Ajawah News
Updates on Session Openings and COVID Protocols
As of today, all girsl sessions are full and we have a waiting list. Boys session 1 and 2 are full. Also check out our COVID-19 information page for updates to pre-arrival requirements. We are looking forward to a wonderful summer at Camp!
Campers Update – Packing List
Greetings Camp Ajawah Family!
We are excited to count down the weeks to camp! Girl’s sessions are almost full, and Boys continue to get new sign-ups, so if your camper has friends thinking of going this summer, they should sign up now! As we get closer to the start, we will send along important information to help you prepare for a great summer camp experience. For campers who requested multiple sessions we will be processing those to fill any remaining camp vacancies in early May.
**General Reminder – 3-5 days before camp begins session campers will be required to complete a COVID test (must be a PCR test). You can find information on the MDH website for locations of free community testing sites or speak to your primary care provider for options. https://mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/testing-locations/index.jsp
**Our drop-off and pick-up procedures have changed for this year to minimize group sizes at check-in and departure. More information on the details for those days will be provided in the next several weeks.
**Here is the link for the 2021 camper packing list.
**Of particular note is mosquito netting to cover your camper’s cot, which can be hard to find closer to the start of summer. The list includes possible sources to buy mosquito nets.
The “Countdown to camp” is on!
Summer 2021 In-Person Sessions
March 16, 2021
Dear Ajawah Parents, Campers and Friends:
Our team has been working hard, and are crafting a safe program infused with the Ajawah spirit for an in-person Ajawah experience for the 2021 season. Registration for in-person Ajawah 2021 Girls and Boys camp opens next Monday, March 22, 2021. Please read carefully the following information about registration.
- We will hold eight 6-day sessions (Sunday to Friday). Because we are limiting the number of campers to 30 per session, we’d like to ensure that as many campers as possible are able to come. Each camper will initially only be guaranteed one session. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. At a later time (likely May for Girls Camp and June for Boys Camp) we will open up registration for additional sessions, as space allows. When you register, please indicate your preference of session (in order). Also, please indicate the number of sessions your camper wishes to attend. Here are the dates for each session:
- Girls 1: June 20-June 25
- Girls 2: June 27-July 2
- Girls 3: July 4-July 9
- Girls 4: July 11-July 16
- Boys 1: July 18-July 23
- Boys 2: July 25-July 30
- Boys 3: August 1-August 6
- Boys 4: August 8-August 13
- The fee for each session will be $350 for the 6-day session. If you need a campership, please let us know by contacting the registrar at:
ajawah@wpc-mpls.org
- There will be many changes at Ajawah this year that we will be putting into place to keep campers, staff, and families as safe as possible, given the current recommendations and restrictions related to Covid-19. Please note that these plans may change if the guidance from the CDC or the Minnesota Department of Health should change prior to the start of camp. Some of these changes include:
○ Campers will be put into “pods”, or “groups” which will include staff and campers, totalling 15 people or fewer. These will generally be divided by age, and are the groups campers will eat, sleep, swim, and play with. There will be very limited contact with other “pods”, or “groups” in camp, if any. Because of this, you are welcome to indicate one other person your camper would like to be paired with in the pod / group. Please know we can’t guarantee this, as it will be based on several factors including the combination of ages of other campers. We will do our best. Also,we would like you to be aware that if you are sending siblings in the same session, and they are in different pods / groups, they won’t be able to be in physical contact with each other while at camp.
○ Drop-off and pick-up will be very different. We will plan on having a low-contact, socially-distant process for both. Details will be coming in future
correspondence.
○ We will have additional requirements for campers prior to arrival, and during arrival which will include being in Minnesota or neighboring states for 14 days prior to the camp session, isolating as much as possible for 2 weeks prior to camp, testing prior to arrival (we will provide information about where this can be done, but will need to be arranged by the family), testing of campers on arrival (performed at camp), and a modified packing list.
○ We will have additional safety precautions in place during camp including fewer campers per tent (maximum of 3), masking and distancing until all arrival test results are available, and masking and social distancing between campers and staff of different pods / groups, additional hand washing and sanitizer, daily symptom and temperature checking, small group dining, and no out-of-camp activities. Additional details will be available soon.
○ More information can be found at www.ajawah.org
If you have concerns about these changes prior to registration, please let us know.
We are really excited to be able to have an in-person Ajawah experience this year, and are working closely with related guidance and organizations to make sure we can be as safe as possible and still experience the essence of Ajawah.
We can’t wait to be back at Camp!
Dave and Tilly
Feb 11th Update:
Camp Ajawah is looking forward to offering an in-person experience for 2021. We are currently reviewing our options to offer a safe residential program that respects COVID-19 safety protocols. We anticipate publishing our plans by the end February including Dates, Rates and approach to COVID-19 safety. Please check back for more about the plans for Camp Ajawah 2021!
Registration News!
We are working hard to finalize summer 2021 plans, to be able to offer an in person camp experience that embodies the Ajawah spirit while also complying with CDC and MDH guidelines for running overnight camp. Details will be released soon and registration will open in early February.
Treehouse Update
Since Camp Ajawah was closed this summer due to Covid 19, we decided to use the opportunity to build a tree house.
June 23rd 2020 Update
I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy. As all of you are aware, Minnesota and the country have been shaken by the murder of George Floyd. George Floyd’s murder and the killing of other African Americans throughout the U.S. has pushed us to make this country safer for all of its inhabitants. For us at Ajawah, we have watched your children grow and engage in difficult topics as they have come into their own identity and we believe that your campers have the emotional capacity to navigate the topic of race. This is why Ajawah will be offering optional discussions about race for all campers via zoom. These optional discussions will be separate from the virtual Ajawah Camp session. We will be splitting participating campers into three age groups and they will engage in race centered discussions specifically garnered for each age level. The goal of these discussions will be to let your children discuss and ask questions about race in our country without fear of being judged or criticized.
Here are the dates for the talks:
Unit 1 ages 6-9: Monday, June 29th at 5 p.m. Central Time
Unit 2 ages 10-12: Wednesday, July 1st at 5 p.m. Central Time
Unit 3 ages 13- 16: Thursday, July 2nd at 5 p.m. Central Time
Please email Sofia-Bella ‘Meeko’ Vitale-Gill at svitalegil@gmail.com by Sunday, June 28th, in order to sign your child up.
June 15th 2020 Update
Calling all virtual campers! Be part of a historic summer with Camp Ajawah, online.
Registration is now open for our new 2020 Ajawah Virtual Camp Sessions: Girls Camp – July 6-18, Boys Camp – July 19-31. Each session will include daily activities, campfire, singing, crafts, games, and as much Ajawah spirit as possible across a screen.
We look forward to seeing you online this summer!
Also it’s FREE! Donations are appreciated 
🙂
Register today: https://tinyurl.com/Ajawah2020
June 3rd 2020 Update
COVID-19 UPDATE
Lots of information here; please read carefully.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Westminster Camp Ajawah Camping Board has voted to cancel scenario two for the summer of 2020.
We’ve scoured the CDC guidelines for opening camps, and see no way to safely open, and hold a program that still captures the Ajawah-essence, until August (scenario #3) at the very earliest. While even August is unlikely, we will let all scenarios play out as long as we can.
SCENARIO #3 is as follows:
By 3:00p.m. on Sunday, July 26, we will announce if we will cancel all sessions for the summer, or follow this schedule:
(Two 10-day sessions)
G1: Aug 2-11
B1: Aug 13-22
For now, our staff will be putting all our focus into the most magical VIRTUAL CAMP we can muster, which will mostly follow the normal camp dates (Girls Camp: June 21-July 17; Boys Camp: July 19-August 14). Please stay tuned for more details.
We have closed registration for regular camp at this time. We are in the process of figuring out the most seamless way to issue refunds and will contact you once the process is confirmed. We are also figuring out the process for registering for virtual camp and will provide the information as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience!!
We hope you are safe and well in these uncertain times. Ajawah wishes you the best to you and yours!
May 19th 2020 Update
Dear Ajawah Family,
The Ajawah Executive Board and the COVID-19 Committee has decided this evening to cancel scenario #1, due to the projections for those dates. Regular camp dates for the summer of 2020 will be changed.
While we realize scenario #2 is also very unlikely, we will continue to monitor the numbers and hope for the best. Scenarios 2 & 3 are as follows:
SCENARIO #2:
At 3:00p.m. on Sunday, July 5, we will announce if we will hold the following amended schedule of four 10-day sessions:
G1: July 11-20
G2: July 22-31
B1: Aug 2-11
B2: Aug 13-22
SCENARIO #3:
At 3:00p.m. on Sunday, July 26, we will announce if we will cancel all sessions for the summer, or follow this schedule:
(Two 10-day sessions)
G1: Aug 2-11
B1: Aug 13-22
We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we feel we waited as long as we possibly could to see if the projections would go a different way. If you have any questions, please contact us via our website: Ajawah.org.