FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

No.  The registration form clearly states that participants may only request one roommate. Please do not make special requests to be placed in or near a group, room, or apartment with anyone other than your selected roommate. We are unable to honor these requests.  The task of creating groups and working with housing has become a monumental challenge as our numbers have grown.  We are only able to ensure that roommates will be placed together.  However, we can guarantee that girls that both plan to attend the same session will see each other daily at our many activities, even without being in the same group. They are also able to visit with each other every evening.

Many people have wondered why we don’t allow requests for multiple sets of roommates to be in the same group.  Besides the logistics, our experience has been that when that many girls come together, they often stay together and don’t interact as much with the other girls in the group, thus making the experience of others in the group less enjoyable. Don’t forget that one of the great aspects of Retreat for Girls is the chance to come and meet others!  Remember, you will be able to see all of the other participants at almost every activity throughout the entire week.

No.  The registration form clearly states that you may only request one roommate. Please do not make requests to have others placed in a group or apartment.  We are unable to honor these requests. There are only two beds in each room.  While many girls come with a roommate, each year we also have many who come without one, simply excited to make a new friend. Part of the magic of Retreat for Girls is meeting new friends in your group and a new roommate is no different.  We hope this will not keep any of you from joining with us.  We know there are many situations that would seem to necessitate such an arrangement (3 cousins coming from different states, someone nervous to be away from older sister, etc.).  However, we are positive each participant can still have a great experience.

Besides the difficulty involved in making arrangements with housing, many people have wondered why we don’t allow multiple sets of roommates to request to be in the same group.  Our experience has been that when that many girls come together, they often stay together and don’t interact as much with the other girls in the group, thus making the experience of others in the group less enjoyable. Also, when three girls come together the other girl is often ignored or feels left out, regardless of positive intentions.  Remember, one of the great aspects of Retreat for Girls is the chance to come and meet others!  You will be able to see all of the other participants at almost every activity throughout the entire week.

* You and your roommate will be required to enter the same unique 6 digit code at the time of registration.

It is recommended that you room with someone that is your same age because groups are organized by age.  Yet, if you want to room with someone that is not your age, that is possible.  However, we will not be able to place girls more than 2 years apart in the same group (i.e. 12 yr. old with a 15 yr. old).  If you elect to be roommates with someone who is not your age, you and your roommate will most likely be put in a mixed age group. Please do not request a specific age group you would like to be placed in as we cannot guarantee group placement with roommates of different ages.

At Retreat for Girls the dress code requirements state that participants cannot wear shorts.  Capris are fine and any other modest pant style that goes below the knee.  Also, all shirts and tops must have sleeves (no shoulder holes) and be modest. Unfortunately, some participants in the past haven’t brought appropriate dresses either.  Skirts and dresses should also go below the knee (when you kneel, your dress should touch the ground).  Dresses should have sleeves and be considered modest in design. If in doubt, refer to the standards outlined in For the Strength of Youth and always error on the side of modesty.  If a participant’s clothing does not meet the dress code at any point during the week, they will simply be asked to change.  Each participant will agree to follow the dress code and associated procedures at the time of registration. Click here to see a visual that outlines the dress code.

A Welcome Packet with information about your week at Retreat will be made available on our website under the Resources tab in the main menu about a month before the conference.  We wait until then to make sure all necessary information is included.  Inside the packet you will find information containing a list of the items you will need to bring, as well as, recommended optional items.  

We know that getting girls to Utah State University from out of state may seem difficult or concerning, but hopefully we can help you make a good decision for you and your daughter. Unfortunately, Retreat for Girls doesn’t have any means of our own for transporting girls to Logan. Fortunately, there is a reliable local shuttle service available. The Salt Lake Express,  offers this service to and from the Salt Lake City airport and Logan and to many other surrounding areas in Utah and Idaho.  We are sure there may be a few other ways of getting to Logan. If you find another one that works well, let us know and we will share that here for others.   Also, many past participants have made arrangements with friends or family members living in Utah to help them get to their week at Retreat for Girls.  However you do it, we hope you will be able to join us!

This year, we are once again offering a Stay-at-Home option that will reduce the registration rate.  Those who choose this option will get the advantage of a reduced rate while still getting the same experience through the daily events, speakers, and activities.  Choosing the option will require having your own accommodations and daily transportation to our conference sites.

Retreat for Girls is known for our efforts to meet the dietary and health needs of our participants.  While we feel confident that we can meet MOST common needs, there may be cases where it might not be possible.

We are able to meet vegetarian, dairy, gluten, and most common allergy needs.

If there are other dietary or health needs that will need to be met, it is best to reach out and simply let us know what would be required so we can let you know if it is possible.

We will help monitor basic medication or health needs, including diabetes.

You can ask questions before registering and will be able to visit with a health counselor at check-in to make sure specific needs can be met.

There is a priority registration discount for everyone who enrolls by May 31st.

Over the years, we have been contacted by many families that would like to send their daughters, but feel they are unable to do so financially.  We realize that there are a variety of situations that may make sending a daughter to Retreat a challenge and we wish that there was more that we could do.  Through the kindness and donations of others, we have been able to offer some partial scholarships in years past.  We readily accept scholarship donations, but can only offer scholarships if these donations become available.  Retreat for Girls has always tried to keep our prices below those of similar conferences and we hope that potential participants recognize the exceptional program we offer – even with a lower price point. In order to try and keep the price low for everyone, the priority registration discount is the only one we are currently able to offer.  We know that attendance at a week-long conference is expensive, yet we have had many young women work hard and creatively to save up enough money to attend.  We encourage this attitude and feel that it can make the experience even more meaningful.  We look forward to being able to help more families in the future.

There is an inn on USU’s campus, called University Inn that some families have taken advantage of it in the past.  There are also many hotels and accommodations off the university campus, but nearby.  The Logan Temple is just a few blocks below Utah State University and there are many summer activities in Logan and nearby areas including the Utah Festival Opera performances each summer, the American West Heritage Center, Bear Lake and the beautiful Logan Canyon, among many other attractions and activities.

We do appreciate any help sharing information about Retreat for Girls with others.  Face to face conversations between parents  or participants and their friends who share their Retreat experience is one of the best ways we have found to share with others. Also, if you are willing to share your experience or simply let others know that this experience exists on Facebook, Instagram and other social media outlets we would love it. If you have other great ideas about how to help others find out about Retreat we would greatly appreciate it!  Encourage others to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram to get updates or share those with others, as well as, receive new announcements, registration deadline information, etc.

We sometimes have requests for scholarships each year from families in difficult circumstances.  In the past, we have been able to offer some partial scholarships thanks to the generosity of others.  If you or anyone you know would ever be interested in making a donation that could be used to help other young women attend please contact us at director@retreatforgirls.com.