Explorer International Kids' and Teens' Camps
International Winter and Summer Kids' and Teens' Camps in Slovenia and Austria for 6-17 year olds
5 KEYS TO BEING A GREAT CAMP COUNSELOR
ensuring your home away from home is creating
long-lasting memories and friendships.
BEING A GREAT CAMP COUNSELOR
BEING THE HOST —ILLUMINATING THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM
Often when we talk about inclusion trainings, we are focused on including specific groups. For good reason, inclusion and diversity trainings tend to overlap and we have more work to do as an industry to include people from all backgrounds. At the same time, inclusion starts with welcoming. A camp counselor’s first job is to be the host of their group.
This starts with welcoming campers on opening day and continues through explaining the bizarre rituals, how meal and shower times work, and bringing new folks in on the inside jokes. We call this illuminating the hidden curriculum. The hidden curriculum includes all the unspoken lessons about a space that tend to be unsaid but are true. Understanding the hidden curriculum is what makes you an insider. The first job of camp counselors is to ensure their campers feel like insiders by illuminating the hidden curriculum.
BELONGING—BUILDING AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS
When kids feel like they are part of the larger community, they are happier, more fun to work with, and more likely to return to camp. After we have ensured that kids understand the hidden curriculum, the next step of our job as camp counselors is to set up the conditions for kids to make friends.
Three super simple ways to start the relationship process as a camp counselor:
- Know their names before camp and use kids’ names three times as soon as you meet them.
Make a list of all the kids in your cabin and a grid with each day they are at camp. Every day, make sure to have at least a one-minute one-on-one with each camper and add info to the grid.
On that same grid, make it your goal to know one thing each camper loves and write it next to their name.
CONNECTING WITH YOUR CAMPERS
BUSINESS - ESTABLISHING SYSTEMS
When I was an 21-year-old camp counselor, I was incredibly cocky and charming with kids. I will say, I was good at the building relationships and making memories side and mediocre at the business side.
A huge part of the camp counselor’s job is building a predictable and repeated structure for the campers in their care. Camp counselors build the sandbox for the kids to play in. We don’t have to be overly controlling, but we do need to set clear expectations and set kids up for success.
Building systems and writing them down not only helps the campers but also helps co-counselors be on the same page.
“Go to your rooms and …
- Put on your swimmers
- Flip flops
- Bring a towel
- Have a drink of water before leaving
And meet Steve and I here outside your rooms in 5 mins and we’ll walk down to the pool together. OK?”
“Go to your rooms and …
- Put on some warm clothes
- Make sure you have shoes NOT flip flops
- And meet Tomaž at the campfire in 5 mins. OK?”
“Go to your rooms and …
- Wash your hands
- Change any dirty clothing
- Go the toilet
And meet Catherine at the ping-pong tables in 5 mins and we’ll go to lunch together. OK?”
“Go to your rooms and …
- Put on appropriate clothing. Today it’s a little cold so bring jumper and good footwear
- Water
- A bag to put it all in
- Go to the toilet also
And meet Filipe at the ping-pong table where we’ll leave for the activity. OK?”
“Go to your rooms and …
- Make sure your room is clean
- Take off your dirty clothing and put it into your bag
- Have a shower
- Brush your teeth
- Go to bed
Steve will come check on you in 15 mins and see how you’re all doing. OK?”
memories - making magical moments
To me, this is the most fun part of being a counselor. This is where you build your credibility with your kids and bake fun into their time at camp.
These are classic events like taking kids on night walk to scare another group, deciding to sleep out under the stars, having an ice cream party, and building inside jokes with your group.
Everyone does this differently, but your goal is to create the kind of culture where the kids are proud to be in your group. This does not mean putting other groups down or creating conflict with other groups, just that kids take pride in being in your group.
Something catchy that you can yell while on camp moving from one point to the other.
Go around doing nice things like cleaning areas, putting up nice signs, etc.
Create an evening cafe just for your group with tea, hot chocolate, biscuits.
Wake the whole cabin up in silly ways with accents and costumes every morning
Create a carnival with your group that runs for other campers during their free-time.
#1 FOCUS - YOUR CAMPERS
Do you remember the days of taking care of only one person — yourself? Maybe you had siblings you helped with or you did some babysitting, but, for the most part, when you were at school, work or home, you looked out for number one: You made sure that you were fed, clothed, safe, and happy.
Well, this summer is a big 180 to that — a huge one. Seriously. We need to start and end each day thinking about our campers, what they need, and how we can best support them. And the rest of the time? We’ll need to show them, through our words and actions, that they are what you’re thinking about most. They need to feel that Explorer Camps really is a ‘home away from home.’
At each meal, at least one staff member should be with their group. Why? It brings a sense of togetherness and camaraderie amongst the group that brings everyone closer together. And, you’ll see that the campers will respect you even more.
Ask them, “How’s your day going?” or “Is there anything I can do to make camp more fun for you?” or “Who are you feeling closest to in our group?” Then listen to what they say; this will make your campers feel cared for and help them see you’re addressing their individual needs.
Learn as much about your campers before the camp and during it so that you can surprise them with activities or fun things connected to them. This could be a basketball game, or a tractor ride, or a special treat from the restaurant. Surprise them.
It’s important that ALL staff take some time for themselves to relax and get away from it all. However, at the same time it’s also important for campers to see their counselors using their free-time to simply hang out. It’s a great period of the day to connect with those campers in your group that feel a little left out or are quieter than the others.
No matter what, you’re on camp as a counselor NOT as a friend. So, it’s important that you set clear expectations from the very first day and constantly follow through with these expectations in a fair and respectful manner. Your campers need this to function properly on camp and will benefit greatly from it.
