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The Well-Trained Staff
Welcome to the debut of Camp Business’s new column on staff training. Dr. Chris Thurber, one of the most sought-after camp consultants, responds to reader queries, and offers cutting-edge, turnkey...
View ArticlePlay The Part
“In theory, role-plays are supposed to teach by offering staff practice with key skills. But in practice, role-plays often flop. They either escalate into hyperbole or degenerate into embarrassing...
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Competition Conundrum
“We try to emphasize safety and fun at Laney, even in competitive games and sports Although I’ve read some passionate arguments opposed to any form of competition, campers seem to enjoy our version of...
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Leadership By Example
“Chris, in my early years as a camp director, I never worried about the off-season behavior of my staff. Now that staff members photograph and post most of their social lives online, I’m torn. I’m not...
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A Focused Group
Camps have the ability to shape the youth of the country through leading by example. Staff training at camps is a critical component in a solid program. At Pali Overnight Adventures in Running Springs,...
View ArticleIntegrating The Relaxation Response
Millennia before Harvard University’s Dr. Herbert Benson documented the health benefits of the relaxation response in humans, Eastern and Western religions quietly espoused mindful reflection,...
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Get ‘Em On The Same Page
Cultivating cooperative, caring and compassionate staff members can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned camp director. While candidates may have exemplary backgrounds, solid leadership...
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The Beauties Of Camp Duties
Promotional materials for most day- and resident camps tout a sense of community and increased self-reliance as outcomes. Naturally, the materials highlight the camp’s facilities and activities, but...
View ArticleCreating Great Counselors
Many young people come to their jobs as camp counselors with boundless energy and good intentions. But they don’t automatically know how to be great counselors. That’s where staff training, mentorship...
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Food And Maintenance Conferences
Don’t miss the 2011 Camp Food Service and Camp Maintenance conferences coming up in March in Lake George, N.Y. Stay up-to-date on camp food service trends Learn new skills, techniques and strategies...
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Leadership After Failure
Conference workshops, camp publications, and staff training manuals are replete with inspirational advice on exactly how to get it right. This is how to lead a group. This is how to discipline...
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In Case Of Fire
Is your camp staff prepared in case of a fire on your property? Training staff to be aware of different types of fires — from electrical to fuel-based to grease fires in the kitchen — and teaching them...
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Pre-Camp Counselor Training
Camp directors all over the U.S. and Canada are putting together their training programs for counselors. Counselors as campers On every director’s list are safety procedures, camp policies, programming...
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Conference Aims To Help Stop Bullying
As camp directors, you want to do your very best to protect kids from bullying. A two-day conference at Miami University in Ohio offers strategies to counteract and prevent bullying. Keeping Kids SAFE:...
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Prepare Staff For The Worst
Is your camp staff prepared for what it will really encounter during a major incident? Do the members know how long it actually takes emergency crews to arrive on the scene? Have you prepared the...
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Lifelong Leaders
I had a surreal experience in February at the National Association of Independent Schools conference in Washington, D.C. I’d been invited to present a workshop called Cracking Kids’ Secret Code, one of...
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Future Leaders
Camp Basics Camp Eagle Ridge Location: Mellen, Wis. Type: Boys’ and girls’ leadership camp Mission: To develop strong leaders, healthy living skills and a sense of community responsibility Ages: 7 to...
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Camp Safety Resources
Safety is a key issue for all summer camps. Training your staff to handle emergencies and make sure everyone has fun safely is important. To that end, the Redwoods Group has created a Camp Safety...
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Squeeze In Some Extra Training
So much staff training, so little time? Take advantage of a few minute of down time to teach a camp song. Getting your camp staff ready for the summer means imparting tons of information. Are you...
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Staying Relevant
Among the most difficult leadership transitions is that from camper to staff member. Indeed, challenges facing new leaders include: Older, wiser -- and still relevant. • Impulsivity • Inexperience •...
View ArticleMidsummer Camp Safety Tips
Keep on your toes as the summer reaches its midpoint. Safety practices become more important as counselors, staff and campers get used to the summer’s routine — and lose a little focus. Here are the...
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Writing Camp Jobs On A Resume
Anyone who includes a camp job on a resume begins a fight. Thanks, in part, to movies like Meatballs, Friday the 13th, and Wet Hot American Summer, camp counselors must struggle against a pop-culture...
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Continuous Professional Development
“It’s like picking berries,” concluded the woman sitting next to me on the plane. I had just explained my seasonal commitment to provide in-person staff training for 22 camps and summer schools in the...
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Camps And Child Abuse
The Penn State football scandal has shocked us all. It resonates especially with camp professionals and those who work with children. Hopefully such a situation will never occur at your camp. But if it...
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Kids’ Big Fears: Part I
I came home for lunch one day in first grade and the house was empty. As a minute stretched into five and then 15, I became convinced that my mom was gone forever. Addressing kids' fears can make camp...
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Should You Hire A Guest Trainer?
When you are preparing for staff training, you might want to think outside the box. Sometimes a guest speaker can put a little energy into your staff training. The box that is your office, that is....
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Kids’ Big Fears, Part II
The catch in the woman’s voice and the emotional tone of her phone call suggested something terrible had happened. She told me that her sister–the mom of one of our campers–had died. How to help...
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Make Staff Training CAMP-y
As summer approaches, camp directors are preparing for staff training. Camp staff training is serious business, but don't forget to have some fun! Keep this acronym, from our friends at CampHacker, in...
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Leave The Baggage At Home
When you are planning your training for this summer’s camp staff, keep in mind the baggage they bring with them. Help your camp staff pack away their emotional baggage for the summer. No, we’re not...
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For Juniors’ Sake
First, the good news: Your youngest staff members possess a brand of exuberance, creativity, and playfulness that older employees do not. That positive energy is a tremendous asset to the camp. Junior...
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Manners Matter
Early in the history of organized summer camps, cooks sparked a debate. Yes, table manners DO matter! Photo courtesy of Christopher Thurber Directors on one side of the debate argued that camps should...
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Homesickness And Acculturation Stress
Research has shown that upwards of 95 percent of young people report at least some homesickness during a multi-week stay away from home. It isn’t always easy for international campers and staff to...
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Am I Oversharing?
Part I: Questions To Ask Before Show and Tell Hey, kids, gather ‘round. Let me tell you what I did on my night off, how far my romance has gone, and what I really think about the camp director. I can...
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Universal Vulnerabilities
In Part I of this series on maintaining professional boundaries with young people, I introduced the concept of a fiduciary, suggested the guideline of “Doubt = Don’t,” and outlined practical and...
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Bridging The Gap
Generation Y has come to be known by several different titles: The Internet Generation, Echo-Boomers, The Boomlet, Nexters, and most commonly, Millennials. Working with Generation Y staff can be...
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Children On The Autistic Spectrum
“How’s Max holding up?” I ask a camp director who recently agreed to host this camper with autism. A little understanding goes a long way in helping autistic campers succeed at camp. © Can Stock Photo...
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Be There To Show You Care
It’s time to have a conversation about young people and all the things they do that are wonderful, inclusive, respectful, and responsible. You have to do more than just wave a magic wand to get good...
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Provide Like A Parent
Look at this photo. Beautiful, isn’t she? I look in those big blue eyes, and I see hope, happiness, and joy. That is why I named this child Leelou Joy. It’s how I felt about becoming a parent. But...
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The Importance Of Candid Feedback
While the biggest worry for a camp counselor may be coping with a particularly difficult camper, the second-biggest worry is how to tell that camper’s parents—either at the child’s pick-up time after...
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Watch Out For One Another
Part III: How staff members can help each other observe professional boundaries When you see something, say something — in a kind and professional way. © Can Stock Photo Inc. / diego_cervo In Parts I...
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Courageous Ignorance
If you’ve seen my photo or met me at a conference, you might wonder what gives me—a white male—the qualifications or street cred to write about prejudice and diversity. And some would consider that...
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A Healthy Lead
Staff members are usually on top of their game until they start treating their job like one. Once young people lose sight of the importance of caring for other people’s children, taking unhealthy risks...
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Dazzling Surprises
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / SergeyNivens In the world of quantum physics, there is a good chance that if I throw a pebble at a brick wall, the pebble will teleport through to the other side, leaving the...
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Do You Want A Spanking?
Photos: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / PhotoEuphoria As an academic psychologist and practicing clinician, I’ve studied parent-child interactions in many settings—hospitals, clinics, university laboratories,...
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A Place For Grace
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / halfpoint After learning how to hold their miniature violins, the next thing 3-year old Suzuki students learn is how to perform a deep, gracious bow. Although the first notes...
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Mindful Practice
Photo: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / cannjbdmp88 “Practice makes progress” has replaced the phrase “practice makes perfect” in the lexicon of most teachers, coaches, and camp staff members. Maybe this is a...
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Novelty: Naughty or Nice?
Photo: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / diego_cervo It’s fun to ponder our love/hate relationship with newness. We wrap presents for birthdays, Chanukah, Christmas, and other special occasions, in part,...
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Teachable Moments
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / Feverpitched Children can sometimes be annoying. With that bold truism on the table, here is a logical question for Camp Business readers: What can be done about that? To...
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Healthy Competition Is Not An Oxymoron
Photo: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / serrnovik As a psychologist who works with schools and camps around the world, I am often asked whether competition is good or bad. Proponents of competition speak...
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Training Staff To Work With Special-Needs Campers
Photos Courtesy Of Camp CAMP Every spring, camps around the country turn their attention to recruiting, hiring, and training the staff that they hope will provide the best summer experience for...
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