Camp Code - Leadership & Staff Training Podcast for Camp Directors

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!That’s a Wrap for Season 7 of Camp Code!As summer approaches, the Camp Code season finale is here! Multigenerational staff may not be applicable to your camp today, but it absolutely will happen at some point, and what better time to have this in the back of your mind as summer camps eagerly way and adjust to many new guidelines being put in place as the worldwide pandemic continues. Multigenerational staff means that some younger staff may still live at home, not be used to doing laundry, or that their summer at camp may be their first job. At the same time, the older staff probably have car payments, or a mortgage or is used to going to bed at an earlier time than 18-year-olds. Additionally, there is a physical layer to an older generation staff where they may not be able to crawl on the ground, or have other limitations. In Ruby’s experience, she asked herself during any game “can rock paper scissors resolve this” and in most cases, the answer is yes and most people at any age can play rock paper scissors, so it is a great alternative to something like crawling under someone’s legs in freeze tag. As we wrap our season, we hope all you leaders are ready for what summer brings us. We all know camp will be different this summer, but camp is still at heart, summer camp leaders. For everyone who has tuned in to this season, have a great summer and we look forward to more conversations in the fall. Thanks for the season, friends! -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 Gabrielle RaillEven though this best practice is from Gabrielle, it was Ruby that brought it up on another podcast. When you are designing camp training for the summer, bring your leadership in on the conversation. Send your leadership team an outline of the staff training and some of the decisions behind what you want to keep and what you want to change. Open the dialogue with your leadership team to see how decisions are made. -Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors

Emma Kennedy, director of Camp La Grande Aventure…en Anglais, excels in summer camp leadership and training. She highlights the importance of starting staff training before camp officially begins to foster collaboration. Emma advocates for fresh approaches by encouraging leadership teams to rethink past materials and focus on essential skills. Additionally, the discussion touches on the power of vulnerability in leadership, promoting emotional awareness and trust among staff to create a supportive camp culture.

Discover how to create a drama-free camp environment even when life's uncertainties loom. Learn tips for managing team dynamics and avoiding tension by encouraging clear communication and personal responsibility. Dive into innovative strategies for building trust and collaboration among staff, while celebrating those who contribute to a positive atmosphere with the fun 'no drama llama' award. Join the conversation on making camps collaborative and conflict-free, ensuring a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Giving staff the tools to be able to have one of the most important conversations of their lives & directors the tools to make their culture even safer.This week, our hosts Gabrielle, Beth and Ruby explore the impact that the #MeToo movement has on summer camps. As summer camp leaders, empowerment begins with you. Educating people and Sexual harassment policies are not enough. Camps need to outline the policies and create a dialogue to ensure staff are empowered to act when they recognize something inappropriate. We need to realize that not everyone is going to be comfortable enough to speak up, we must find other ways for staff to feel empowered to share or point out uncomfortable situations.Training empowerment is not easy and neither is the conversation around sexual harassment. This episode was designed to help you cultivate your approach and build your community on trust and respect. Have a listen as Gabrielle, Beth and Ruby dissect the frameworks around these conversations. A small shift in the way you approach the subject will make a big difference. -Leadership Training Best PracticeFrom Ruby ComptonThis one is simple; Choose to communicate rather than to assume. We all know what assumptions do! When you feel something is unsettling or something you have questions about, it may lead to an assumption. Instead of assuming, lean in and ask a question to understand more. This will help us handle conflicts in a more constructive way.-Your Hosts:Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp OuareauBeth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tvRuby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors-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

Learn how to train frontline staff to transition into leadership roles at a camp. The hosts discuss strategies such as providing constructive feedback, attending conferences, finding mentors, and creating opportunities for growth and development. They also emphasize the importance of training staff for leadership roles and share a best practice of giving treats to staff on rainy days.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Not everyone is an all-star camp staff at the beginning. We need to help them get there!As camp leaders, we’ve all been there. We've all hired staff that are great on paper, but who just didn’t perform the way we thought they would. However, just because they may not be starting out the way you hoped, doesn’t mean they cannot become the great camp leader you were hoping they would be. To help them, and your whole team succeed, start by frontloading information to your staff. Use this time to ensure your expectations are clear right from the beginning. If your staff are not aware of what is expected of them, it’s on the Directors, not the staff! By building trust in your staff, in particular, some of the challenging staff; you are able to connect with them so you can be truthful and address what needs to be addressed. As well, keep an eye on self-esteem levels. If you can identify when self-esteem is low, you can seize these moments to promote camp leadership and shape weaker staff to be leaders! When developing trust, there are 4 key concepts that can be used to help develop your staff:Explain things clearly Ask questionsInvolve staff in decisions and discussions Appreciate them for the work they do! For more tips and tricks, have a listen!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/campcodeLeadership Training Best PracticeFrom Ruby:Ruby's plea to Camp Directors of the world. Format your staff training schedule to how it looks during the summer. Do your best to make the timing match up as closely as you can so they start to understand what the camp day looks like. You can add as many details as you want, or keep detailed information in other places around camp, but do your staff this small service and it will make a huge difference!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!Make your meetings so extraordinary, your staff will actually look forward to them!How’s that for a challenge?At camp, we have the awesome privilege to get to inject every single moment with creativity and find new ways to engage our staff and campers. So why should meetings be any different?All meetings have a framework to follow to make any meeting successful. The basics are fairly simple, use an agenda, frontload the expectations of the meetings, and make sure it has a clear purpose. Some simple goals to take into consideration are what you can learn, achieve or solve during the meeting. Staff retaining information is another thing that needs to be considered. Meetings can easily become repetitive and valuable information for staff can become easily forgotten. Engaging staff is a key leadership ability to help your staff retain information. The way you deliver your information has a great impact on what information will be retained.One of the best ways to kick off camp meetings is to begin with some singing or games. These add positivity to the room and allows your team to get focused in a more positive environmentUse visuals - Staff are more likely to retain pertinent information when charts, wheels, pictures, or other visual tools are usedDon’t use rest hour - Rest hour is a sacred moment for your campers and staff, let them rechargeGet staff members to talk about great moments in camping (GMICs), it will get your staff to reflect Ask questions - How can I support you? - what campers are you struggling with? -  what's the best part of the day? - this will engage your staff and collectively work to resolve challenges.Get your staff to take notes! - Be obvious for important notes, say things like “Write this down”Recap your meetings - it gave one more opportunity for the staff to catch something they missed.-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:What do I need to remember about my age group?Before your next group of campers arrive, have your team talk about what they need to remember when it comes to their specific age-group. Have them share their wisdom and remind one another to adjust the way you communicate, interact, and supervise them based on the age of campers. Example: If you have 8-year-old campers this week, remember that they need concrete instructions.-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!How to help your domestic and international staff acclimatize to your camp.The full ensemble is back!In this week’s episode Gabrielle, Beth and Ruby dive in to explore the culture shock of staff and developing techniques to train international staff. International staff members are a wonderful addition to your team, and, it takes a little extra work on your part! On top of the usual onboarding, there’s more intention that needs to go into the way that you help that staff member develop initial relationships with senior staff and ensure that they are feeling comfortable and valued within the camp community.Being valued is something that every employee finds desirable. As a leader, it is up to you to find ways to make your staff feel valued. When hiring international staff, there are a lot of things to take into consideration:Having conversations about cultural differences between your international staff and the country you are inShowcase the international staff’s culture, by introducing their food, games and songs to your staffAssign a staff ambassador to international staff, make the ambassador your go-to person.Before your international hire arrives, find a camp alumni to sponsor this hire, so they could write to them at camp and be part of their camp familyFor more tips and tricks, tune in 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/campcodeLeadership Training Best PracticeCredit: Ellen Nash - Camp Northland B’nai BrithIt’s important that you look every single staff member in the eyes every single day. By doing this, you let the staff know that you see them and acknowledge them for their efforts.Always have a staff snack in the evening as pretty much all of the staff show up and do as Ellen does and serve as many staff members as you can. By serving the staff, Ellen gets the opportunity to greet them, socialize and thank folks for their work each day.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.

Dan Davis, a seasoned Camp Director with over 25 years of experience, shares invaluable insights on mentoring campers transitioning to staff. He emphasizes small yet impactful training strategies, like assigning subtle responsibilities to returning campers. Dan discusses the concept of offering a second chance during interviews, highlighting the importance of body language and the ability to adapt. Their conversation also dives into the emotional challenges of new staff and the significance of creating a supportive environment that fosters growth.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!Because conflict is going to happen, people!The Camp Code crew is back for their very first episode of 2020!To ring in the new year, this episode is filled with great tips and tricks, helping to give staff the tools to deal with conflict. Gab dives into an array of acronyms such as the A.C.T Program - Awareness, Communication and Together, and V.I.P - Validate feelings, Investigating and Problem-solving. She also goes in-depth talking about The power of mirroring and how to use mirroring to build connections with people.Ruby talks about the importance of dealing with conflict in person. Too often, conflict involves emotions, and emotions cannot be shared over text, so having face to face discussions are the keys to success. As Camp Directors, it is important to equip your staff to some conflict management work for you. Your staff need the practice, and you cannot do it all!Beth provides listeners with a ton of insight and explains that EVERYONE must take proactive steps to handle conflict. Personality tests are something that we should all take at various stages of life, camp leadership is one of those times and here is one Camp Codes favourites: True colors personality test. We are all going to be faced with it at some point, so Beth explains some key improvisational negotiation tactics:Let people tell their storyBring a reality check to the tableIdentify the true impediment.Leadership Training Best PracticeFrom Ruby:When dealing with conflicts, Show awkward moments video to kick things off. These people all lived through these awkward moments, so you can get through your conflict conversations!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 - CampGigThis 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.