[menscouncil] Research into potential sites for an offsite Retreat
Jim Schaefer
jim at jvscontrols.com
Fri Jan 20 18:45:03 CST 2023
Nice summary on retreat locations John, thanks !
Thought I would give results of the 28 survey responses so far. (BTW..
in retrospect I think question 2 is not very useful)
My interpretation is that people are slightly in favor of off-site, but
only 16 people said yes. In my mind 16 people is not enough momentum to
change to off-site. I think if it were off site there are more people
that would not come just because it was off site. Whereas if we held it
at the church our numbers would probably be higher. At the church we
probably end up serving more people.
Jim
Question 1:
Hypothetically, if you were asked to sign up for the men's retreat today
and it cost $160 for two nights at a camp no more than 1 hour away from
the church would you sign up ? (Assume sleeping accommodations were 4
to 7 people in a room and there was no tent camping available. Trailer
or RV OK)
10 no
16 yes
Question 2
Would you attend if the only difference to the previous hypothetical
question was that tent camping was allowed ?
10 no
15 yes
QUestion 3
The men's council cannot organize an off-site retreat without more
help. Would you be willing to meet monthly and spend at least 10 hours
in total making the off-site retreat happen ?
14 no
12 yes
Comments:
Love it!
Since it's been over 3 years since we did an off-site retreat, and some
men have never attended an offsite retreat, I'd like to put some context
into the intro, such as "Some have expressed a desire to hold a Friday
evening to Sunday morning retreat offsite at a summer camp location like
we did for many years." Also, in the retreat location question, I
believe it will be helpful to also add context to the type of room men
will sleep in such as "Assume sleeping accommodations were 4 to 7 people
in a cabin-style room and there was no tent camping available. Trailer
or RV OK"
I greatly preferred the on-site at the UUAA building format. I do not
think I would do a multi-day off-site event, at least not this next time
around.
I would be glad to contribute to developing an agenda, but would leave
the logistics to someone else. Although I may not attend the Appleton
Men's Retreat next weekend as we may become grandparents this week, I
have been involved in that agenda which we entitled "When is enough,
enough?" which is addressing finances, social and work relationships,
and self esteem. John Burke
The coronavirus is still with us.
I am happy with the local retreats and would prefer that we continue to
hold them at the church.
I thought the one-day format at the church was excellent
10/1 is my anniversary = often i can’t make the normal retreat weekend.
2023 =special, so extended blackout-dates. I would still help, but i am
not available after 09/18 - 10/12
I would probably come one night or the other and stay in my van. I do
like the overnight component. I also enjoyed when we took time to make
art or crafts that I otherwise find it hard to get started on.
I can do specific tasks and attend occasional meetings, but I'd rather
not meet regularly
I will be happy to help plan future offsite retreats when I'm off the
board in a year and a half.
Sorry for not helping, but my slate is full right now.
I would pay extra to be in a room with less than 4 people. 7 people in a
room seems like a lot.
It's hard to answer the hypothetical. I plan to attend the retreat in
whatever form it happens. IF it's at UUAA again, I would strongly
suggest getting small group time started on Friday evening to allow more
time for focus and connection. I do not have time to join the planning
and prep. Thank you.
To be honest, I am still hesitant about being in larger in-person
gatherings. So while I'd love to spend this kind of extended time with
other UUAA men, I would say I am more of a "Maybe" at this point.
On 1/20/2023 7:00 PM, Tom Chettleburgh wrote:
> John, Thank you. This is a great breakdown of these 4 camps. I
> agree with you that the best two options are Copneconic and Storer. I
> also like the idea of paying extra for some of the activities like
> canoeing/kayaking.
>
> With Copneconic, I wonder if the men will have an issue with the
> weekend, being a Michigan home football game, and the cost--we would
> probably want to charge $170 like the women. And this would not
> include a t-shirt. I am fine with missing the game, but others may
> not be--maybe we can arrange the day so we have a lengthy free time
> during the game.
>
> If the game limits attendance, Storer that last weekend in September
> may be our better option.
>
> Tom
>
> On Fri, Jan 20, 2023 at 11:40 AM John Russell <jrtreetown at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Tom, Jim, Bob, (other members of Men's Council included as FYI,
> but input is welcome):
> As I committed in our Men's Council meeting on Saturday, I
> contacted some camps about a possible Men's offsite retreat in the
> Fall. I contacted four camps - Camp Copneconic (where the UU women
> held a retreat this past fall), Camp Storer (a "Y" camp similar to
> Camp Copneconic), Camp Talahi (a camp used for Men's retreats up
> until about 10 years ago, when they temporarily closed but are now
> open again), and Earthwell Retreat & Nature Sanctuary. All are
> within an hour's drive from A2. What I learned from my calls and
> other research:
>
> 1. Earthwell Retreat <https://www.earthwellretreat.com>
> * Jim Schaefer suggested looking into this camp, located
> outside Manchester
> * This camp offers "personal and group retreat experiences
> that promote harmony with nature, self, and others
> * 18 beds total across several cabins (and some of the beds
> are upper bunks), 30-person indoor space with an outdoor
> tent for larger gatherings, etc.
> * This could be a great space for a quiet retreat for a
> smaller group. They offer yoga, meditation, wellness
> themes. Food is catered, all vegetarian, and focused on
> farm-to-table.
> * We could rent the entire camp, but unfortunately it's_not
> large enough and doesn't have lodging nor meeting
> facilities that we need_.
> 2. Camp Talahi <http://camptalahi.org/location/>
> * Sleeping Space: 2 dorms, 22 bunk beds in each, plus three
> 500-600 sq ft cabins with 4 beds each. As far as space, I
> believe we need to make an assumption that most men won't
> want to climb up to a top bunk. That said, the 2 dorms
> would accommodate 44 of us, with the cabins holding the
> rest. The cabins have no bathrooms.
> * Breakout space: The main lodge has a meeting area indoors,
> plus a front porch and a side porch, so breakout meeting
> space is available.
> * Food: The camp has a commercial kitchen but it's not
> staffed. They have an outside cook who can come in and
> cook for us. The current owners closed on the property in
> June, construction/repairs are ongoing.
> * Friday night potluck: not a problem.
> * Tents, RVs not a problem because we have the whole camp.
> * We could rent the entire camp at a cost of about
> $3,000-$3500. ($60- about $70/person ) This does not
> include food.
> * Dates Availability: The last two weekends in September are
> booked. Sept 15-17 is available.
> * Positives: We've held retreats there before. We can rent
> the entire space so we have privacy as with past camps
> used for retreats.
> * Negatives: The big dorm sleeping arrangements, repairs and
> updates in progress.
> 3. YMCA Storer Camp <https://www.ymcastorercamps.org>
> * Used for Men's retreats about 20 years ago.
> * Sleeping Space: Four "Modern Lodges" with each lodge
> having four units that sleep 7 people each (not using top
> bunks), for a total of 28/lodge. We could use 2 lodges and
> cutoff registration at 56, or I could look into an
> additional lodge and/or a couple cabins. There are also
> "Rustic Cabins" but those have no bathrooms so guys would
> have to walk to a modern lodge to use the bathrooms.
> * Breakout space: Each modern lodge has a common room with
> couches, coffee tables and a fireplace. We could also use
> areas in the dining hall or another large space (Doc
> Miller Learning Center)
> * Food: Camp provides 4 meals (3 Saturday plus Sunday
> breakfast). Dietary restrictions can be accommodated
> (Vegetarian, Vegan, etc.).
> * Friday potluck: We could set up on Friday evening and do
> our Friday potluck in the Doc Miller Learning Center.
> * Tents, RVs: Per my contact he doesn't see a problem, but
> he said he had to look into it and get back to me. Based
> on what Camp Copneconic told me, I will say it's probably
> a No.
> * This camp provides activities at an extra cost if we're
> interested.
> * Dates Availibility: Right now, the last 2 weekends in Sept
> are available.
> * Positives: I believe this camp has the space, food,
> availability and features we need. My contact was very
> willing to work with us.
> * Negatives: Other groups could also be at the camp at the
> same time. The Dining Hall has 2 sides, so we could be
> somewhat separated, and we'd have separate space for
> sleeping, breakouts, etc. No tents, RVs.
> * Cost TBD. I would expect it will be similar to Camp
> Copneconic, but if we're sincerely interested in this
> camp, I can nail it down more.
> 4. YMCA Camp Copneconic <https://www.campcopneconic.org>
> * The location scoped out by Jim Schaefer and Rick Witten
> prior to the pandemic, and actually used for about 50 UU
> Women for a retreat in Fall of 2022.
> * I spoke with Judi Lintott, organizer for the women's 2022
> retreat, who was very helpful with providing information.
> * Sleeping space: The UU women used the Conference Center,
> which has 20 separate rooms, each with a couple beds, plus
> a couple smaller lodges. This is a large camp, and there
> are multiple lodges, so it will not be a problem to
> arrange sleeping space.
> * Breakout space: Dining Hall, Conference Center, a couple
> other lodges. No problem.
> * Food: The camp has it's own catering service. Dietary
> restrictions will be accommodated. 4 meals provided (Sat
> breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday breakfast)
> * Friday Potluck: The women did this on Friday evening. The
> camp provided silverware and utensils. We have to commit
> to no peanuts and no tree nuts.
> * This camp provides activities at an extra cost if we're
> interested (Archery, ziplines, climbing wall,
> kayaks/canoes). Small additional costs.
> * No tent camping nor RVs. The camp contact (Zack) said they
> don't have a license for tents and RVs, so they can't do it.
> * The UU women did a fair amount of COVID precautions and
> actions - e.g. everyone had to provide a negative
> self-test just before the retreat, masks during breakouts
> indoors. We could also do this, or some subset based on
> the COVID climate next fall.
> * Availability: Weekend of Sept 22-24 is available. The
> following weekend is not.
> * Cost: $150/person to the camp. The UU women added
> $20/person for incidentals.
> * Positives: Tried and tested recently by the UU women.
> Visited and actually booked for the men in the past (but
> cancelled due to COVID). This camp has the space, food,
> availability and features we need. We can separate our
> group into small groups for sleeping. The contact was very
> willing to work with us.
> * Negatives: Although the women had the camp to themselves,
> we may not be alone, per the contact. The Dining Hall has
> 2 sides, so we could be somewhat separated, and we'd have
> separate space for sleeping, breakouts, etc. No tents, RVs.
>
> *_My thoughts:_*
>
> * My first choice/recommendation is Camp Copneconic. 2nd choice
> would be Camp Storer.
> * Talahi is too limited on sleeping accommodations. Also in a
> state of remodeling/construction.
> * Note: All of these places don't allow alcohol, so we
> absolutely can't be openly drinking.
> * We're "penciled in" for both Copneconic and Storer. I'll
> cancel one when we have a decision.
>
> Let me know what you think.
> - John
>
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>
--
Jim Schaefer, P.E.
JVS Controls Inc.
3998 Edmonton Ct
Ann Arbor MI 48103
(734) 994-0223 office
(734) 395-4941 mobile
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