Free Boundaries at Camp Training for Summer Camp Counselors

Since a few people were able to use my last virtual training on Homesickness, I decided to share all of my virtual trainings. This training is regarding boundaries at summer camp. The training primarily focuses on boundaries that should occur between counselors and campers. 

Please feel free to make a copy of the training and adjust it to fit the needs of your camp. 

• The training includes the following topics:
• What are professional boundaries
• Why are boundaries important
• Technology and boundaries
• Physical boundaries
• Confidentiality
• Red light, green light, you’re fired scenarios
• Consequences of not respecting boundaries

Everything is based on my experience in the camp field (8+ years) and information from the American Camping Association. The "Red Light, Green Light, You're Fired" scenarios are partially from the book Developing a Counselor-in-Training Program for Camps by Eric Nicastro, Jessica Furrie, and Rachel Saslove. I did change some of the original scenarios. 

If you're interested in more trainings, make sure to follow my blog. I will be posting more soon. All of these trainings are a part of an 8 hour virtual training session that I am hoping to use with my new staff. 

Boundaries at Camp Training: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1eF8lLxibOJ_o1_vxKPeizsoDJMtao5EJ7kh2JwxL4C8/edit?usp=sharing

Free Homesickness Training Deck for Summer Camp Counselors

 I want to take the opportunity to share some of my resources with other camp professionals. This resource is a Google Slide presentation for new counselors or counselors in training to learn about homesickness. The training can be used on its own or in combination with other material.  There are notes to help with delivery of the presentation. 

The training goes over the following topics:

• Definition of Homesickness
• Identifying Common Symptoms
• Identifying Common Triggers
• Preventative Strategies
• Strategies for When Homesickness Occurs
• Dealing With Parents
• Example Scenarios

All material is based on my experience in the camp field (8+ years) and information from the American Camping Association. 

Please enjoy! Feel free to make a copy of the slides and change the information to fit with your camp.

If you like the training, make sure to share this blog so that others can use it as well. :)

Homesickness 101: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16uRUlhA4ZIZEWTvtmboTXJSaCIY4OQVHnJDxVvMqzVU/edit?usp=sharing

Five Reasons You Should Become a Camp Counselor

 

I LOVE my job and it all came about because I decided to work as a summer camp counselor during my sophomore year of college rather than continuing to flip burgers at McDonald's. While camp counselors are not always paid the best, there are some serious perks to the job that you can't find anywhere else. If you're on the fence about taking a counselor position, here are five reasons that you should go for it:

1. FUN

The title says it all. Being a camp counselor is one of the most rewarding and fun jobs that you will ever have! From hanging out in the pool on your weekend off to a shaving cream war with your campers, you'll have the opportunity to feel like a kid again. There is a good chance that you will take on a few new hobbies while you're at camp. 

2. Your Resume Will Thank You

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING looks better on a resume for a job than a camp counselor position. Camp counselors develop skills in leadership, time management, empathy, problem-solving, communication, patience, and more! These are all things that potential employers like to see. I credit camp for making my resume competitive and helping me get my first teaching job. I rocked my interview and was able to use a ton of applicable experiences from summer camp. 

3. Friends

If you work at a summer camp, it is likely that you will make at least one good friend by the end of the summer. I was lucky enough to meet two of my best friends at camp. We still stay in touch regularly today. Both of my best friends from camp were in my wedding and I love them to pieces. When you spend an entire summer with someone you learn a lot about each other. Of course, you won't be friends with everyone you meet, but generally, the friends you do meet at camp will be long lasting. 

4. Valuable Skills and Certifications

Working as a camp counselor is a great way to strengthen your leadership skills, but leadership is not the only skill you'll gain. Typically camp counselors get certified in first aid and CPR, archery instructing, and lifeguarding. These are all excellent skills to have if you plan on working with children and can even be put to use for other jobs. 

5. Room and Board

This perk is often overlooked when applying for a camp counselor position, but it is a valuable perk. Most overnight camps provide you with a place to stay during your time off AND cover your food for the camp season. While it might not seem like much, a close to $0 grocery bill each month will add up to big savings down the road. If you're lucky you're camp will even let you use some of the camp amenities on your time off. Imagine having a pool and/or lake to swim in all time! 

If you've already been a camp counselor, what was your favorite part of the job? Tell us in the comments! 

Funny and True Stories of a Summer Camp Director

Working at camp for the last 8 years, I have acquired a lot of great stories. Some stories are from before I was Camp Director and some are more recent. I've chosen my top three stories to share with you. I hope you're able to get a good laugh in today. 

1. The Chicken

This story doesn't exactly have to do with camp, but it happened while I was there, so I felt it was worth sharing.

It was my third summer working at camp and my job was the activity coordinator. This meant that I had to plan and implement all of the activities happening at camp. Naturally, a part of the position was going into town to make supply runs. 

On my way to Walmart (the only store in town that carries what I need), I go past a few rural properties. One of the properties has about twenty chickens that they let roam loose through their yard. Typically the chickens stay relatively close to the yard and rarely jut out into the middle of the road. This day was a different story. As I was passing the house, one of the chickens ran out in the center of the road. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop fast enough and with a large THUD, I hit the chicken straight on. 

I am a sucker for animals and immediately felt terrible. I had just hit someone's pet chicken (probably wasn't actually a pet, but at the moment that is what I thought). So, naturally, I did what any good samaritan would do and I went to the door to let the family know that I hit their chicken. After a few knocks at the door and arousing the dog  (right next to the vicious dog sign), I determined that there was no one home. Instead of simply leaving and moving on in life, I thought it was prudent to write a note. Working at camp, it might seem logical that I would always carry paper on hand. Today, I had no paper in my car. After searching my car for upwards of 5 minutes, I used the only items I had - a used Taco Bell wrapper and a brown Crayola marker. 

As the question swirled through my head of what to leave on the note, I finally settled on a simple message. "I'm sorry I killed your chicken. Call me at xxx-xx-xxx." Why I decided to leave my phone number, I will never know. It wasn't like I was expecting someone to give me a call back about their dead chicken and the note left on a Taco Bell wrapper. 

Of course, I couldn't just leave the poor chicken in the middle of the road. I decided to carefully move the chicken from the road to the steps of the house. Thankfully, I had my first aid kit along (a camp essential) and pulled out a pair of quality latex gloves before touching the body. After the body was properly positioned, I sped off as fast I could to Walmart since I was likely going to be late for the upcoming activity. 

When I arrived back at camp, of course, my co-workers questioned my whereabouts. I was typically a very speedy shopper, so they wanted to know what the hold-up was. I started explaining the story of the chicken I started crying (that was embarrassing). While my eyes filled with tears, my co-workers started laughing hysterically. And that is when I realized that my camp friends would soon be my best friends. 

2. The Tampon

Before this story begins, let me make it clear that I do not recommend any of the actions that take place in the story. Looking back, I made a rather poor decision, but it makes for a funny story now. 

My first summer as a counselor, I had the wonderful opportunity to work in a troop camp setting. Troop camp involves working with girls and their Troop leaders. 

On Tuesday morning, our group of girls and troop leaders was scheduled to go to the lake. The lake is about a ten-minute hike from camp, so the girls and troop leaders were busy getting ready for the short hike. After about 15 minutes, I realized that we were going to be late for our scheduled activity. This wasn't a huge deal, however, I decided that I should check on the troop to make sure that everything was okay. They had been in the bathroom for well over 20 minutes. 

As I approached the door to the bathroom, I heard what sounded like some sort of dying animal. Crazy thoughts raced through my mind. Are they killing a small animal? Is someone hurt? I politely knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. The bathroom does have stalls, so I wasn't expecting to interrupt anyone's privacy.

When one of the troop leader's opened the door, I saw something that I certainly did not expect. A young girl was laying on the floor bawling her eyes out as a troop leader (pretty sure it wasn't her legal guardian) was trying to insert a tampon up her vagina. At first, I wasn't sure how to respond to the situation. My natural instincts from years of working in customer service prompted me to ask the following, "Is there anything I can do to help?" I wasn't sure what I was expecting for an answer to this question. 

After a brief moment of awkward silence, the troop leader said, "maybe this would work better if you helped her." I explained to the troop leader that we have many girls who choose not to wear tampons while swimming in the lake and that she really would not need a tampon in to go swimming. The troop leader insisted that mom (who was on the phone) at the time would like the girl to have a tampon in for swimming.  Without thinking of the potential consequences, I agreed to help the girl insert her tampon. 

I have had a lot of experience with blood, vomit, other bodily fluids, etc. At 20 years old, this was my first experience helping someone insert a tampon. At first, I wasn't sure what to do. The girl was screaming "please NO, please No" over and over again. I decided that the only way to get the job done was to just do it. I told the girl that the train was coming into the port and shoved the tampon in her vagina. The girl stopped screaming and said, "It's in?" 

Once I confirmed that the tampon was in, the girl gave me a very awkward hug. I wasn't sure what to say, so I simply left the bathroom and told the troop leaders I would meet them by the picnic table in five minutes. Oddly enough, my first-year camp counselor self saw little issue with what I had done and continued the day as normal. 

3. The Squirrels and Racoon

My first summer as a camp director it took me some time to get acquainted to the animal sounds in my rustic cabin. The most alarming sound came from inside the wall of my shower.  It was my second day on the job when I heard what sounded like a human being clawing the walls of my shower at 1:30 am. I jumped up from bed (pepper spray in hand) ready to take down whoever dared to enter my cabin. Heart pounding, I reached for the shower curtain expecting a person to jump out. When I pulled on the curtain, the sound stopped and there was nothing there. Just an empty shower. At this point, I was slightly confused and in a tired trance. I decided to let it go and head back to bed.

Fast forward a week and I heard the sound again. This time, my husband (who previously called me crazy when I told him about the situation) was with me. I made my husband go check it out hoping that he would find something. As soon as my husband entered the bathroom, the sound stopped. Once again, there was just an empty shower. The noise like this went on and off for quite some time. Around midsummer, I started noticing a mysterious brown sludge dripping down from the shower handle. Now I knew it was time to get the property manager involved.

I explained the situation to my property manager (who I am pretty sure also thought I was crazy about hearing the noises) and he said that he would take a look. Upon a close inspection of shower, he found that squirrels had made a nest inside my shower wall. Naturally, I expected that he would remove the squirrels from the wall of my shower. Instead, he sealed the hole where the squirrels got in and left the squirrels inside the wall. Within a week or so, my cabin started to reek of a dead body. Febreeze and I became good friends during that time. 

A  couple of weeks later (near the end of camp), I hear a similar scratching sound in the early morning, however, this time, it sounded like it was coming from the back wall of my cabin outside. My first thought was that it must be a squirrel trying to make its way back into my shower wall. Instead of leaving the creature be, I decided that it was my responsibility to stop the animal from getting back in. With no shoes, my patterned nightgown, and an alarm clock (why I had this, I'm still not sure) in hand, I bolted out of bed and ran to the back of my cabin. When I reached the back of my cabin, I did not find a squirrel. Instead, I found a raccoon.... with five babies. The momma racoon looked ticked, so instead of walking away, I threw my alarm clock at it. This did not end well. 

One hour later I explained to my staff that I was heading out to the local hospital to get a rabies shot. This was my first time ever getting a rabies shot (hopefully my last time) and I was expecting to be similar to getting a vaccine. It was not. A rabies shot involves a catheter-like needle that is half an arms-length long repeatedly being stabbed into your deltoid muscle.  I was also under the impression that this shot would be a one and done, but it turns out that you have to go back for a second round. Needless to say, if I get bit again I will just be taking my chances. 

How to Hire Camp Staff on a Budget

 It is not a secret that businesses have been having trouble finding and retaining employees. This has been an even larger ongoing struggle in the world of summer camp. As camp director's we depend on having the correct number of staff to keep things running smoothly. 

I'm very thankful that I have not had any issues in the last three years with hiring and have spent a total of $0 on advertising. I have always had plenty of staff to choose from during the hiring process. I want to help other camps that are struggling, so here are my best tips. 

1. Revamp your CIT Program

This tip might not help you right at this moment, but it will be a game-changer in the future. I entirely revamped our CIT program to ensure that our CITs take away the skills to become great counselors. Part of this process involves allowing our CITs to come back as junior counselors. Since I work for a Girl Scout camp, junior staff do not count in my ratio. Because of this, we avoided hiring them after their completion of the CIT program. This led to many potential staff moving on from camp and finding an alternative summer job. Instead, we offer paid junior counselor positions. The starting pay is less than a regular counselor, but so are the responsibilities. This has worked out amazing as most of my junior counselors come back as counselors when they are 18. I was also able to use them in other roles such as kitchen and assisting with set-up. This was actually a huge help! 

2. Use Facebook Groups

This is my number one secret to finding and hiring quality staff. Many potential staff are already on Facebook and scroll through their newsfeeds regularly. I've found that posting into applicable Facebook groups is the perfect way to get your job seen by thousands. To accomplish this, I find Facebook groups of local colleges in my state and I ask to join them. With permission from the admin, I advertise my position to interested college students. I also post in other relevant local groups such as job boards, hiking groups, and community event pages. The college parent pages also work great as many parents are encouraging their kids to get jobs! I get at least 2-3 applicants a week with this method. 

3. Evaluate Your Pay Scale

While advertising is effective, it is important to remember that you are not the only camp in your area. Make sure that your wages are competitive with camps nearby. Generally speaking, if you want quality staff, you need to pay them a quality wage. Make sure to mention any additional perks to the pay such as free housing, food, free laundry, use of facilities on weekends, providing certifications, etc. While we know that working at camp is more about the experience than the salary if a potential staff can have a similar experience down the road for $100 more per week they're going to quickly shoot down your offer. 

4. Retention 

This is something that I have worked really hard on over the last three years and it has paid off. It is much easier to hire returning staff than to find all new staff. Going into my first summer, there were no returning staff. I now have a retention rate of 68%, which is awesome! To achieve this percentage, I really had to value each of my staff and provide them with the training and time off that they needed. I had to constantly provide staff with feedback and check in on them regularly. 

5. Use Your Returning Staff

Last year, I started an incentive for returning staff to help me advertise. Chances are that your returning staff have friends or family members who might make a good camp staff. The incentive does not have to be huge. I offered a free camp staff sweatshirt to any staff member who recruited new staff. It is important to include some stipulations such as the new staff member must sign the hiring letter, works a certain number of days, etc. You don't want staff abusing the system. I was able to hire three staff this way last summer and two of them are returning! 

6. Advertise Outside of Your Geographical Area

About 30% of my staff are from out of state. Many of my out-of-state staff are my best staff and return year after year. It really opens up the pool of applicants. You would be surprised how many people are interested in working in a different state over the summer. The key when hiring out-of-state staff is to make sure that they will be excellent additions to your team. The last thing you want is to fire a crazy staff member and have to wait several days before their plane takes off. I don't use international staff as that is an entirely different process and can be rather expensive. 

7. Indeed

I've hired a decent amount of staff using Indeed for free. It does take a bit more time as not all of the applicants are great. I have wasted a fair amount of time waiting for potential candidates for an interview only to be "ghosted." Thankfully, I have found several extremely successful candidates as well. My best advice is to look through the applications carefully and only interview those who seem to fit your criteria and are responsive. 

If you're looking for more suggestions or have even more great ideas, send me a message. I would love to get in touch. 

5 Things I learned During my First Summers as Camp Director

 This upcoming summer will be my third summer as a camp director and 8th summer working at camp! Time sure does fly by fast! When reflecting on my first two summers, I found that I learned a LOT! Here are my top five things that I learned during my first summers as a camp director:

1. Staff will not tell you when there are issues

I went into my first summer with the mindset that if a staff member did not bring an issue to my attention, everything was fine. I quickly found out that this was definitely the wrong approach. As it turns out, many staff members prefer not to tell you they are struggling until the end of camp. While this might seem frustrating (trust me, it was), I realized that the error was mine. I failed to check in with staff when they needed someone to check in with them. Since incorporating weekly check-ins problems are addressed and handled with ease (most of the time). Next summer, I am planning to have 1-on-1 meetings with everyone on my admin team in an effort to close the communication gap. 

2. Job descriptions are important 

This might seem like a "well duh" statement. Unfortunately, I decided to skimp when it came to creating and going over job descriptions. I simply used the job descriptions that were already in place. Big mistake! As it turns out, a lot has changed in the last 15 years. While I presented every staff with a job description, I did not put enough emphasis on actually reading the job descriptions. Another big mistake! I now require all staff to read and sign their updated job description and even created a PowerPoint that pulls certain parts from the description to ensure they understand what they need to do on the job. 

3. Don't skimp on staff training

Staff training is the last place to skimp. My first summer, I went in with a lot of assumptions about what my staff should know. It turns out, most of my assumptions were wrong. I first realized this during the 5th week of summer when over half of the returning staff did not know how to start a campfire or comfort a homesick camper. Let's just say that we had a few rough weeks and sleepless nights. I now do a pre-camp survey of skills so that I can really focus on the needs of my staff during training. I also added a lot of "simple skills" to the training schedule. For the staff that already know what they are doing it is a great opportunity for them to step up into a leadership position. I've also incorporated pre-camp trainings that include job description basics and a day in the life and camp. 

4. Feed your camp staff good food

I will be the first to admit that I am not a great cook. Unfortunately, being a cook sometimes is a part of the job when it comes to being a camp director. My kitchen staff often don't start until our campers come. This means that I am responsible for planning and creating meals during staff training. Let's just say two weeks of wraps and sandwiches gains little appreciation. My plan for next summer is to allow my staff to be more involved in the meal plan process and learn some great crock-pot recipes! I will also be assigning staff the responsibility of cooking meals on set days. When staff are not fed well, it tends to lead to excessive crankiness and a lack of learning. 

5. Hiring.

Let's just say that I have learned a lot about the hiring process. Finding great staff is crucial to a great summer and sometimes it just takes one bad apple to destroy the rest of the team. I'm thankful that I have been able to find plenty of staff each summer and have a good group of returning staff. I'll be posting some hiring tips in my next blog, so be sure to check back soon. 

Essential Items Every Camp Counselor Needs

 I've spent my last 8 summers working at camp. While I'm now a Camp Director, I started out as a counselor. Through my summers spent at camp, I learned what items are helpful and what items are not needed for the camp counselor. My packing list changed from "bringing everything but the kitchen sink," to pack the essentials for a successful summer. If you're thinking of heading off to summer camp this coming summer, consider packing the following essentials. You won't be sorry that you packed these items. 

1. Tie-dye

If you are into trending fashion, the number one fashion at summer camps across the nation is tie-dye! My camp staff LOVE tie-dye, but most of them also have a tight budget. I have spent hours searching the web for the perfect tie-dye options at a great price. If you're looking for the perfectly priced tie-dye in tons of options, check out these tie-dye creations on Amazon:

Tie Dye Tshirts

2. Comfortable Walking Sandals

Some camps have different requirements for footwear. Thankfully, my camp allows counselors to wear sandals as long as they have backs. That being said, there are many sandals with backs that are deemed inappropriate for long hikes through camp. If you can afford it, Keens, Tevas, or Chacos are the popular shoes of choice. Many people choose Keens because they also have close-toed options. If you're like me and don't want to spend the majority of your paycheck on shoes, try these instead: Vivakix Walking Sandals. I am very picky about my sandals and I find these more comfortable than Chacos and they have lasted me two summers! 

3. The Perfect Backpack

A backpack is essential for working at any camp. It will hold everything you need throughout the day and can be used for overnight trips. While I am all about saving money, a backpack is not an item where I am willing to skimp. I have tried a total of seven different kinds of backpacks. My first six backpacks only lasted one summer or less (a broken backpack mid-season is the worst). My current pack has gone through two summers and is still going strong. This Osprey Backpack is by far my favorite. Be careful when picking out colors because not all options have a water bottle holder. For me, a place to stash my water bottle is essential. 

4. Multiple Sturdy Waterbottles

Drinking water is SO important when you are a camp counselor. It can be easy to forget and drinking fountains are not always available. Since you will be working primarily outdoors and around children all day, it's important to get something sturdy that will hold up to the elements. I always like to have a couple on hand just in case. My favorite is the Camelback Chute. I always buy Camelback because of the lifetime guarantee. I've had several water bottles and parts replaced over the years and it has always been super simple. The bottles themselves are incredibly sturdy. I prefer the chute option because the options with mouthpieces tend to be prone to mold. 

5. Personalized Beach and Shower Towels

A towel is essential for any trip, but especially essential if you are a camp counselor. After endless days of lifeguarding at the pool or assisting at the lake, you're going to want more than one towel. After losing my fair share of towels at camp, I advise ordering custom towels with your name or camp name. These Personalized Beach Towels are adorable and affordable! 

6. First Aid Kit

While many camps provide counselors with a first aid kit for campers it is often shared between counselors. It's best to always have basic first aid supplies readily available. You just never know when a camper (or even you) will need a band-aid! I recommend this Basic First Aid Kit. It is the perfect size to clip right on your backpack and has everything you will ever need. 

7. Headlamp or Flashlight

This one might seem silly, but I recommend it for several reasons. While your phone works great in a pinch, the flashlight will quickly drain your battery and not all camps are equipped with outlets in sleeping areas. Additionally, some camps don't even allow cellphones (oh the horror) to be used when campers are present. I recommend this headlamp because it is extremely durable and can be charged during the day so you don't need to worry about changing batteries. As a bonus, it's water-resistant! 

8. Shower Caddy

If you're unsure of your showering situation, it's best to pack a showering caddy. If you have to lug your shower supplies from one building or even room to another you don't want to throw all your wet items in your backpack and risk leaks. I love this shower caddy because it is adorable and versatile, but there are cheaper options out there. 

9. Sleeping Bag

It's important to note that not all camps offer temperature-controlled sleeping environments. While most nights will likely be warm, it's important to be prepared for cool nights. A sleeping bag will keep you warm and toasty and can also provide a bit of extra padding for not so comfy spaces. I prefer a lightweight sleeping bag that is easy to carry on trips if needed. This one is my favorite and is also affordable! 

10. Cards

Many camps don't offer Wifi and it is always a nice gesture to send a card home. There's a good chance you might even end up a little homesick and a quick note to someone you care about can be a quick remedy. As a counselor, I also kept a few cards and envelopes on hand for homesick campers. My favorite it this pack because of the quantity and price. You can also find some cute cards at your local Dollar Tree if you don't wish to buy in bulk. 

What's on your summer camp essentials packing list? Have something to add? Tell us in the comments!