Getting Started
Vacation Culture School started as a long-shot dream. When thinking about the wide varieties of Vacation Bible Schools (VBS) in our small, seemingly homogenous town, it occurred to me to wonder how other religions would do VBS. And then the thought sort of blossomed into the concept of a VBS-style program that introduced participants to the basics of other religious traditions. Here are some of the first steps I took to make this idea into a reality:
9 months out: Start talking to people in your community. Are there organizations that might be willing to partner with you? I happen to have a group called Neighbors United - Undoing Racism in the area, and when I mentioned it at a meeting, people got excited.
6-8 months out: Form a committee. We had 8 highly committed people to pull this off, and there were a lot of ideas we had to defer because we didn't have enough people to follow through. 10-12 would be even better.​
At the first meeting, assess your assets, resources, and connections. Who has friends in the local Jewish synagogue? Who knows someone at the newspaper? Who has artistic ability?
Funding Possibilities
By 5-6 months out, decide on a funding plan. The total program cost us about $500.
Thrivent Action Team Grant
We received a $250 Thrivent Action Team Grant that covered a good number of our supplies. Information on these is online at https://www.thrivent.com.
Optional registration fees
We also charged a flat rate of $25/family to help us defray costs.
Other revenue streams might make it possible to offer the program free of charge.
Possibilities include local churches or other religious organizations, educational foundations, and/or individual donations. We were fortunate to have most of the food donated by those who prepared it, for example.
5 months out:
Settle on a location. It is best to have one large (100 person capacity) room for the main gathering, with audio/visual capabilities. A space to serve food can be either in the main space, or nearby. In addition, you’ll need a few smaller breakout rooms, or a second large room that can be subdivided. An outdoor space helps so you can take a few activities outside (weather permitting), especially on days 3, 4, & 5.
4 months out:
Decide on your schedule. Evenings, days, weekends, 5 days in one week, 5 consecutive Tuesdays? Whatever works best for your context.
​Begin advertising and set up a registration process. We used JotForm.com. Our registration form can be downloaded here. Our advertising included flyers in the local coffee shops, businesses, churches, schools, libraries, and social service agencies; a Facebook page; a press release in the local paper (starting at least 4 weeks out); a big banner on the main highway (see picture) and lots of word of mouth.
3 months out:
Begin taking registrations. Most of ours came in the last couple of weeks before, but it is never too early. A lot of people told us they would have planned their summers differently if they had known about this sooner.
2 months out:
8 weeks out: You should have your speakers confirmed by now. While you may not be able to get formal leaders from every community, that is not necessary. In fact, it may even be better to have more laity than leadership. The goal is to get to know our neighbors, and we have far more neighbors who are not clergy than who are.
6 weeks out: Nail down the scheduled activities for each day. While our suggestions worked great for us, your guests may have better ideas for their own experiences.
1 month out:
4 weeks out: Gather materials. Verify that you have enough plates, bowls, cups, napkins, utensils, and keep in mind that you may have unusual foods for some people. Begin making any decorations. Verify that your press release is running.
4 weeks out: Recruit extra volunteers to help with logistics - parking, doors, childcare for kids who can’t stay focused, extra hands for leaders of crafts and games, people to direct groups between stations, etc.
3 weeks out: Schedule meetings for the week before the big event, one for each day of the program, so that you can go through each day in detail.
2 weeks out: Finalize decorations, foods, and anything else that needs to be purchased or ordered.
Final days before:
2 weeks out: Finalize decorations, foods, and anything else that needs to be purchased or ordered.
1 week out: Hold one meeting this week for each day of program. Meet in the event location if possible. Go through the agenda item by item, and talk out what you expect to happen. What are you missing? Make sure you know who will do each station, and who will teach each lesson. Make detailed notes of what further information, staffing, signage, or supplies you need.
1 week out: Verify quilt blocks, felt strips, etc., for craft.
3-4 days out: Review list of registrations. Make sure you have enough supplies and staffing for the numbers you have registered.
1 day out: Finalize decorations for day 1.
Week of: Set up a registration desk at your main entrance. Set out food, utensils, plates, etc. Set up stations, a/v equipment, chairs, decorations, books, craft supplies.
We met each day in the early afternoon to set up for the evening.
Afterwards:
A few important followups
Right away:
Thank you notes for everyone who helped out, especially those from the various religious communities.
Right away:
Send a survey for feedback from participants. We used SurveyMonkey.
Right away:
Schedule a committee meeting to debrief and evaluate what went well and what didn’t.
3-4 months later:
Consider inviting everyone back for a community meal to continue building on what you’ve learned. We have a fall harvest meal scheduled in November, and we’re hoping to learn about harvest festivals and holidays around the world as we share American Thanksgiving traditions with our international neighbors.