MYNA Camper Policies

Campers are attendees of camps or events who are 12-18 years old. A camper may be younger than 12 but will be waitlisted until approval by YouthDev. It should be understood that MYNA serves the youth and is proud to work with such an enlightened and motivated group of individuals.

All of the below rules will be enforced by the camp advisor. If a camper continues to disobey camp rules, or is found intentionally compromising the safety of another camper, the adviser will deal with the situation. Disciplinary action will be taken such as suspension of recreation time or notifying the parents of removal from camp.

Safety

All campers will remain under visible supervision of a minimum of one adult counselor at all times, unless otherwise given explicit permission by their counselor to be accompanied by another camper, in which case the buddy system is enforced.

All campers will attend and actively engage in camp mandated lectures, sessions, required prayers and activities unless otherwise excused.

Any excused attendance must be approved by a counselor.

Campers must practice proper conduct at all times, obeying all safety rules and regulations.

Camp pranks, gags, or youth initiated activities which may result in the compromised safety or health of another individual, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc., will not be tolerated.

Campers are required to keep their cabin, self, and surroundings clean.

Bullying, Weapons, and Vehicles

MYNA has a zero tolerance policy for bullying, intimidation, persecution, or deliberate meanness to others. This behavior is adversative to the theme of the camp and the overall mission of MYNA.

According to stopbullying.gov, in order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
- An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
- Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

The consequence of bullying is removal from the camp.

No camper may possess any items that can be detrimental to oneself or others. If a camper is suspected of having such items, their bags are subject to search by a YouthDev staff member or Staff Surrogate at camp. These items include but are not limited to:

Weapons
Any form of cutting instrument
Drugs (including legal drugs like cigarettes, jules, etc.)
Flammable materials
Materials brought for the purposes of pranking

Vandalism, damage to camp property and the property of others is prohibited.

Campers who have vehicles on-site will not be permitted to use them during the duration of camp. Keys will be collected upon arrival. At MYNA’s City Edition events, campers are also not allowed to trains, buses, or any metro services during the duration of the event.

MYNA activities will be segregated by gender at all times. Non-purposeful, unsupervised, and/or excessive intermingling between genders will not be tolerated. MYNA has adopted the clear interaction policy of PPL when it comes to anyone having to interact with someone of the opposite gender. The acronym PPL stands for Public, Purposeful & Limited. And are explained further as.

Public: All co-ed interaction must be in a public setting. This means counselors, advisors, and other campers must be present, even though they are not engaged in the conversation or interaction. Under no circumstances is a youth or youths permitted to be unsupervised with anyone of the opposite gender or “meet up” in private, either at day or night. After lights out, no youth is permitted to go find or speak to someone of the other gender unless it is an extreme emergency that cannot wait, and in that case, the advisor or YouthDev Staff must accompany them. The YouthDev Staff has the authority to assume what is or is not an “extreme emergency.”
Purposeful: All interaction must not be without significant reason. The YouthDev Staff or MYC advisor must be in attendance to ensure boundaries are not crossed. The topic of discussion must be relevant and crucial to the event’s success. In essence, there must be a sound purpose and reason for the interaction.
Limited: Scheduled and non-scheduled meetings, conversations, or any other type of co-ed functions must be restricted to the topic of discussion, and no excessiveness is permitted.

Gender Relations (PPL)

Electronics and cell phones

Campers may not bring any kind of electronic device that does not add to the educational benefit of camp as deemed appropriate by the camp’s administrative counselors.

An example of an appropriate device would be a recorder used to record a lecture.

Cell phones, although not necessary for camp, are permitted. Please be advised however, that cell phone usage (texting, Tweeting, Facebooking, etc.) during unauthorized times or in violating another of MYNA’s policies (see rule #3 and rule # 8) will result in the immediate confiscation of that product. Exceptions exist for campers with specific permission from an adviser.

Cell phones will be collected at the beginning of camp and held with the counselor and will only be provided to the camper during designated times.

Cell phone usage will be limited to appropriate conversations between the campers’ parents/guardians and during pre-approved times only. If you are unsure about a rule or item you would like to bring to camp please contact camp@MYNA.org for further clarification.

Dress code

Campers must be well groomed and appropriately attired for the days’ activities

Males:
- Shirts must be worn at all times
- Shorts should be Islamically appropriate Must cover knees when bending.
- Sleeping in boxer shorts is not permitted, bring pajamas.
- Pants should cover undergarments at all times. Check that your undergarments will not show while bending during Salah
- Recommended: Thobe for Fajr, pajamas are not allowed at prayer.
Females
- Hijabs must be worn at all times
- Shirts should be Islamically appropriate
- Loose – fitting and long. Should cover the behind, even when bending or wearing a skirt
- Sleeping in shorts is not permitted, bring pajamas
- Keep the makeup neutral and to a minimum
  - Permitted items: Tinted moisturizers, Foundations, concealers, eyeliner/kohl, powder
- Recommended: Abaya for Fajr, pajamas are not allowed at prayer
If you are unsure of appropriate attire please consult a counselor/advisor and the MYNA dress code policy for assistance before or/and during camp.