Camp Code - Leadership & Staff Training Podcast for Camp Directors

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/9-tips-for-summerAnd we don’t mean “just make it through”, we mean “make it through with style!”The weather is finally getting warmer here in Canada, the gardens are full of tulips and the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom. As a camp leader, as we watch nature grow this spring, anxiety and stress can build within ourselves. When spring arrives, it means summer camp is around the corner. We started this season aiming to help the leader come back from a summer that either prevented your camp from running or having to put new safety measures in place that were new to everyone.  As we navigate our way back to summer camp, it is once again time to focus on you. A lot of these make sense at the surface, but actually practicing these tips are harder than you think. We’ve listed them below, but encourage you to have a listen to understand the reasoning behind each step. Go to bed! Get the support you need, outside of your organizationTake care of yourselfSet up an email routineEmbrace the knowledge of your leadership teamWatch and listen and sit still and see (find out more by listening!)Don’t mistake someone’s free time as availabilityCamp is fun, enjoy itBe kind to yourself-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 ComptonEstablish a communication routine with friends and peers. Set up a time each week to respond to texts to friends. Message folks to let them know you are thinking about them. This will allow you to not feel guilty if you are not responding to things immediately and give you space to touch base with friends and connect with the world outside of your camp.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/embracing-uniqueness-2021It’s not, “it is what it is”, it’s, “it will be what we make it”Noone asked for all of the challenges and uniqueness that are ahead of us in Summer 2021. This episode, we challenge you to look at the positive side and focus on the unique opportunities that are ahead of us this summer.Whether it’s reestablishing expectations with staff, or taking the opportunity to get rid of that program area you’ve always wanted to - this is your year.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-Bonus Link: Ruby's staff appreciation video for her team: https://youtu.be/Y5_hFMFu5no-Best Practice for Leadership TrainingFrom Beth AllisonPlan now for a fantastic end-of-summer celebration for the end of the summer. Figuring out a plan now will help you gather a ton of people to help make this happen. Think big and don’t forget to ask for help from your board, parents and alumni to compile gratitude for the last night of camp.Please share your most memorable moments! -Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/11-quick-fire-videos-2021Use these videos to dial your staff training up to 11!For some people, they have a favourite pair of comfortable slippers, perhaps a warm sweater or favourite comfort food. For our hosts, their idea of comfort is scouring the internet to help build new ways to develop camp leaders. In this week’s episode, we go back to a fan favourite feature where our hosts discuss quick-fire videos to help facilitate staff training.Ruby’s Favourites:First Thing and Last ThingHow to go From Small Talk to Deep CoversationAuthor: Chad LittlefieldHow to Have a Good ConversationAuthor: Celeste HeadleeBONUS (a fun one)Ducks Annihilate a bowl of peas-Beth’s Favourites:Grit:  The Power of Passion & PerseveranceAuthor: Angela Lee DuckworthFor the Love of Fangirls Author: Yve Blake-Gabrielle’s Favourites: How to Avoid Death by PowerpointAuthor: David JP PhillipsThanks to Camp - Léa's StoryAuthor: International Camping FellowshipThanks to Camp - Kadi’s StoryAuthor: International Camping FellowshipThe links above are the highlights of another great episode. To learn more from our hosts, 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 Gabrielle RaillSoloing a canoe and training from the dock - This is going to be a different summer, meaning your camp staff will need to lead differently. As leaders, we need to pay attention to how we are right now. Are we reacting to things differently, both positive and negative? Take the time and understand that this summer, you’re going to be leading from a distance. So, take the time to reflect on your own expectations and be kind to yourself. This summer is different for everyone, not just you.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/pods-and-bubblesMake training memorable, no matter what your groupings look like.It’s finally April which means summer camp training is right around the corner and summer camp is in sight! We also know that across the world, vaccination campaigns are occurring, giving us hope that one day, our world will return to some sort of normalcy. Unfortunately, vaccination campaigns just cannot happen quick enough, meaning that summer camp training will be different this year, most likely using pods or bubbles to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Bruce Tuckman is famously known for educational psychology and group dynamics and developed a model to help develop teams into high performers using four simple steps, Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. Beth goes into detail about how you apply Tuckman’s methodology to help you prepare your team to achieve greatness, while also being pathfinders in your alternative way for staff training. To learn more about Tuckman’s model, click here.Ruby reminds us to use technology to strengthen your training. You can record your training sessions to be a podcast, or other alternative media for your staff. The best part about this - you can do a review of your material afterward and figure out what worked and what didn’t work when facilitating pod or bubble training. If you choose to segregate into bubbles, one of the largest anxieties your staff will have is wondering who they will be sharing a bubble with. To help them out, frontload! Communicate with your staff as early as possible to help alleviate some of their stresses.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 AllisonSpin training in bubbles to something more positive. We know that working with a smaller group gives the opportunity to create unique memories. Have your staff create pages to their “bubble book” (think high school yearbook style) where your staff can take selfies, use journal entries or identify their favourite parts of training each week.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/virtual-staff-training-2Staff training is a brave new world. Let’s explore it together.We did it! We are a year into physically distancing ourselves from one another and interacting mostly virtually! Although this is not something I would normally celebrate, it has given our hosts plenty to think about, specifically when it comes to facilitating training for your staff. We’ve been there, enjoying a school lecture or perhaps engaged in a positive work session and then the meeting ends abruptly due to time constraints. Ruby recommends that we all focus on building a routine into our training, and have a phase-out process that allows participants to know the meeting is ending by helping them transition from training session to individual reflection. Perhaps a google doc, a slack or something supplemental to allow excited camp leaders to be involved event after the meeting has ended. We’re all going to be sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time during camp training this summer, so Gabz recommends investing into a nice camera and microphone. Nothing is worse than holding your face close to the screen so others can hear you in that sub-par laptop microphone, so invest in tech to make your camp training a success. Below are some of Gabrielle’s favourites from the tech she’s tested out. Canon M50 click hereSigma 16mm f/1.4 lens click hereThronmax Mdrill One Pro mic click hereBeth reminds us that we live in a 3D world where camp training usually consists of using the space and objects around you to facilitate training. In a virtual world, training can quickly become repetitive, so get creative! Hook your iPad to the meeting as a whiteboard, have an activity that and instructions set up on the screen for when participants arrive. Turn that 2D video into a greater depth of knowledge!-So, if you’ve made it here, you’re obviously interested in what tips and tricks our pros have, so for more info, listen to the podcast 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 Ruby ComptonCamp is going to be different this year and taking care of yourself is just as important as always. In a world where regular temperature readings are normal, let’s use the technology literally at our fingertips to help us track our temperature, heart rate and anything else that could be useful. Absolutely there is an app for it, making tracking easier than ever. Ruby also recommends a glass of lemon water in the morning to kick start your day and ignite your metabolism.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/virtual-staff-training-1Virtual staff training is a brave new world. Let’s explore it together.Over the last year, virtual sessions have become way too familiar. We know that camp staff have already spent a lot more time meeting virtually regardless as businesses have switched to virtual work and educators have shifted learning to online. Unfortunately, this is not going away yet as most camp leaders are most likely learning how to facilitate virtual training. We’ve got your backOur hosts Beth, Ruby and Gabrielle are here to help you plan the inevitable conundrum of virtual training. We’re already spending countless hours in front of screens, so as leaders we need to find new interactive ways to train our staff. Ruby brings up a great point, go asynchronous! Provide the content for your staff to consume on their time. We obviously know the importance of podcasts, you could use these to provide brief learning sessions! Get creative, use videos, Tik Tok or even traditional presentations with perhaps your audio recordings built-in! Gabrielle reminds us to focus on what’s important for our staff to be able to deliver a fun, safe summer for our campers. As leaders, the content we learn online to prepare for summer may not necessarily be the same content we want to provide to our staff. Remind yourself, your role is to create a foundation of why your staff and campers go to camp. Create connections with yourself, your staff and your campers. Beth reminds us that as we being to train online, we cannot forget to play online. Find ways to build in collaboration. The editor recommends virtual escape rooms and imagination. Even Alexa (yep, that AI speaker in your home) can do free, virtual escape rooms. Have a team work together to solve the puzzle and put in a rule that only one person can click through the virtual room or give the audible commands to alexa to get your team out.  Remember, this blog is just a highlight reel, to get the full benefit from our experts, listen in 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 Gabrielle RaillWe’re used to being pulled in every direction at the same time, yet we struggle to say no. Rather than saying YES right away, ask three questions that could either apply to mental or financial wellness. You need to find ways to take care of yourself. Summer is coming and we all know as camp leaders that when summer comes, the moments to take care of yourself can be few and far in-between.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/work-with-parents-pt2It’s too important for just one episode.Remember last episode when our special guest Travis, fed all of us the knowledge of a lifetime at camp? At CampCode HQ, it was certainly a memorable episode, but without Gabrielle there, we all knew we could squeeze a little bit of greatness out of her. For that reason, we are back with round two, where we focus on the great ideas on how to train our staff to talk to parents. Remember the acronym episode (Camp Code #81) - well Gabrielle didn’t get the chance to slide in another great one: V.I.FValidate - Find the person who can helpInvestigate - allows some time for problem solvingFind someone who can help. When we are talking to parents one of the most important things is to get them connected to the right person who can help with whatever the situation was. Ruby tells us the importance about names. Learning the names of the parents and the campers *hint - write them down* and using those names brings a sense that you are there to help their child have a memorable week at camp. Beth describes that transparency and messaging is just as important as knowing the camper names before they arrive. As leaders, you would have been in communication with parents up until the day they arrive at camp. Take the time to teach your staff the message they want to get across with parents. For more great tips about the value of communication, have a listen to this episode! 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 Compton:Every family is unique. Every family has their stories, their traditions and their own hardships. Have staff reflect on their own relationship with their folks at home. Recognize those  relationships may be different from campers relationships with their own families. Bonus - Feed your staff with information to help parents on drop-off and pick-up day. Provide staff a couple of specific pieces of information to communicate any time they are interacting with parents. Things like where the bathroom is, where the coffee/snacks are, where they are headed next.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsGabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/work-with-parentsBecause you aren’t the only one that needs to wow your camp families!Beth and Ruby are joined by Travis Allison to breakdown the importance of your staff being calm, cool and collected when interacting with their camper’s parents.Do you remember your 16-20 year old self? Talking to adults is scary enough, without the fact that you are looking after the most important thing in their world.Great parent interactions (especially on opening day!) is a critical part of your camp forming trusting relationships with families. Trust us, a parent is going to tell their friends what camp their child attends - and good or bad, they will share their first impressions - so it’s our job to help our staff make the best ones!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-Leadership Training Best PracticeFrom Beth AllisonGet lots of large chart paper and markers and have pairs of staff create their own “child”. This exercise helps them to understand the care that goes into parenting and really put them into their camper’s parent’s shoes.-Your Hosts:Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp ProRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby OutdoorsTravis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!A special, timely interlude from our friends at the Day Camp Pod:Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/ppp-era-acaTimely info for American Camps - Jan/Feb 2021For many camps and small businesses in the United States, the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program was a lifesaver- enabling us to keep our best people employed which we navigated the uncharted waters of the covid-19 pandemic. Starting January 13, the second round of PPP has been made available to qualifying businesses, as well as other resources like the Employer Retention Credit. While most of us may be good at running a summer camp, this other stuff is both supremely important and pretty darn confusing- which is why we have called for an EMERGENCY Podcast with ACA National Chair Scott Brody and the great Steve Baskin - so that we can better grasp the options that can ensure our financial solvency as we enter the 2021 camp season.Tune in to hear about:What we need to know about the PPP situationThe issues of timing, and filing for forgivenessWhat’s coming down the pike.Do you have a suggestion for a future show? Let us know by email: daycampquestions@gocamp.pro-Important Links:Andrew Ziv’s thorough explanation of ERC & PPP - https://andrewziv.substack.com/p/breaking-down-the-employer-retentionSBA / PPP - https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-programIRS / ERC - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-employee-retention-credit-under-the-cares-act-YOUR HOSTS:Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day CampGUESTS:Scott Brody, Owner & Director - Camps Kenwood & EvergreenSteve Baskin, Executive Director - Camp Champions, Camp Pinnacle, Partner - Everwood Day Camp-SPONSORS:Thanks to our wonderful sponsors who help make this Go Camp Pro podcast possible:AM Skier Insurance    http://www.amskier.com/Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS)   https://crs4rec.com/-Please review and subscribe!If you’ve gotten even one good thing from the Day Camp Pod, we would be so grateful if you left us a review and subscribed to this show in your favourite Podcast app.It’s so easy! Just click here: https://ratethispodcast.com/dcp  Thanks, Camp Pro!

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/the-acronym-episodeWe L.O.V.E Acronyms! Here are Beth’s, Ruby’s & Gabz’s favourites!We L.O.V.E them - Nope, that’s not an acronym, simply our way to show how much we enjoy them. We engrave acronyms into the lexicon of camp to ensure that the important things that you want your staff to memorize, are memorable. For Beth, with over 25 years of camp acronym experience, this was one of the hardest episodes for her to record as each host share their three favourite acronyms, and dive into why they are important to them. Go Camp Pro is here to support you with everything Covid-19 and there is no stopping in sight. The volunteer editorial board at Go Camp Pro scans editorials across the Covid-19+Camp Slack, the Summer Camp Professionals Facebook group and other sources to take the best stories, and put them in an easy-to-read newsletter that we call “The Brief”. You can sign up for The Brief by clicking hereBelow is a list of the acronyms shared throughout the episode, so that you can make notes of your favourites and incorporate them in your staff training. -Find our favourite acronyms and bonus resources here:https://camphacker.tv/camp-code/the-acronym-episode-Leadership Training Best PracticeFrom Gabrielle RaillWhen returning staff members return to camp, they each bring emotional tags with them, holding onto memories from the year before. The role of your staff is to create the best week of camp for their campers; but to do that, you have to help your staff let go of last year. Take the time to validate their experiences, dissect the good and then engage in conversation with staff to identify on how to build from previous experiences to incorporate the things that worked well, to create an unforgettable summer for campers. When you're done planning, celebrate the past and bring in the new camp year with your staff. -Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors