Guidelines for Gathering Together
Hands & Voices of Oregon One Day Family Camp 2021
After careful consideration, the staff and board of Hands & Voices of Oregon has diligently planned how best to ensure your safety and comfort in attending our Hands & Voices of Oregon Family Day Camp 2021.
In recognition of those that we serve, as well as our own families and one another, Hands & Voices has established the following guidelines for our time together. We are ready to get back together in person and know that as we come together with respect for one another, we will do great! We are aware that every person will have a different level of comfort being with a large group of people, and while providing this guidance, we want to encourage you to consider your own needs, as well as others, in this collective setting.
Our guidance is based on current trends with the pandemic and is pulled from the CDC, national, state, and local area recommendations and requirements. Additionally, the guidance was created conceived and developed through the collective agreement of our board and staff for our community and organization.
Respect for our attendees has been established through:
- Creating more opportunities outdoors: longer breaks, options for eating outside, and most uptime activities outside
- Keeping camp attendees under capacity to allow for social distancing
- Modifying the layout of rooms for social distancing
- Making hand sanitizers readily available
- Availability of clear masks for all participants (see below)
- Additional considerations for our community members who are Deaf/HH will be available to ensure accessibility
- Food service handling protocol followed by camp hosts, staff and volunteers
- Wiping/sanitizing of handheld mics, podium, laptop, and remote clickers before and after each speaker
The following guidelines will be in place at our event:
- All guests over the age of 5 (regardless of vaccination status) must wear a mask while indoors at all times. Masks must also be worn outdoors when physical distancing is not possible in a large group. We ask that you be mindful of the needs of others around you and consider a clear mask where it’s helpful. Even these masks are not perfect for communication, so be mindful of noise muffling.
a) Exceptions: during active eating; on the stage with social distancing maintained during presentations; outside with social distancing.
b) We will have available areas outside for breaks and eating. This is an excellent strategy to get a break from the masks.
c) Knowing that mask-wearing can be fatiguing for all and in particular for community members with access needs, we are aiming for a pace that does not exhaust! While the clear masks help with speechreading, attendees are reminded to speak up while using a mask for those who also rely on auditory information. Upon the agreement of both, masks could also be lowered to increase understanding if social distancing is maintained.
d) We know that there are some exceptions, consideration, and personal preferences about the types of masks, so we trust you will make good decisions regarding this. You may bring your own mask(s). Please contact us with any questions. - Do not come to the conference if you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days, are waiting for COVID-19 test results, have COVID-19 symptoms, or if you have had a close contact with a person who has tested positive for or who has symptoms of COVID-19. If you are feeling sick, do not come to the family camp, and/or separate yourself from others if you are feeling unwell once you arrive.
Additional thoughts:
- Please be aware that the choices people have made for themselves, and their families, are personal, and this will be a no-judgement/let kindness rule gathering. We are a diverse group in the decisions we make individually, and as a society. Please keep this in mind in our conversations with one another; we do appreciate you following our guidelines for this space and time.
- Be respectful of distancing; we think the “Hands and Voices Elbow-to-Elbow Bump” could be a ‘thing.’
- Don’t forget the basics: handwashing and sanitizing.
- Take time to refresh and take breaks as needed.
- We are closely monitoring state and CDC guidelines and will modify these as needed.
- Get some good rest ahead of time, and we look forward to welcoming you and hosting a fun event for you and your kiddos!
