9 Things You Might Be Surprised You Need To Teach Staff - Camp Code #102

Chalk 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!

  1. 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 organization

  2. How 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…”

  3. Matching/mirroring - finding new ways for your staff to build their own rapport with other people

  4. Life 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! 

  5. Teach staff how to do laundry. This sounds self-explanatory, but your staff may have never done laundry before in their life. 

  6. Silence is okay - become comfortable with the silence

  7. Teach 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.

  8. Learn a morning routine and how to conserve your energy to last all day

  9. Play, 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 Training

From 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.

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