17 New Tips for Your Staff Training - CampHacker #70

Our Best Ideas for Leadership Training Your Camp Counsellors

 Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher App

Now that is how it's done!  Dan, Gab & I just had a 25 minute LIGHTNING ROUND of great ideas.  They were coming fast & furious.

On today's show we talked about ways to make sure you have a great Staff Training Week.  Each of us shared 3 or 4 of our best ideas - the things that we know will have an impact on how your camp runs this summer.

Listen in for the details but here's our list:

  1. Know your audience
  2. Put on your Leadership Glasses
  3. Do it with intention
  4. Develop (and teach) the Clientele Mindset
  5. Give them bathroom reading
  6. Change it up
  7. Make "how-to" videos
  8. Show videos of interviews with camp parents
  9. Break up the style of your presentation (did you know that at Ouareau they are limited to only 15 minutes of lecture-style delivery before they must change it up?)
  10. Develop Duty Ditties
  11. Write your question down
  12. Create a Theme for the week.  One of Frost Valley Y's was Build Strong
  13. Embrace your history.  Gab also suggested we highlight the shifts that the camp directors have make to keep camp growing
  14. Create a manual people will look at (check out this Camp Code podcast: Staff Manuals: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)
  15. At each area have 2 signs: What do Campers Need to Know? What do Staff Need to Know?
  16. Show your enthusiasm
  17. Create a culture that values sleep (thanks Dr. G!)  [Click to Tweet This!]

Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis - Replace your broken iPad or phone screen your self - kit
Dan - The Way of the Seal (book)
Gab - Big Stock

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Thanks for the evening, friends.

Facebook Secrets for Super Summer Camp Marketing - CampHacker #63

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher App

I'm so grateful to Blake Sunshine of SocialSummerCamp.com for joining me on this webinar.   I've chosen to put it up as a podcast (you can watch the YouTube version here or click along on the slides below).

The format of the webinar was pretty simple: I talk about great Facebook Content and Blake helps us understand how to create effective Facebook Advertisements.

No TOWs this week, sorry!

Combating Communicable Diseases at Summer Camp - CampHacker #56

Preventing Spread of Norwalk and Other Infections at Camp

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher App  (search for CampHacker)

I have often said that camp would be an amazing place for a public health researcher to take a look at the ways that diseases are spread throughout communities.   I have watched little things like pink eye or head lice (traumatic, but not life-threatening) run through camp in less than a day.

In this episode of the CampHacker Podcast Gab and I were thrilled to bring in Marty Ferguson from YMCA Camp Chief Ouray in Colorado.  Camp Chief Ouray has developed some very smart protocols to protect their camper and staff from diseases that can spread at camp.

We also had John MacDonald, my step-dad, who is a retired Health Inspector from Ontario, Canada.   John has had a long career in the public health field and was always a great resource to Beth and I.     

Thank you to both of them for being on the show! 

Download our Camp Kitchen Compliance Record

We hope you get lots from our discussion.   

If you have any questions about communicable diseases at camp please leave them in the comments below or send us a tweet to @CampHacker using the #CampPros hashtag.

 

Tool of the Week – Make yourself a better Camp Director

Travis: FocusatWill.com
Gab: Twitter for your desktop
Marty: Season of Life by Jeffery Marx
John: HACCP training 

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Thanks for the evening, friends.

Happy Kitchen, Happy Camp – CampHacker #34

Keeping Your Summer Camp Happy From the Kitchen Out

We all know that the kitchen is the heart of camp.  In this CampHacker podcast we shared our experiences and ideas for making the kitchen a wonderful place to work and to visit.

It was a real treat to have Jacqui Raill with us this week – we’ve heard so much about her from Gab (and me, too, probably – I look up to Jacqui a lot).

If you get a chance you should check out what Marc does outside of his camp job – he’s an artist.   Look at his Marc Cooper Art.

How do you keep your summer camp kitchen running smoothly?

Tool of the Week – make yourself a better Camp Director

(please note: Amazon products are affiliate links)

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