COVID-19 Protocols for Retreats

VACCINE REQUIREMENTS
All staff and participants are required to be up to date with their vaccines two weeks of the start of retreat. Up to date with your vaccines means you are fully vaccinated, and have received additional doses and boosters, if and when eligible.  A link to upload your vaccine card(s) is available 6 weeks before retreat. In order to participate in the retreat, proof of vaccination card before retreat is required.

Medical or religious exemptions will be made on a case-by-case basis – please email registrar@ibme.com with any questions.

BEFORE RETREAT

COVID is still spreading and although many mask mandates have been lifted, including while flying and on public transportation, we see a need to continue all precautions in preparation for gathering. We ask that if you will be flying or spending time indoors in public spaces that you mask up to support our community’s health. Please do not attend the retreat if you are unwell. Refund exceptions will be offered to participants who have to stay home due to illness.

UPON ARRIVAL
Upon arrival on retreat, all staff and participants will administer their own COVID rapid test and wait 15 minutes until results are available. Rapid tests will be supplied by Inward Bound. Masks will be worn by all staff and participants for the first two days of retreat.

If a participant tests positive upon arrival, and there is a safe way to get them home (in their own car or with a parent/guardian), they must leave immediately. If the participant has flown in or isn’t able to leave right away, they must quarantine in a room at the retreat center until arrangements can be made for their departure.

Parents/guardians who are dropping off their teen must wait on site until the rapid test shows a negative result.

Masks must be worn by all participants and parents/guardians upon arrival to retreat while inside any of the buildings used for registration.

DURING RETREAT
Because of the unpredictable nature of COVID and the reality of sharing space indoors together for multiple days at the tail end of the holiday season, we will require all participants to be masked indoors for the first 2 days of retreat.

Teachers may remove their masks when actively teaching. All staff and participants may be unmasked while actively eating or drinking, while outside, or while sleeping.

On the second full morning of retreat (Dec. 30), all participants and staff will self-administer a rapid test. If everyone is negative, masks will become optional. If someone tests positive, that person will be asked to quarantine and leave the retreat and the remainder of participants will stay masked for the duration of the retreat.

POSSIBLE EXPOSURES TO COVID / POSITIVE COVID TEST ON RETREAT
There is a level of risk and liability that each family/participant takes on when attending this retreat. Retreat centers do not have spaces to accommodate single rooms, so there will be indoor exposure between participants who are sharing a dorm room/sleeping space.

If someone becomes ill on retreat we will administer a rapid COVID test, and give them a thermometer to take their temperature. If the test is positive, the person will quarantine in their room until arrangements are made for them to safely leave the premises.  Given the current situation, we ask that all participants and staff be completely honest and forthcoming if they are experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms.

The financial responsibility of potential travel home and quarantine is the responsibility of each individual family/participant. While staff will assist with arrangements as best as possible, it is the responsibility of each family/participant to finalize arrangements for potential travel home and quarantine if it is determined necessary

AFTER RETREAT
We request that if anyone receives a positive COVID-19 test result within 5 days of the retreat ending, they notify Inward Bound’s Retreat Registrar. IF we receive word of any participant who tests positive within 5 days of the retreat ending, we will alert all retreat staff and participants.

BEFORE RETREAT
All staff and participants are required to be fully vaccinated within two weeks of the start of retreat. You are considered fully vaccinated if it has been at least two weeks since you received your first J&J shot or your second Pfizer or Moderna shot.

Medical or religious exemptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. This vaccination requirement is waived for our Teens of Color retreat July 12-17, 2022 in Badger, CA.

All staff and participants must obtain a negative PCR or NAAT COVID-19 test (not an antigen test) within 72 hours before arriving on retreat. Please bring proof of the negative test result to registration or upload it via the unique link sent to your email.

No staff or teens will be able to participate in the retreat without uploading proof of vaccination card before retreat and presenting proof of a negative PCR test upon arrival to retreat.

COVID is still spreading and although many mask mandates have been lifted, including while flying and public transportation, we see a need to continue all precautions in preparation for gathering. We ask that if you will be flying or spending time indoors in public spaces that you mask up to support our community health.

UPON ARRIVAL
Upon arrival on retreat, all staff and participants will administer their own COVID rapid test and wait 15 minutes until results are available. Rapid tests will be supplied by Inward Bound.

If a participant tests positive upon arrival, and there is a safe way to get them home (in their own car or with a parent/guardian), they must leave immediately. If the participant has flown in or isn’t able to leave right away, they must quarantine in a room at the retreat center until arrangements can be made for their departure.

Parents/guardians who are dropping off their teen must wait on site until the rapid test shows a negative result.

Masks must be worn by all participants and parents/guardians upon arrival to retreat and at all times while inside any of the buildings used for registration.

DURING RETREAT
Because of the unpredictable nature of COVID, it is our desire to have this policy reflect the *strictest* requirements we may have in place. At a minimum, we will follow state and local guidance where the retreat center is located.

At this time, masks are required to be worn at all times for participants and staff while indoors. Teachers may remove their masks when actively teaching. All staff and participants may be unmasked while actively eating or drinking, while outside, or while sleeping. We will aim to have as many activities and meals outside as possible, depending on weather and space availability.

If someone becomes ill on retreat (regardless of whether it is COVID or a PCR rapid test shows a positive result), they will need to immediately quarantine in their room until arrangements are made for them to safely leave the premises. The Retreat Health Coordinator will give them a thermometer to take their temperature. Given the current situation, we ask that all participants and staff be completely honest and forthcoming if they are experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms.

POSSIBLE EXPOSURES TO COVID / POSITIVE COVID TEST ON RETREAT
There is a level of risk and liability that each family/participant takes on when attending this retreat. Some retreat centers do not have spaces to accommodate single rooms, so there will be some indoor exposure between participants who are sharing a dorm room/sleeping space.

If someone becomes ill and tests positive with COVID-19 during retreat, they will immediately be asked to quarantine and the Retreat Manager, along with the individual participant and their family, will make arrangements for quarantine and travel home. We require that if someone tests positive, a plan for departure be in place within 24 hours.

The financial responsibility of potential travel home and quarantine is the responsibility of each individual family/participant. While staff will assist with arrangements as best as possible, it is the responsibility of each family/participant to finalize arrangements for potential travel home and quarantine if it is determined necessary

AT THE END OF RETREAT
On the final full day of retreat, all staff and participants will take another COVID rapid test, which will be provided by Inward Bound.

AFTER RETREAT
We request that if anyone receives a positive COVID-19 test result within 5 days of the retreat ending, they notify Inward Bound’s Retreat Registrar. IF we receive word of any participant who tests positive within 5 days of the retreat ending, we will alert all retreat staff and participants.

We require all staff and teens who attend our teen retreats to be fully vaccinated* by arrival day. This means that teens have received your final vaccination shot by December 15, 2021, two weeks prior to the start of the retreat.

We also require proof of a negative PCR COVID test within 72 hours before arrival on 12/29/21. Please bring proof of your negative test result with you to registration! 

For the safety of the staff and retreat participants, we will not be making exceptions on vaccination status or proof of a negative COVID test provided upon arrival. 

In addition, we will be taking the following measures in an attempt to minimize the risk of anyone getting COVID-19 while on retreat:

→ All staff at retreat centers are vaccinated;

→ We will be operating in full compliance with most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state Departments of Public Health where retreats are held;

→ We will be sending out a waiver that each teen (and parent/guardian for those under 18) must sign, certifying that they are vaccinated and know there is still no way to guarantee safety, and that Inward Bound will do all it can to minimize the transmission risks of COVID.

*Fully Vaccinated: An individual is fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series — aka the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine – aka Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

After carefully and thoroughly weighing all scenarios to minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission during all scheduled upcoming Inward Bound teen retreats, we will be continuing our policy to require all staff and teens who attend to be fully vaccinated by arrival day.*

*Fully Vaccinated: An individual is fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series — aka the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine – aka Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

Dear Inward Bound Community,

We are thrilled to confirm that we are moving forward with our planning of one in-person teen retreat in July 2021, in Massachusetts.

After carefully and thoroughly weighing all scenarios of how we can minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission during this in-person retreat, we have made the decision to require all staff and teens who attend our Massachusetts Summer Teen Retreat to be fully vaccinated by arrival day, July 25.*

We are choosing to prioritize the safety of Inward Bound retreat staff, teens, and their families, as well as the staff of Prindle Pond retreat center, where the retreat will be held. Our utmost concern is that we minimize the risk of anyone becoming severely ill with COVID-19. The science strongly suggests that the safest way to gather in person at this time, with consideration that we will be indoors and overnight in shared space, is to have all parties be fully vaccinated.

To keep everyone safe we will:

• Host the retreat at a Retreat Center where all staff are vaccinated and will be masked while indoors;
• Operate in full compliance with most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health;
• Limit room capacity to 2 people per dorm room.

In addition, we will require that all retreat participants, parents of minor retreat participants, and staff sign a waiver certifying that they are vaccinated, and know there is still no way to guarantee safety, and that Inward Bound will do all it can to minimize the transmission risks of COVID.

We honor, and regret, that this decision won’t make it possible for everyone to attend. This news may come as a disappointment to a teen out there who was really hoping to come in person to an Inward Bound retreat right now. However, we will still be holding four online retreats during July, for teens and young adults ages 15-25. There will be a retreat held in Eastern time and one in Pacific time, as well as two retreats specifically for LGBTQIA+ folx and BIPOC folx. We welcome all to participate—and, as always, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

In making this decision, input was solicited from full-time staff, the retreat staff team, parents, participating teens, our Teachers Advisory Council, the staff at Prindle Pond Retreat Center, and public health experts. We did not make this decision lightly, and will revisit protocol after this summer for our New Year’s retreats and beyond. At this time, this policy is in effect for the MA Summer 2021 Retreat.

Inward Bound remains committed to offering mindfulness programming for *all* teens who want to be part of the practice, and will continue to offer online retreats and drop-in programming for connection and community.

With care and love,
Sarah, Tonya, David, Arielle, Tom and Jen

*Fully Vaccinated: An individual is fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series — aka the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine – aka Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. This means that the second vaccination for the 2-dose series needs to be administered by July 11, 2021.

Dear Beloved Inward Bound Community,

We wanted to provide you with an update as to our process and thinking around gathering together in person in summer 2021. We know it’s been a really long year, and that many of you are longing to be gathered together. We also know many of you are not yet comfortable doing so. We have received input and feedback from all corners of our community and the sentiments range from excitement about being in person to total fear. We hear you.

We have decided to move ahead in planning one in-person teen retreat (ages 15-19) in summer 2021—in Massachusetts. Our hope is that by putting all our energy into offering one in-person retreat, we will be able to adhere to the CDC guidelines for Summer Camps, keep everyone as safe as possible and be together, and we won’t run the risk of having to cancel a second whole summer’s worth of plans.

We know that one retreat will not be able to include everyone either based on personal circumstances, comfort level, logistical considerations like timing, retreat center capacity, or perhaps other unnamed factors. For that reason, we will also offer four online teen and young adult retreats—one in each East and West time zones, one specifically for Teens and Young Adults of Color, and one specifically for LGBTQIA+ community members.

We expect that the final decision about whether we will hold the in-person retreat will be made by the first week of June 2021. Part of the decision will be based on the number signed up for the retreat—we need a minimum of 15 people to run an in-person retreat. We will be using public health guidelines from the CDC, along with your input, to make the decision whether we can gather in person safely and ethically. If we decide *not* to do the in-person retreat, full refunds will be given and, in place of in-person retreats, we will run additional online retreat during the same dates that the in-person retreats were scheduled.

When making this decision, some of the specific aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic we’ll be taking into consideration are:

• can we safely say “all are welcome” and really mean it;
• what are current travel and quarantine restrictions to and from the states where retreats will be held: California and Massachusetts;
• whether vaccination and/or negative COVID tests would be required before attending retreat; and,
• how many folks can safely gather at the retreat centers we work with and what kind of daily safety protocols are appropriate.

Our biggest concern and priority is the safety and protection of all our retreatants, teachers, and staff. We are so very eager to be back together in person, and also feel the weight of the decision that will impact many members of our community, one way or the other.

With care and love,
The Inward Bound Team (Sarah, Tonya, Tom, Arielle, David, and Jen)

We have made the difficult decision to transition our June and July in-person retreats to online retreats. This includes NorCal, TOC West, Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky. Some retreats in the same time zone will be hosted online together. While there is sadness that we won’t be together in person, we also see opportunity in this. We welcome you to join from your home, anywhere!

We have not yet made a decision on the status of our late July and August retreats including SoCal, Pacific Northwest, Massachusetts, and TOC East. We plan to have more info on these by mid-May.

We continue to offer dynamic online programming to support our community in practice at this time. Please check out our calendar for the latest information.

Dear Community,

We know that these are stressful, unpredictable times, and we are more grateful than ever to be able to rely on our mindfulness practice as a resource. Even in this moment, as you read this email, can you feel your feet on the ground, the weight of your body sitting or standing? Can you allow your breath to deepen and soften?

Inward Bound is closely monitoring COVID-19 as the situation unfolds. While we are still months away from our summer teen retreat season, we will continue to track the implications it may have for retreats and update our community as new information unfolds and decisions are made by our team and network of partners. We are following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as restrictions set by state and local governments. We remain committed to delivering our in-depth retreat programming this summer while holding the health and safety of retreat participants and their families as a top priority.

If you were planning on registering yourself or your child for a summer retreat, we encourage you to do so. At this time all retreats are scheduled to take place as planned. If you sign up for a retreat that is eventually canceled, we will refund 100% of your retreat tuition. Our program staff is currently developing a backup curriculum for hosting online experiences to potentially replace retreats that may be canceled due to COVID-19, as well as other online practice resources for teens. We will be experimenting with an online model this coming week with our Harvard student retreat.

In this time of uncertainty, our hearts particularly go out to those people who are being most impacted by COVID-19 through the health of loved ones and its economic implications. We are cultivating compassion, discerning skillful actions, and wishing ease and well being to all those affected and to each of you. May we be well in body and mind, may we care for ourselves and each other, may we be at ease.

We will continue to provide updates in the coming weeks and we hope to be able to provide more online practice resources to support you all. In the meantime, check out the guided meditations on our website from our teachers across the country. You might find Khalila’s RAIN meditation for working with difficult emotions particularly helpful right now, or a Loving Kindness practice from Jessica.

Wishing you well,

The Inward Bound Team