Camp Code - Leadership & Staff Training Podcast for Camp Directors

The hosts discuss the significance of staff training in preparing camp staff, advice on creating a visual staff training schedule using tools like Google Calendar, importance of research and information gathering before staff training, organizing tasks and building staff relationships, and using a Sunday basket to reduce visual clutter and prioritize tasks.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/9-things-you-might-be-surprised-you-need-to-teachChalk it up to the pandemic, but it’s time for some re-teaching.In this week’s episode Gabz, Beth and Ruby recognize that as we get closer to the summer camp season, camp directors are already planning out their summer. To help camp leaders, our pros are here to break down 9 things that we think every camp leader should be prepared to teach!The ability to talk to strangers. This includes parents, campers, vendors, shop owners in town. Developing “small talk etiquette” will help your camp staff be more confident, demonstrating that they are leaders within your organizationHow to have a successful day off. Some of your staff might be new, teaching them where they can go and what they can do on their time off is valuable for your staff. Helping your staff to set their boundaries and using language such as “During downtime, I like to…”Matching/mirroring - finding new ways for your staff to build their own rapport with other peopleLife skills! Teach your staff how to use the basic tools around camp including screwdrivers, wrenches, plungers. Take it one step further, how to turn off water at camp, how to use a fire extinguisher or maybe even how to change a tire! Teach staff how to do laundry. This sounds self-explanatory, but your staff may have never done laundry before in their life. Silence is okay - become comfortable with the silenceTeach staff that there is life beyond camp and that be real with your staff that they will not be able to respond to family and friends in real-time. Teaching staff to connect in new ways, like written letters are important.Learn a morning routine and how to conserve your energy to last all dayPlay, play, play - Camp is supposed to be fun. -We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcode-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Beth:Staff need to know what to do offsite and onsite. We need to talk about staff behavior on their day off because even when they are not working, they are representing camp. I used to love when I got calls from cottagers and shops telling me that staff were being respectful to others. One thing we should focus on is ensuring our staff knows what to do if they run into trouble while offsite. To help, give your staff business cards with camp phone numbers, addresses or any pertinent information that may be needed during an emergency.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau-Thanks to our sponsor…UltraCampWouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MOREMeasure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/boundaries-and-community-normsMore on boundaries - because we all need to hear it.Happy Valentines day camp pros! In this episode (and as always) our hosts are here to spread their love and joy for camp. After celebrating 100 episodes, we are back to our regular programming. This week, we continue from where we left off in episode 99, focusing on boundaries and building community. If you haven’t listened to episode 99 perhaps have a listen to that first. Today, we explore what boundaries are, what they look like, defining the difference between healthy and unhealthy boundaries and their related effects. Afterwards, we dig into how exactly boundaries at camp can be used. Finally, we explore the terms ‘consent’ vs ‘cooperation’ and what this all means at camp. The most important piece to all of this, is to examine what boundaries look like with staff. Developing training sessions with your staff to help define boundaries and letting them know that it is okay to say ‘no.’ In parallel, take a moment to make things perfectly clear that boundaries will be crossed and people will make mistakes. We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcode-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Ruby (From John, Director of Camp Kadesh)In any conflict, there are three types of people; red, blue and gray people. Red personalities are angry and aggressive and often do not think before they speak. Gray people ignore the conflict and pretend it does not exist and blue people are perfect, wonderful and kind. Be the common ground in a conversation, always be blue.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau-Thanks to our sponsor…UltraCampWouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at ultracampmanagement.com/campcode/Measure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/what-weve-learned-so-far100 Episodes!? Thanks for being along for the ride, friends!100 episodes into this journey, our camp pros have led us through over 60 hours of leadership gold. This episode is all about reflection. As much as our hosts have taught us all, they too have learned from one another. Gabz, Ruby and Beth share their most memorable Camp Code moments and reflect on what they have learned from one another and how those teachable moments have been applied throughout their own training sessions.To the listeners, it continues to be you and your passion for camp that keep our hosts motivated to bring new content. When this podcast was first created, Beth, Gabz and Ruby all thought that this would last at most; two seasons. Here we are, eight years later and the reach and success that we have had with Camp Code should be celebrated.100 Episodes and 60 hours of professional develop content, focused on designing intentional staff trainingOver 31,000 downloads over the last two yearsOver 50 5-star ratings in podcasting appsOver 2500 cities, towns, municipalities across the world: top 6:Toronto, Columbus OH, Montreal, Sheboygan WI, Manhattan, ChicagoListeners on all six inhabited continents - so if you go to Antarctica, throw us a download while you are down there!Listeners in 75 countiesMost recent popular episodes: Engaging Multigenerational Staff During Training - Camp Code #71Staff Meetings Can Be Staff Training - Camp Code #65We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcodeBest Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Beth Allison (borrowed from Gabz!)Young adults do not see the world the same way older adults do. Gabz came up with a way to frame the younger generation of staff to help older staff take in their perspective. Gabz has named them the WTF generation. These younger adults are a generation of humans that want to make an impact and they also need support. So in the WTF, it stands for multitude of things; What to fight, what to fund, what to follow and what to fear. If I ask myself these questions, it helps me to better prepare when I have to run a session, a program or how to write a message on social media so that the younger generation will understand what I am trying to communicate.Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauThanks to our sponsor…UltraCampWouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MOREMeasure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.

In this podcast, the hosts discuss the importance of setting personal boundaries and how they can impact relationships and mental health. They share personal experiences and insights, emphasizing the need for self-care and effective communication. The podcast also highlights the significance of understanding boundaries as doors, rather than walls, and provides a framework for setting boundaries. Additionally, the hosts invite listeners to celebrate their 100th episode and share their favorite advice from past episodes.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/transition-camper-to-staffIf this is your first summer back after COVID, this may be THE focus for your training this year. As we step into 2022, we shift our focus on transitioning CITs from the mindset of a camper, to become a staff member. As always, we recommend frontloading these potential staff members with information to ensure that these young people feel like they are part of something larger. Beth comes up with three simple rules: connect with the potential staff, communicate to them what leadership training is all about and commit to them that as an outcome of leadership training, everyone will grow. Gabz takes aim on explaining the “why” we work as camp leaders. Helping your new potential staff to understand the importance of summer camp leadership training. Ruby is back and comes out stating the facts. Future staff will have employers beyond camp and those employers are going to be looking for leadership skills therefore, the training your potential staff will get from summer camp will only better prepare them for life outside of camp! With summer camp hiring right around the corner, this episode is full of ideas on how to engage with your potential staff to help you hire the right people to start planning for a (hopeful) more “normal” summer. Have a listen today! -We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcode-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Beth AllisonYour future camp staff members may have been your previous campers, meaning you’ve interacted with their parents throughout life at camp. As much as we advocate for summer camp training, parents will also be looking for information. Frontload as much as you can on what life as a staff member looks like at camp. Clearly define what parents can expect as their children transition into staff. -Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau-Thanks to our sponsor…UltraCampWouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at ultracampmanagement.com/campcode/Measure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/train-future-staff-campersTake a look at your campers, can you spot the next program director? The gang’s all here! Join Ruby, Beth and Gabz to hear about their best practices when it comes to searching for staffing talent in your camper pool and empowering them to be the future decision-makers at camp.It’s like a crystal ball except you have a say over the outcome!Tune in to hear about:Why is it important to provide leadership training opportunities to campers?How can we start thinking about this now?What are some practical tips and tricks for every age of camper?How to help campers reflect and process the experiences that you are providing to them.We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcode-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Ruby ComptonBurn ban campfire - Nalgene + Headlamp “logs” and warm glow twinkle lights. Create the ambiance and magic of a campfire, no matter where you are or how great you are at building an actual fire!-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau-Thanks to our sponsor…UltraCampWouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at ultracampmanagement.com/campcode/Measure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/staffing-summit-2021Welcome to the show, Kim Aycock!The American Camp Association (ACA) recently held its virtual staff summit. The event featured talented speaker panellists, roundtables and other learning sessions. One big topic that we’ve already covered was staffing shortages and discussing new innovative ways to recruit and retain staff. Today, we are fortunate enough to sit down with Kim Aycock who is known in the camp industry as a staff training expert. At the staff summit, experts explored trends we are seeing in the industry and go to hear about some common challenges that organizations are faced with. In this episode, we unravel the challenges and then we ask Kim to explore some of the solutions that she heard to help camp leaders begin to prepare for next summer. We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcode-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Kim AycockWe all know staff training is important to camp success. As part of training, perhaps you can develop an internal certification program as a way to recognize the training your staff takes. Level one certification can be mandatory training required for all staff and level two certificates can focus on specific training and can be optional. Those who take part in the optional certificate programs can be eligible for leadership opportunities and can proudly show off their skills with pins or stickers to show what certificates they have completed.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauKim Aycock  - Camp Consultant and Trainer - www.kimaycock.com - TikTok - @workatcamp-Thanks to our sponsor…UltraCampWouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at ultracampmanagement.com/campcode/Measure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/learning-loss-staffIt’s been a long time since a proper staff training, hasn’t it?It’s already November, which means that as camp leaders, we’re hopefully (and finally) well-rested. It also means that with winter approaching, we need to start planning for next year. Winter recruiting, hiring and planning out staff training is what awaits us! For a lot of reasons, this year feels different.For a lot of us, camp was either non-existent or looked very different for the past two summers. If your camp was able to run, chances are you had minimal staff and for the camps that were able to take part in normal summer programs. With summer 2022 fast approaching, it means that our camp staff haven’t had a ‘normal’ camp leadership experience or that your camp is about to take on brand new staff because all of our staff resources that were planning to work at camp, are all a couple of years older. Our camp pros are here to help, and this time, they brought back up! We are excited to have Kate Taylor as a special guest on this episode. Kate Taylor is the Camp Director for Camp Kanawana at the YMCAs of Québec. In this episode, Gabrielle, Beth and Kate talk about ideas to combat the loss of learning that our staff have missed out on for a couple of years. One thing our experts refer to is the Summer Learning - A Bridge to Student Success and America’s Recovery by the National Summer Learning Association. Without giving away any further spoilers, we encourage you to listen, learn and adapt your teaching techniques as we all prepare for summer 2022. We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcode-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Kate TaylorIt is imperative that we have downtime throughout staff training. If this means making staff training slightly longer to give your staff half a day off DO IT. Taking that break allows your staff to reflect on everything they’ve been taught during training sessions. Further, when you have downtime, make sure you have some non-mandatory activities for your staff. This will help some people struggling with social anxieties practice social skills and build boundaries with their colleagues.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauKate Taylor, Camp Director - Camp Kanawan at the YMCAs of Québec-Thanks to our sponsor…UltraCampWouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you Measure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/best-staff-experience-possible-pt-2It’s STILL time to focus on the staff.Listen to part 1 here: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/best-staff-experience-possible In this episode, we continue to explore how summer camp leaders can help staff achieve their best possible experience as a leader at camp. 2020 had many camps in North America shut down and in 2021 as many camps adopted programs to align with public health guidelines, camp leaders struggled to find resources and keep staff for the entirety of the summer. With the 2021 season behind us, Beth and Gabrielle have their sights on the early phases to start prepping for summer 2022. Throughout the episode, our hosts explore things that camp leaders can do today to help prepare folks to apply to camp and be ready for the camp season.One of the biggest lessons learned is that camp staff have a strong desire to feel supported. As leaders, we need to reshape our recruiting techniques and the way we prepare and develop our camp programs next summer in a way that puts both the mental and physical health of our employees as a priority. Prioritizing employees right from the recruiting phase helps to foster a foundation of trust, preparing staff for the challenges of camp as the summer approaches. The lessons from this summer have created an opportunity for growth. Listen in on this episode to gain further insights from our camp pros!-We hope you love this episode of Camp Code! If you do, please consider subscribing to the show, and leaving us a rating in your Podcast app. It’s SO easy, just head to https://ratethispodcast.com/campcode-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Beth AllisonDuring staff training, why not take the time to build a coping skills toolbox. It is not only good to teach coping skills, staff will realized that they need to cope. This is an idea from Baldwin County public schools in Alabama and they have PDF downloads available at Baldwin County Public Schools / Homepage (bcbe.org). A toolbox allows you to store a collection of healthy items when you are feeling stressed or anxiety to help you to build resilience. There are five tools within a coping toolbox: Self-soothing - what can you do to comfort yourself? Examples include a stress ball or your favourite photos.Distractions - Something that will take your mind off something. Examples include a puzzle, sudoku, knitting needles and yarn. Emotional Wellness - how can you express your feelings? Examples can be a journal or art suppliesMindfulness - Checking in with your mental state. Examples include a yoga matt, reflective prompting journals, serenity rocksCrisis plan - who at camp do you go to when your coping skills are not enough?-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielMeasure twice! Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis. Stop flying blind: Take your free Resilient Camp Blueprint Diagnostic at https://camp.mba/travis.