Real Talk: How We're Taking Our Minds Off COVID-19 - CampHacker #128
Real Talk. Dealing with COVID and camp is hard and we can’t keep going at this 24/7. What are Travis, Dan and Joe doing to avoid thinking about COVID-19?
You may be a work-horse. You have been the camp counsellor who stayed up until 3 am to finish that extra special surprise for your campers. You may have been the Program Director who spent hours upon hours trying to quash staff drama. You may have even spent the night pouring over accreditation standards and thinking about every little detail you needed to fix before your standards visit the next day.
You may have been able to do that, but COVID-19 and camp is not that.
When we are dealing with something this ominous, we more than ever need to set mental boundaries. We’re not talking about taking a 15-minute mindfulness break, or trying to re-frame this all as an opportunity, or simply trying to just keep working to deal with this.
You need a mental pause, and to take a second to take off the mask of security and strong leadership that you put on for your staff, families and alumni.
And if you think that this is the mindset of amateurs in the industry, it most certainly is not.
We wanted to get real with you on this episode of the CampHacker Podcast. This is Travis, Dan and Joe talking about what they, as people with a combined almost 100 years in the industry are doing to protect their sanity during this unprecedented time in the camping world.
Tune in to hear our 3 hosts share their favourite Podcasts, Books, Music, TV Shows and Hobbies that they use to switch their brains from the mentally, physically and emotionally taxing jobs of keeping their programs, and the industry as a whole, alive.
Editors Note: I’m extremely grateful to Joe, Dan and Travis for their radical openness and vulnerability in this episode.
What are you doing to intentionally foster community and empathy with your team? Let us know in the comments!
Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director
Travis: Custom Zoom Signs - Vote, SMRT, and “You’re Muted”
Dan: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
Joe: Yo-Yo Tricks - https://yoyotricks.com/
Your Hosts:
Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - CampHacker.TV, Founder at Go Camp Pro
Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams Summer Camp & Retreat Facility
Dan Weir, Sr. Director - Youth Development, Summer Camp, & Strategic Initiatives - YMCA of Long Island