Camp Code - Leadership & Staff Training Podcast for Camp Directors

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Keep your returning camp staff passionate and invested with continuing education opportunitiesThe Camp Code team would like to wish all of our listeners a Happy New Year! As we start ringing the bells to bring on the start of the 2020 Camp Year, Ruby, Beth and Gabrielle give you the best practices for continuing education for returning staff.Investing in staff throughout the year is a key component to their success. Lack of growth opportunities is one of the key reasons for employee turnover. As employers, if you continue education, you will get highly educated staff, bringing new ideas to the table. Happy camp staff are loyal and this is shown in their productivity. As a benefit for staff, having continued education will allow them to gain different opportunities at camp, enhance self-image and have a positive impact on life. One of Beth’s ideas is to poll staff throughout the winter to see what they would like to learn. Based on that, you can develop a learning day for staff to focus primarily on what they actually want to learn.Ruby talks about building on an idea she remembers from school when you could win the chance to be Principal for the day. For Ruby, this meant pizza at lunch and not confining to school uniforms, but if you expand upon that idea and develop a Director for the day, you can incorporate this into your program and allow returning staff to get insights on what it takes to become a Camp Director.Have a listen to get all the tips and tricks from these pros!Leadership Training Best PracticeFrom Gab:Have you ever had some great returning staff who are more than qualified for their role, but who are showing signs of disinterest in some of the summer camp training sessions you are running? One idea is to put these staff in a group and have one of them lead where they go around camp, planting flags around spots where they learned life lessons. On the flags, they can write the story of their lesson. What this will do is throughout your summer leadership training sessions, your staff will see the flags, read them and think about what camp does for them. At the end of your sessions, have your new staff go around and plant the same flags, but this time, write down what life skills they would like to learn at camp.Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsThanks to our sponsor for this episode:This Go Camp Pro podcast is sponsored in part by CampGig - CampGig is more than just a job board, CampGig is designed to be the most useful matching/search tool for camps and camp staff. Camps can sign up today to scan and search through CampGig’s vast selection of candidates. If you’ve ever wanted an “easy-button” for finding your next great camp staff, then head over to CampGig.com and set up your camp’s profile today.As Ruby identifies, in order for summer camp leaders to teach self-esteem, it is important to always start with yourself. Take the time to learn your triggers that affects your mood and your view. After paying attention and awareness to your own mental health, it will allow you to grow to t

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!The most basic human desire is to be able to fit in. In this episode, our hosts dive into stereotypes, managing life pressures and teaching our staff how to build self-esteem, create their potential and give them the superpowers required to battle any self-esteem issue.As Ruby identifies, in order for summer camp leaders to teach self-esteem, it is important to always start with yourself. Take the time to learn your triggers that affects your mood and your view. After paying attention and awareness to your own mental health, it will allow you to grow to then be able to teach your staff.Low self-esteem can trigger negativity, and can at times overpower the words of leaders at camp. Gabrielle explains a method she uses called the “SAS”. Stop what you’re doing, approach appropriately, speak kindly. In Gabriel’s experience, it is the speak kindly portion that promotes self-esteem. It’s about taking the conversation and add a flare of positivity.For all the great tips from Gabrielle, Beth and Ruby, have a listen to this episode.Leadership Training Best PracticeFrom Ruby:Put an instructor who is willing to be vulnerable and says a challenging situation they dealt with and sets up what the challenge was. Describing the situation, they get the counsellors and leaders in the room to ask other questions to gather information from the instructor. All the participants then discuss what they would have done in groups. Afterwards - the instructor describes what they did to manage the situation, and using the info from the staff, adding how they would change their response if the situation were to arise again.Shout-out to http://beetlesproject.org/Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsThanks to our sponsor for this episode:This Go Camp Pro podcast is sponsored in part by CampGig - CampGig is more than just a job board, CampGig is designed to be the most useful matching/search tool for camps and camp staff. Camps can sign up today to scan and search through CampGig’s vast selection of candidates. If you’ve ever wanted an “easy-button” for finding your next great camp staff, then head over to CampGig.com and set up your camp’s profile today.  

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!It All Starts with Trust!Managing summer camp staff, no problem...managing summer camp staff that don’t trust one another, that is where the challenge lays. Having staff sharing information, collaborating and working toward common goals is the foundation of trust and can bring the best out of your staff. Beth defines trust as reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something. Breaking that down, trust means that you rely on someone else to do something, to the extent that you are willing to put yourself on the line for that thing. Trust is what brings teams together, so in this episode Gabrielle, Beth and Ruby breakdown how to develop trust within your team.Below are some tips on how to develop trust with your staff, we encourage you to listen in for more on...Starting with online meet and greetsUsing staff training as a job interview for the Camp Director. Use it as a way to work for your staff to earn their trustWork with your staff to build connections. Set the expectations with senior staff, and have them work with new staff to build connections and confidenceBecause I said I would - a TED talk on making promises, keeping them and the honour of our wordHave a listen to hear about the great list of tricks and tips on how we can engage our staff and develop trust ultimately building great staff for your summer camp.Leadership Training Best PracticeFrom Beth:Align your words with your actions.When you notice your staff doing something that they maybe shouldn’t be doing, try asking “So, what’s your plan?”. You may be surprised by their thoughts and ideas and it will help maintain trust!Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsThanks to our sponsor for this episode:logo-camp-gig-transparent.pngThis Go Camp Pro podcast is sponsored in part by CampGig - CampGig is more than just a job board, CampGig is designed to be the most useful matching/search tool for camps and camp staff. Camps can sign up today to scan and search through CampGig’s vast selection of candidates. If you’ve ever wanted an “easy-button” for finding your next great camp staff, then head over to CampGig.com and set up your camp’s profile today.   

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Teach your staff and campers the value of #getoutside!Stop reading these show notes and just get outside!Leadership Training Best PracticesYour Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors      

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Camp is weird! Let’s help staff navigate.Building off of what we learned from Episode 56, we wanted to focus on some of the findings our Camp Directors friends came across this past summer. Focusing on the outside world, and fitting in on some the cultures we develop at camp, we want to focus on some guidance to help prepare your staff for a summer at camp.Our hosts Beth Allison, Ruby Compton and Gabrielle Raill dig in to the following topics:Empowering the staff.. More and more, parents are calling to ask questions about contracts and/or asking for time off for their kids. We want to empower the staff, and are always looking for ways for staff to be accountable for their own employment.Cellphones are a crutch that is a part of our culture, however; at camp it can interfere with the important connections that get created at camp.Vaping!Sleep habits, reflecting on the research of sleep and implementing these with staffMoving from living alone, to having interaction all of the time and how we get staff to welcome being in reach with people at all times.Leadership Training Best PracticesOvercoming the cell phone issue as a staff with a joy listGather the staff together with 5 flip chart papers and markers. Get the staff talking and adding things to categories on sheets like “this made me smile”, “this makes me happy”, “this was a memory or magical moment that I remember most”.The kicker: Then ask them, “how many of these moments happened because of a phone?”This can open up a conversation about your cell phone policy and how phones can help or hinder connection.Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors     

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!After a shortened Season 6 and a lot of questions from fellow listeners, WE ARE BACK with Season 7.This episode is dedicated to those moments where you as a camp director see something and say, “Are You Freaking Kidding Me!?”.Our hosts Beth, Ruby and Gabs have plenty of experience as Camp Directors and they are here to share stories of times where even they were at a loss!From sounding happy on the phone, riding public transit to doing laundry are all examples of some of the things that we, as directors may take for granted, but are still so necessary to teach our young leaders.Tune in as our hosts explore ways to work through challenges such as:Running scenarios to help camp staff work through real life examplesJournaling beside your bed. Write down your frustrations at night in one place and ToDos for the next morning.Interview new staff and veteran staff at the end of the year asking “what do you wish that a new staff member knew prior to the start of summer”Teach the chores by front loading expectations with staffLeadership Training Best Practices“Can I show you something” is a phrase that great leaders use. From teaching staff how to budget or greeting parents, or teaching great things at camp. Mentoring staff is a key part for both yours and camp staff success.Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!More and more directors are saying they are finding their staff less and less willing to make decisions. In a world where there are constantly more options available to us, to make a decision can be downright paralyzing. Listen in as Gabz, Ruby, and Beth discuss their best ideas for helping to empower and educator your staff on being smart decision makers at camp.Best Practice for Leadership TrainingWhen making a decision with a group, explain the Data - Debate - Decide framework for decisionmaking. First, a group must gather data before making a decision and that process may be quite simple or very involved. Next, once the relevant data is on the table, take time to debate the issue at hand using data-based arguments. Finally, take the step to make a decision. The decision may be that more data is needed! Regardless, having this framework can be helpful when discussing issues that are multi-faceted that lead to roundabout conversations where you are covering the same info again and again. By being able to identify what stage you are in, the 3-Ds can help you understand what you need to move forward. HT to Les McKeown at inc.com for this concept that Ruby really really likes.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Gabz, Beth, and Ruby have spent the last several months working with Colette and Kim from ACA Illinois to put together the first annual Women in Camp Summit. Patti Sampson of Patchwork Marketplace teamed up with the Camp Code co-hosts to do a crossover episode of the podcast to talk about this exciting event. Check out the Rec Heads and Camp Nerds podcast here and learn more about the cool work Patti is doing at Patchwork Marketplace and how you can get involved! Also, if you aren’t following Patti on Instagram, she is a boss at Insta stories. Check out how to do it well!The deadline to register for the Women in Camp Summit is October 1, 2018. Reserve your spot today! Women in Camp SummitNovember 7-9, 2018Chicago area - St Charles, IL - Pheasant Run Resort $300 (some meals included)Register for the Summit NOWCan’t make it to the Summit but want to help a sister out? Help a sister out - Donate now

The podcast discusses training volunteers at summer camps, including the need for recognition programs and wearable tokens to acknowledge their commitment. It also emphasizes the importance of clear expectations, qualifications, and involving volunteers in marketing efforts. Additionally, the hosts highlight the significance of adult leaders taking responsibility for camp issues and providing support for volunteers.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Every camp director has had that staff member who needs to move on from camp but having the conversation can be difficult. Tune in to hear Beth, Gabz, and Ruby share their best tips for having those conversations now and how to build this idea of "growing elsewhere" into your camp culture so anyone in your community understands that it may be in everyone's best interest to move on. Best Practice for Leadership TrainingAfter a session during training and the possibility of moving on, have staff write you a short letter on their own. Get each person to write to you, the camp director, and to fill in the blanks.Dear [Camp Director]If I am ever exhibiting these behaviors:_______________________________please sit down and have the talk with me. I'll be scared to leave camp and try something new, but if you say these things to me,_______________________________, it would be helpful. I know you are always thinking of the best interests of camp and of me and I also know that I will always have a place here and this will always be my home. And here are ways I'd like to have this conversation:(Add your own ending/sign off)Then, partner staff up and have them read their letters out loud. Be sure to tell them that you will be doing this as part of the activity so staff don't feel like they have to share things that are to deeply personal.