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The 3rd annual Director's Camp will be held on September 28-30th, 2012. It looks like an amazing opportunity for camp directors with all levels of experience to grow in managing their programs. Register for Director's Camp here.
Uploaded by TheCampChannel on 2011-12-05.
Running a summer camp is a stressful business. In this presentation, summer camp consultant Travis Allison works through ways to "kick the arse of email, hand stress it's hat and out-muscle your To-Do list". This is very practical seminar that is available for you to download to use in your training (click on the Slideshare link).
Because Travis doesn't use a One-Slide-Many-Bullet-Points presentation style you may not get everything that this presentation has to offer just by looking at the slides.
If you are interested in Travis giving this presentation to your summer camp or private school organization, please fill out the Request a Speaker form.
Summer camp leader and podcaster Travis Allison teaches a simple system to organize your camp life and decrease your stress. Originally delivered at the Congres
View more presentations from Travis Jon Allison
One of the best things we do at summer camp is to help young people slow down and take stock of the gifts and talents they possess. Here is an activity that can be done during pre-camp or early in the group's time together. It encourages staff or leaders in training to share what they do well and to recognize the abilities of others. It can also incorporate the concept of growth throughout the summer.
Have everyone trace one of their feet onto construction paper and cut it out. Then have them decorate it with words or symbols telling about several of the things they do well. Have participants sit in a circle with their footprints and ask them to talk to the person next to them and tell that person about the 3 things they have written on their footprint.
Talk with your group about their gifts and talents. Ask if any of them found it hard to talk about a something they do well. While this exercise may not have been hard for some, it will have been difficult for others. We often find it uncomfortable to talk about things we do well. This is a great jumping off point to discuss how campers in their care may also find it hard to recognize their own gifts and talents and what the role of the staff will be this coming summer in building self-esteem.
Throughout the summer, you can have them add to their footprints new skills they have learned. During this initial activity, create a road of paper onto which the footprints can be placed. Throughout the week of pre-camp or during your summer, move the footprints along the road to signify your journey together. As the summer progresses, have the staff place markers along the road to signify special events in your months together.
This activity takes about an hour and a half in total. You will need a large sheet of newsprint per person (if you are using poster-sized newsprint, cut each sheet in half) and lots of scissors (one pair per person, if you can), glue and magazines (try to collect a variety of magazines from fashion to sports, home decor to adventure, etc.).
Turn on some great music in the background while you do this activity. Ask each person to take a look at the magazines and rip or cut out all the words and pictures that speak to them. Ask them not to think about it too much; just react. They will then glue all of them onto their own sheet of newsprint. This can take up to an hour. You would not think it will take this long but they will enjoy discussing all the things they find, the ads in the magazines, and the search.
Be sure to give them 10 and 5 minutes warnings of when you expect them to be finished. On your signal, ask them to pair up with someone they do not know very well and share their “map of life”. Ask them to explain why they chose these words and images and why it is displayed as it is.
After both partners have had a chance to share, ask the members to examine their own work. Ask them to decide what is important to them, what is missing in their life and what they want to change. Have them WIBYT (Write It Before Your Talk - Thank you, Michael Brandwein!) these thoughts in their journals; explain they will not be shared with anyone.
As staff gather each morning during training, have them sit in small groups and make a list of goals for that day. At the end of each evening, have these groups reconvene to discuss the accomplishment of these goals. You may wish to switch groups around each day or keep them the same. Purchase a few journals and label them ‘Our Goals For Training’ (or for the summer if you plan to continue it). Have them ready and set out at the beginning of each morning. Soon enough, the staff will get into the routine of writing in them when they gather and will already be started on great goals for the day before you begin your first session!
Having had the privilege of working with youth for decades now has taught me that they really do want to do something important with their lives and often just need a nudge in the right direction. At camp, we have the opportunity not only to role model this kind of living but also to intentionally discuss it with our campers and staff. This week, we offer up 2 ideas that you can put in your arsenal for next summer - for pre-camp training, for working with your Leaders in Training, or for working with your teen campers.
Ask your youth to get into pairs. Have them discuss their answers to the following questions:
After you have had ample time for discussion, divide into groups of 3 or 4. Within 15-30 minutes, have each group perform a small service project around the camp where they practice at least one random act of kindness (they may choose to leave a note for the kitchen staff thanking them for all the hard work, they may choose to clean the bathrooms, or they may set and decorate for the next meal, etc.) The purpose is to show that we can find a simple and creative way to serve in a short amount of time. Gather together before you are all finished and have each group share their experiences.
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Travis & Beth Allison are Summer Camp Community Consultants. Click the links to Request a Quote for Leadership Training Consulting or the CampHacks Marketing system.
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