The 2026 team gave itself a deadline. After a three-hour meeting over coffee and doughnuts in January, the group agreed to try and set April 1 as the date to decide. On the first Friday in April it met and asked one question: go or no go? “We had enough partners, we had enough elements in place, we had enough agencies, we had just enough money to start the ball rolling,” the director said. Everyone said go.
That left under three months to camp, and the leadership review says a region should give itself far more. The go/no-go meeting itself is worth copying.
You are ready to set a date when you can check each of these:
A convener with the authority to bring agencies together.
An education sponsor willing to register students, hire educators and provide an on-site administrator.
A fiscal home that can receive grants and pay stipends, with a named liaison who has purchasing authority.
A site host, with a signed or pending facility use agreement and agreed boundaries.
A mass-care partner for tents, cots, showers and sanitation.
ICS-qualified people committed for the whole week: incident commander, planning, operations, logistics and safety.
A project manager with protected time.
At least one lead educator for each village, and a lead counselor.
A licensed nurse to write the medication procedure.
A recipient for what students build.
Cash commitments covering stipends, kits, food and transportation.
Insurance settled.
A site-specific emergency plan under way, with local emergency services aware of the camp.
A go/no-go date at least three months before camp.