JUST FOR PARENTS
The peace of mind you deserve.
★ LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR ★ SAFETY & SUPERVISION ★ parent reviews
You’ve likely had your son or daughter approach you to tell you they want to go to California with Calbreak. Understandably, you must have some questions and concerns. That’s totally fair.
That’s why we have the special parent section, to help clarify some details and hopefully ease your mind.
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
DEAR PARENT,
I’m sure you’d agree with me when I say that when teenagers experience safe travel, their lives are enriched and they become better people. Traveling expands their horizons and develops their independence. And best of all, it allows them to create deep new friendships. But there’s problem: both parents and students feel frustrated because they just don’t know where to look for these fun, affordable and safe travel experiences. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
For 45 YEARS California Breakaway has enriched teenager’s lives by offering fun, affordable and safe trips to California. I’ve seen it firsthand, this trip changes lives! Calbreak is the student trip you've been looking for. Isn’t it time for teenagers to start making incredible memories with their friends again? We believe when you enrich the life of your teen, everyone wins!
I have been working alongside students and parents for over 20 years, and I understand everything that goes through your mind when your child wants to be part of something like a spring break trip, so I’d like to take this opportunity to run through some of our goals and policies so you can have peace of mind.
Since our humble beginnings in 1978, Calbreak has grown and developed into one of the most respected and trusted high school trips in Saskatchewan. Over the past 45 years we have been passionate about helping students live their best lives by offering experiences that are safe, fun and affordable. We truly and deeply care about the students who join our tour, and we are committed to giving every student THE CALBREAK FIVE STAR EXPERIENCE. We feel we offer a truly unique tour that not only provides fun and excitement, but the opportunity for personal development and inspiration. We also desire to be a tour that parents trust to provide them with all the information they need in order to be sure their son or daughter will have the trip of a lifetime. We want to be up front and tell you we are a Christian youth organization, and our faith stories are organically woven within the fabric of our trip goals and values, but we want you to also know that we do not force our world view on our students and we respect and value all points of view.
You deserve to have peace of mind when you send your child on a trip. Student safety is so important to us and you can trust that CALBREAK is run by experienced staff who understand the balance between safe supervision and fun. Our CALBREAK staff and small group leaders are part of all aspects of the tour and are there to give the students the best experience. All our CALBREAK staff have gone through a thorough screening process which includes criminal record checks. We also travel with a trip nurse and many of our staff our trained in first aid so that we can provide care if needed. We also have emergency procedures in place to ensure the safety of everyone on our trip.
Our student/staff ratio is 7/1, which we believe is one of the best ratios in the country. You can trust that your child will be well cared for.
I have personally been involved with CALBREAK since 2000, and along with my team, we bring the knowledge and experience to provide an outstanding trip for your student. We are passionate about delivering the best student experience, along with an unbeatable price, a high standard of safety, and unmatched personal care and development.
We look forward to adventuring with you and your student!
Sincerely,
Corwin Thiessen, CALBREAK Director
SAFETY & SUPERVISION
SAFETY IS ONE OF OUR ABSOLUTE HIGHEST PRIORITIES! THAT'S WHY FOR OVER 40 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN CONTINUOUSLY DEVELOPING SAFETY SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT ENSURE THAT EVERYONE ON CALBREAK HAS A FUN AND SAFE TIME
We have a GUIDELINES AND RULES FORM that outlines the expectations for students including common sense rules for safety and conduct. The form can be downloaded from the following link, and must be signed by both students and parents/guardians prior to departure.
All of our staff have gone through a thorough interview process, and have had a criminal record check performed. We have a student/staff ratio of 7:1, the best in the industry!
We have a qualified trip nurse on CALBREAK. As well, each bus has at least one staff member who is certified in FIRST AID. In the unlikely event of a medical emergency, our first priority is ensuring the injured student receives immediate medical attention. One of our staff members will remain with the student at all times until the situation has stabilized. We will then contact the parents/guardians and the insurance company.
Each student should have at least $1,000,000.00 medical travel coverage. Here's an example from Costco/Manulife: click here
CALBREAK has had a track record of 45 years of safety.
We travel with Prince Albert Northern bus lines on new deluxe motor coaches.
Our hotel is in the quiet, safe city of Buena Park, a suburb of Los Angeles.
The trip has a health care professional and every bus has qualified staff with first aid.
At every park, we will have specific emergency meeting locations to gather in our small groups.
We are dedicated to giving you the best parent and student support possible. Our staff will be available for questions and concerns before, during and after the registration process. We will have a series of parent/student orientation meetings in early 2025 to answer any questions you may have, assist you with any required forms, and help you to complete your payment. These meeting dates will be communicated to all registered participants, as well as listed on our website.
CALBREAK is an amazing trip full of fun and adventure, but we take your child’s safety and well being very seriously. We desire to provide an amazing quality experience for both students and parents, and we thank you for your interest in our tour.
Feel free to call our office at 306-242-7117, or toss us an email at calbreak@yfc.ca
PARENT REVIEWS
AFTER ORGANIZING LIFE-CHANGING STUDENT TRIPS FOR OVER 40 YEARS, WE FEEL WE ARE SASKATCHEWAN’S PREMIERE HIGH SCHOOL TRAVEL EXPERIENCE. BUT DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT. HERE IS WHAT SOME PARENTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT CALBREAK!
“We live in a small town and have had a few kids from town go on the Calbreak trip over the past few years so by word of mouth I already knew what an amazing experience this trip would be. The price was definitely affordable, and the communication between the Calbreak crew leading up to and throughout the trip was amazing. This trip can be summed up as “ A trip of a lifetime”. As a parent I was content that she was in great hands thee entire time. Lifetime memories, experiences and friendships were made.”
“My daughter Melissa went as a graduation gift. Melissa wants to travel the world but doesn’t have a lot of travel experience yet. The Calbreak team provided a very safe and fun way to explore all the biggest highlights California has to offer! My parents sent me on the California breakaway tour 24 years ago and it was amazing then and is still amazing today!”
“My daughter had a great time and she loved the staff. I felt comfortable that our daughter was being well chaperoned. The price was right and there were plenty of options. My daughter had a great time and is looking forward to next year. ”
“If anyone would like to email me about sending their kids on this trip, I would be more then happy to ensure them how good this trip is for their kids. These young people meet friends from all over the province and see places they would not be able to otherwise see. I am working on sending my kids twice, because we couldn’t go on a vacation like this for the amount Calbreak charges. They will be going with people that know all the ins and outs and who will keep the kids safe, yet giving them some freedom. ”
“My daughter has had nothing but wonderful things to say about the staff. I cannot believe you’re able to pack that much into such a short time, but you did! Not only was Katy affected immensely by the experiences on this trip, but her family was as well. I have nothing but the highest of praises for this trip and the organization. There are very few opportunities for teenagers in today’s world that allow them to leave home without having to face the dangers of the world. I was able to send my teenager away and feel totally confident that she was safe.”
“She enjoyed herself a great deal. She connected with her small group leader and felt it was good to hear a Christian point of view and experiences. As a parent I felt this was good exposure for my daughter. She felt YFC spoke to the Christian theories but didn’t push them, which was good for her and myself. It gives another point of view and fun without alcohol and drugs. ”
“This has been an excellent experience for both our girls, something they talk about a lot. We have 1 son and 1 daughter still to go on the Calbreak trip. They are already talking about it .We have mentioned this to many other people who are very interested. I know from our school next year that there will be 5 or 6 kids going!!!”
“You guys were awesome! I was very happy with the organization. I liked your options. It was very hard for my daughter to choose, but I liked the way you had a variety of options so that the kids didn’t always have to be doing the same thing. Yes, I would recommend families to send their students because my daughter said she had a blast and she thinks that everyone should have a chance to go on a trip like this. It also gives them a chance just to get away and have fun with kids their age.”
“The organization and information was great. Kirsten greatly enjoyed the trip and I believe it was a very positive influence in her life. Yes, I would highly recommend Calbreak!”
“I was kind of going out on a limb about sending my daughter with a bunch of people I did not know. But for sure, send your teenager and let them experience this wonderful world we live in. Let them see the beauty and the trouble that some experience. It was worth every penny. ”
CALBREAK is a program of Youth Unlimited. YFC SASKATOON | Youth Unlimited works with young people nationally across Canada and internationally in over 100 countries as an interdenominational Christian organization. For the past 75 years we have been dedicated to helping young people mature as balanced persons: physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. Our goal on CALBREAK is to give the students the best time of their lives, and to share the story of God's love.
We are passionate about recognizing the leadership potential of young people and providing practical opportunities for them to develop their God given leadership abilities. We are involved in many student leadership initiatives, including GYMBLAST - a high energy school assembly program, YFCHL - an inner city floor hockey league, local community DROP IN programs, the ANTIOCH skateboard club, and PROJECT SERVE - a high school mission experience to Belize.
If you have any questions, we can be reached at:
YFC SASKATOON | Youth Unlimited
1338 Ave B North; Saskatoon, SKS7L 1G5
(ph) 306 -242-7117; (fax) 306-242-6115
E-mail: calbreak@shaw.ca
Web: www.yfcsask.com
