camp store. Please leave personal electronic equipment (i.e. cell phones, ipods, gameboys, etc.), knives/weapons, and fireworks at home.

Here's a suggested packing list:

sleeping bag

pillow

towel

flashlight

Bible

toiletries

warm outdoor clothes (hat, gloves, jacket)- we will be outside a lot

BOOTS

What NOT to Bring

Do not bring cell phones or any pets, electronic devices (including cd players, game boys, and ipods), firearms, weapons of any kind, fireworks, tobacco, alcohol or drugs.

Schedule Details

A detailed schedule of the weekend will be made available about 2 weeks before each weekend. However, here is more information to help you understand the different pieces.

Large Group Sessions - All sessions are held in the Jackson Family Activity Center. A sweet stage sets the theme for the weekend and sets a backdrop for great worship, fun games and challenging speakers. Each session includes: Upbeat worship set, silly and/or messy game or skit, announcements, slower worship set and 20-30 minutes for the speaker.

Small Groups - Each large group session is followed by small group time. This is your chance to breakdown what the speaker has presented and make it applicable to each of your students. Speakers will provide questions or discussion starters, which can be used or ignored. 1 meeting space is provided and assigned for each Church group. If your Church would like additional space to break into smaller groups, please let us know 2 weeks in advance and we will try to accomodate your request.

Meals and Snacks - Meals are served buffet style in our camp lodge. Our food service team serves a variety of options at each meal. In addition to a main entree and sides, cold cereal is available at breakfast and a salad bar is available at lunch and dinner. A full beverage bar, including coffee, hot chocolate, soda and juice is available at each meal (exception: no soda at breakfast, sorry!) Church groups will have assigned seating to assure adequate space and supervision. Snacks are served Friday night and Saturday night and will provide options for a variety of tastebuds. Students and Leaders must list allergies and dietary restricitons on their registration form. If there are severe restrictions or allergies, please contact our registrar 2 weeks in advance.

Morning Activity/Game - The purpose of our morning activity time is clear: Group bonding. Some years provide a camp-wide group game, other years will provide a more personalized choice for each group.

Polar Bear Dip - We cut a hole in the ice and allow students and leaders to jump into the frigid water. Crazy? Yes. Tradition? Absolutely. Students under 18 must have parental permission (on the registration form) to participate. Towels and shoes are required.

Free Time/Broomball - Free time is the highlight of the weekend for most of our guests. A whole afternoon of downtime to enjoy your students. You can use the activities available as a checklist and make sure you get in every single offering, or you can ditch them all and do your own thing. An organized broomball tournament can provide the competitive challenge for any group. While our staff and volunteers will provide some guidance and leadership at certain activities, students must be supervised by their leaders at all times.

Evening Activity/Event - We end Saturday in style! A thematic event will provide fun, food and memories for your whole group.