Super Staff Training - with Emma Kennedy - Camp Code #70

Ruby Compton + Emmy Kennedy = Staff Training Brilliance!

Switching things up this week, Ruby is on her own interviewing the fantastic Emma Kennedy, Director of  “Camp La Grande Aventure…en Anglais” summer camp, from Saint-Donat, Quebec, Canada. Camp La Grande Aventure….en Anglais is an English camp for francophones. Emma’s camp is located close to Gabrielle’s Camp Ouareau, Emma and Gab share many of the summer camp leadership tricks and tools. In this episode, Ruby and Emma dissect summer camp training and the importance of starting training, before training officially starts. 

Keeping in touch before camp’s arrival is something that is now a top priority. Touchpoints with your teams prior to the start of camp allows your team to collaborate right from the start. The current pandemic has reinforced what camps already do, engage staff, engage early, or in Beth’s words…. Frontload! 

Another great idea Emma brings to Camp Code is the idea of “starting fresh”. When working with your leadership team, remove your past schedules and training materials and allow your leadership team to think outside of the box. That older material is always there for you to lean on, but allowing your leadership team to collaborate on what skills are required to be a good counsellor and what other training tools would allow your leadership team to succeed, and your camp to have another great summer. 

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 Practice

From Emma Kennedy

During staff training, take an evening offsite to do something as a group. A good example is to take your team out for ice cream and allow your team to talk, get to know one another and collaborate outside of the camp environment. 

Guest:

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Keeping it Drama Free When the World is Drama - Camp Code #69

Put out the spark before it becomes a dumpster-fire. Give your staff the tools to avoid and work through drama.

Summer camp staff are usually a tight-knit group. As well, the expectations of a happy go lucky summer with friends vs the hard reality of living together in community smack into each other. This type of cosmic splatter happens to any and every organization at one point or another. As leaders, it is our goal to manage that state of cosmic distraction. We work from having differences and bring our community from disruption to resolution and work to land on collaboration.

Working with people is complicated, you have to set the expectations at the beginning of staff training. As Beth says, by frontloading, it is easier for your staff to reach those attainable goals.

When you are faced with challenges, you can separate these in the two steps of analyzing the situation and work together to resolve issues. To do this, you can break the “views” into a quadrant so you can have a better understanding of other people's perspectives. An example of a view would be campers vs parents vs directors vs staff and dissecting each perspective and how each view can influence the outcome of your resolution.

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 Practice

From Beth Allison

Keeping camp drama free is going to be a challenge. If you flip this around and be the challenger, you can reward your staff who best made it through the week without any drama! Beth recommends a pin, keychain, bracelet or a t-shirt of a llama. Perhaps call it the “No-drama Llama” and make it visible to open it up as a discussion piece between staff and campers. 

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Discussing #metoo at Camp - Camp Code #68

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 had 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. 

Best Practice for Leadership TrainingThis one is simple; Choose to communicate rather than to assume. We all know what assumptions do!

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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 Practice

From Ruby Compton

This 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.

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Training Staff to Transition from Frontline to Leadership Team - Camp Code #67

How to help your future leaders see their future at camp!

Are you like Gab? Does your camp have that special “little black book?”.

You know, the one where you keep all the names of the campers and young staff that you just know will be great leadership team members someday?

As directors, we are always looking out for the future. We do this because the earlier you can identify who may eventually take on the senior roles at camp, the earlier that you can start to help them realize their potential and hone their skills.

How you do that is a whole other story - and it depends on the specific person. If they are a keener who recognizes their skill and may be a little over-ambitious or cocky, how can we help them understand the realities of the job they want and give them the patience they are lacking? Conversely, what happens if that person doesn’t realize their potential? What resources and experiences should you give them to not force them, but guide them to the idea that they have a prosperous camp career ahead of them?

It’s hard - but it’s also a good thing Gab, Beth and Ruby aren’t shy about tackling hard issues!

Tune in to this episode to give you over 40 minutes of great ideas that you can implement both now and this summer to plant the seeds of potential for your future leadership staff.

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/campcode

Leadership Training Best Practice

From Jacqui Raill (via Gabrielle Raill)

Raincoat treats - reminds staff that your rainy day programs need to be as good if not better than your sunny day programs. Put a reminder in the camp staff's raincoat pocket so they have a reminder later in the summer to keep the rainy program full of treats!

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Staff Who Aren't Great at the Very Beginning - Camp Code #66

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 questions

  • Involve 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/campcode

Leadership Training Best Practice

From 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!

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Staff Meetings Can Be Staff Training - Camp Code #65

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 environment

  • Use visuals - Staff are more likely to retain pertinent information when charts, wheels, pictures, or other visual tools are used

  • Don’t use rest hour - Rest hour is a sacred moment for your campers and staff, let them recharge

  • Get 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 Practice

From 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.

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Culture Shock and Training International Staff - Camp Code #64

How to help your domestic and international shock 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 in

  • Showcase the international staff’s culture, by introducing their food, games and songs to your staff

  • Assign 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 family

For 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/campcode

Leadership Training Best Practice

Credit: Ellen Nash - Camp Northland B’nai Brith

It’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.

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Thanks 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.

Training for the Transition from Camper to Staff - Camp Code #63

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How do you train the staff of tomorrow? Look no further than to your campers!

You might notice that this week, Ruby is steering the Camp Code ship by herself! Not to worry, the triumphant trio will be back next episode, and you’re going to love this one! 

Tune in to hear Ruby’s interview with Dan Davis, the Camp Director of Camp Rockmont. Dan has dedicated over three decades as a camp leader and has an abundance of knowledge to share with us. 

Transitioning Campers to Staff starts early on in your camp journey. Dan talks about doing little things such as putting returning campers further from the dining hall or the beach and giving them the slight responsibility of having to walk that much further and still being punctual for meals and activities. 

Have you ever wished you had a second chance at a job Interview? Dan talks about his experience with giving staff a second chance at an interview. Sometimes it can be eye contact or even slight body language that can make an interview start to go sideways. Dan and Ruby talk about getting a do-over and stopping an interview when things are going wrong, but taking that pause to address whatever it is that is not going well, then giving the opportunity to the potential staff to restart the interview process. If a potential staff member accepts the do-over and is able to make the small adjustments to have a better interview, it is a good indicator that you are interviewing someone that is capable of change, accepts criticism and most importantly, is really interested in the role they are applying for! 

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 Practice

From Ruby:

Never miss the opportunity to talk about reminding your staff to sit up, and take a deep breath when sessions are going long. What happens to the brain when you sit up and take a breath of fresh air can really get the body stimulated again. A bonus tip for today is to try to start every training with questions to be answered. This will allow both the trainer and trainee to understand that at the end of the session, a certain question is to be answered...creating a partnership between everyone involved.

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Special Guest

Thanks 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.

Conflict Between Staff - Camp Code #62

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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 a 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 story

  • Bring a reality check to the table

  • Identify the true impediment. 

Leadership Training Best Practice

From 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:

Thanks 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.