President’s Message
Your board is helping Eliot fulfill its mission.
We continue to work hard to create and support an inclusive community of celebration, friendship, exploration, relaxation and joy for Unitarian Universalists, their families and friends.
Here are some highlights of our recent work:
Covenant: Through an iterative process and with your valuable input, we have finalized a covenant to help us all remember how to be our best selves when we come together in community. Thank you for voting to adopt this covenant!
New guidelines for staffing camps: Over the years, our camp staff rosters have grown from only having a handful of essential positions to having extensive staffing for a wide range of positions, with all of these positions coming with a coveted lottery bypass. In response to camper concerns that this has started to lead to perpetual lottery bypasses in some situations, the Board reviewed camp staff lists and designated three tiers of staffing: 1) positions that require a unique skill set (such as Volunteer Coordinator, Children’s Program Director, lifeguards, etc.), which are hand selected by the deans and receive a lottery bypass and camp credit, 2) positions that require a more general skill set (such as Social Hour Host, golf cart driver, etc.), which are selected by the deans from admitted campers and receive camp credit, and 3) positions that enhance camp (for example through offerings of music or special evening programs) but—while seen as important gifts to the community—do not come with a lottery bypass. Our hope is that these changes bring more fairness to the lottery process.
Strategic planning: In January 2020, your Board will be developing a 10-year Vision for Eliot, and a 5-year strategic plan to advance toward that Vision. At July and August camps, we began gathering camper input to help inform this process. If you have not yet had a chance to provide input, please complete a short survey. Don’t miss the deadline to give your feedback! This survey will be available through Nov. 15.
Elsewhere in this newsletter you can read about the Board’s continued efforts to understand and address racial equity and inclusion at Eliot.
At our January Board retreat, I will hand over the reins to our President Elect, Rachelle Lee, whom I know will lead us in good directions. Thank you for allowing me to serve at the President of this beloved community for the past three years. It has been a pleasure!
In service to the Eliot community,
Elisa Wells, President of the Eliot Board