Appalachia Registration Policy

 

Since this service opportunity is a privilege and not a right, there are many factors that must be considered when dealing with the good problem that we may face of not having enough spots on the weeks to accommodate the number of young people who are interested.  After much trial & error, much thought, and as a result of considering all the factors, this is our policy:

 

• All weeks are bound by the 2 to 1 ratio rule, meaning that for every 2 youth (16-17 year old's) there must be 1 chaperone-capable adult from the same parish/organization (21 and up).

• The maximum number of youth & young adults (16-20 year old's) permitted to participate is 30 per week.

• There is no limit to the amount of chaperone-capable adults permitted on the trips.

• CPM will accept teen/young adult registrations using a "hybrid" seniority system*:  20 year old's will secure the first available spots, then 19 year old's, then 18, then 17, then 16.  Teens under the age of 16 will not be permitted to participate unless they have completed 10th grade by the time the summer program begins.

  • * A hybrid seniority system makes adjustmnents for those under 18 years of age.  Our policy is that youth (16 & 17 year olds) will be accepted as a group according to grade level.  For example, if a week has five adults, five 11th graders and eight 10th graders and none of the adults are family members of the teens, we will only accept the 11th graders, even though we have enough adults to cover five of the eight 10th graders.  In this scenario, we must have enough adults to cover all of the 10th graders, otherwise, none of the 10th graders will be accepted.  We have determined that it is not fair to accept some youth from a grade level and not others, simply because they were born a few months earlier.  On the other hand, we believe it is fair to accept youth from a higher grade level (ie. juniors) and not youth from a lower grade level (ie. sophomores) if there are not enough adults to cover everyone.  Let's hope this never becomes an issue and that we always have plenty of adults.​

• The registration deadline for teens & young adults will be on a date determined by the participating parishes/organizations and no later than March 1, 2025 (registrations will be accepted after the deadline; however, those registrants will not be afforded the seniority priority.)

• Registrations will be accepted online from all participants.   Youth who register along with one or more adult family member for the same week will be guaranteed a spot as long as they both register before the deadline.

• The deadline for adults will be May 1, 2025

• If the 30 person cap is exceeded, CPM may increase the cap to accommodate the 16 year olds who did not make the cut or CPM may decrease the cap so that no 16 year old's (without an adult family member) make the cut.  This will depend on how many 16 year old's sign up for a particular week and how many chaperones are available.

• Only registrations from teens/young adults who are registered with St. Patrick/St. Vincent/Pius X Youth Ministries will be accepted before the deadline.

• Adult spots are unlimited, and adults do not have to be registered parishioners.  If the VFW capacity is exceeded, some adults will sleep in nearby accommodations.

• Young adults (18-20 year old's) do not need to be chaperoned nor are they old enough to count as chaperones.

• Youth/young adult registrations may be accepted after the deadline; however, the seniority system and the parish membership requirement expire after the deadline.  The registration process then switches to a first come, first served format.

• There will not be a minimum of youth/young adult spots reserved for each parish, nor will there be a cap for each parish).  The available spots will be filled by whoever signs up before the deadline regardless of parish, with preference given to the older registrants. (Exception:  youth who have an adult family member accompany them).

• If the parish is unable to provide one chaperone-capable adult per two teen volunteers, the youngest unaccompanied teens will not be permitted to participate until the 2 to 1 ratio is satisfied.

• After all trips are full and a master waiting list is formed, those on the waiting list will be contacted in order whenever there is an opening on any trip. If the first person on the waiting list is not interested in an opening for a particular trip, we will then contact the second person and so on and so forth. If a waiting list person passes on an opening, that person still keeps his or her place in line and will be contacted again in the same order once another opening is available. Once an opening is accepted by a wait-listed registrant, that person will be taken off the waiting list.

• Chaperone-capable adults should register online as soon as possible so we can have an early grasp on how many youth will be permitted to participate in each trip.

• Only youth and young adults who have fully completed the online registration and paid the fee will be accepted.  Those who do not pay online must mail in a check.

• If a youth registers with an adult family member, and that adult later drops out, the young person will be moved to the back of the waiting list (if there is one).

• Fees from wait-listed registrants who are not permitted to participate will be reimbursed upon request.

• Fees from accepted registrants who drop out at a later date will not be reimbursed.

• Registrations from 18 year old's and up will only be accepted if the registrant is in full compliance with diocesan safe environment guidelines or is in the process of establishing full compliance.