2018 Beach Retreat Leader Manual

MAKING SURE
STUDENTS ARE
RESTED
Students will want to stay up all night talking and
laughing. Yet when students are sleep-deprived,
they cannot concentrate on spiritual things. Tired
students are also liable to make spiritual decisions
based on an emotional high, instead of making
a solid commitment based on the mind, will and
emotions. Beach Retreat leaders MUST ensure that
their students get plenty of sleep. Most leaders
have few problems getting their students to go to
sleep. But if you do have a group of night owls,
these pointers will help you get them “down and
out” like an old pro!
Steps to a peaceful night’s sleep:
1. Give specific instructions.
2. Allow a few minutes of quiet talking.
3. Control with your presence.
4. Take away free time.
5. Never yell. When you scream and holler, you
show the students that you have lost control of
the situation. If you lose your temper, they will
probably get worse.
6. If you have problems one night, ask a veteran
leader for advice.
BEACH SAFETY
GUIDELINES
1. The Beach Safety Captain is responsible to
organize and oversee all lifeguards, as well
as make sure guidelines in this handbook
are adhered to strictly. The lifeguards are in
consultation with the Beach Safety Captain,
and they will set the boundaries regarding
where the students can swim and how far out
they may go into the water.
2. Each student must have a buddy to enter the
ocean. No solo swimmers or trios. If a student
comes to the board by themselves and wants
to swim, ask him to wait until someone else
comes to swim alone. The two buddies are
to put their nametags on the board before
they enter the ocean waters. When the two
buddies get out of the water (even if for a
few moments) they must together immediately
remove their nametags from the board. Make
certain you know exactly how many students
are in the water at all times. If the count of
students in the water does not match the
count of nametags on the board, pull everyone
out of the water and have a roll call.
3. Blow the bullhorn siren to signal a buddy
check every 15 minutes. The buddy check
number must match up with the number of
nametags on the board.
4. Watch for sunburn. Anyone looking red needs to
put on sunscreen or a T-shirt.
5. Lifeguards should take turns looking through
the binoculars to spot any potential trouble in
the water.
7. If the students simply will not go to sleep, call
Headquarters.
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