By CampHacker

By Camp Code Podcast

By CampHacker

By Camp Code Podcast

By CampHacker

By The Camp Owners Podcast

By Camp Code Podcast

By CampHacker

By Camp Code Podcast

By CampHacker

The most basic human desire is to be able to fit in. In this episode, our hosts dive into stereotypes, managing life pressures and teaching our staff how to build self-esteem, create their potential and give them the superpowers required to battle any self-esteem issue. As Ruby identifies, in order for summer camp leaders to teach self-esteem, it i…

We can go beyond acceptance. One of the things we all know to be true about camp is how much better of the world would be if EVERY child spent at least one week at camp. With that in mind, it’s important that we are consistently looking at how we are best serving campers and families that may be under-represented in our camp communities. Newsflash!…

It All Starts with Trust! Managing summer camp staff, no problem...managing summer camp staff that don’t trust one another, that is where the challenge lays. Having staff sharing information, collaborating and working toward common goals is the foundation of trust and can bring the best out of your staff. Beth defines trust as reliance on the chara…

Because you’re not in this alone. It wouldn’t be the revelation of the century if we said that being a full-time Camp Pro can be incredibly lonely. Most of us work in small (or solo) teams, we usually are the only person in our part of the hierarchy, we manage many people (and their emotions) and we work incredibly hard. If we don’t think about bui…

Teach your staff and campers the value of #getoutside! Stop reading these show notes and just get outside! Leadership Training Best Practices Your Hosts: Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - CampHacker.tv Ruby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors…

Being not just productive, but effective. This is an episode for the off-season. It’s an episode that you may need when camp is quiet and you’re in the sweet spot where the summer is still fading and the next one is not yet coming. As a camp director, your brain is the most important resource you have. It would be an understatement to say that ther…

Camp is weird! Let’s help staff navigate. Building off of what we learned from Episode 56, we wanted to focus on some of the findings our Camp Directors friends came across this past summer. Focusing on the outside world, and fitting in on some the cultures we develop at camp, we want to focus on some guidance to help prepare your staff for a summe…

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! TIME TO FACE THE STRANGE Is it stuck in your head yet? Gotchya! Change. A 6 letter word that can start a revolution. Change. The nemesis of the phrase “we’ve always done it like that”. Change. One of the hardest things about being a full-time camp professional. Change. Absolutely necessary. The moment we stop changing as an ind…

After a shortened Season 6 and a lot of questions from fellow listeners, WE ARE BACK with Season 7. This episode is dedicated to those moments where you as a camp director see something and say, “Are You Freaking Kidding Me!?”. Our hosts Beth, Ruby and Gabs have plenty of experience as Camp Directors and they are here to share stories of times wher…

Learn outside of camp, to lead at camp. Following along with our last episode’s theme of learning, we wanted to bring this podcast episode to you at a time where you may be planning your professional development for the year. However, even if you aren’t, it’s never too early or late to start thinking about how to invest in your professional develop…

More and more directors are saying they are finding their staff less and less willing to make decisions. In a world where there are constantly more options available to us, to make a decision can be downright paralyzing. Listen in as Gabz, Ruby, and Beth discuss their best ideas for helping to empower and educator your staff on being smart decision…

We are always learning. We’re back! After another wonderful summer of camp, Travis, Gab, Dan and Joe are here for Season 9 of the CampHacker Podcast. To get things started, our hosts share the biggest lessons that they learned from their 2019 camp season. That’s right, even these camp pros with over 50 years of combined experience are still learnin…

Tools, Podcasts, Books and Strategies for Sustainability as a Camp Pro One of the best things about being a long time camp pro is that every year, we essentially find ourselves doing the same cycle over and over again. While this can be tiring, even exhausting, if we think about it another way, it’s also an incredible opportunity to get better and …

Camper today, camper tomorrow, camper for life. This is the time of year (January, for those tuning in later) where we are really starting to think about bums in bunks. Your registrations are starting to roll in and your dedicated, long-time camp families have picked their sessions and things are looking good. Take a second and think about those re…

Hey Camp Mavericks. We’re excited to be setting the Day Camp Pod free this week! We also want you to know what is up with then next episode: the first First Class Counselor episode. There will be at least 5 more happening this season. Oliver and Matt have been working with me to bring in the First Class Counsellor podcast to the CampHacker feed. Ou…

It would be easy for the hard and fast overnight camp pros to see “Day Camp” in the title and move on. Don’t do that. There are logistical differences with both models of summer camp, but it’s so easy to see that what is relevant and pertinent to one, is the same for the other. Rituals, traditions, culture, integration, camaraderie, it’s a part of …

Hey! Welcome back! We hope that you had an incredible summer. We also hope that you’ve had an incredible chance to take a breath and reflect on the magic that surely happened this summer. Or even, to not think about camp and…you know…sleep! Whether you’re still recovering, coming out of hibernation, or still in the busy season, it’s time to start s…

Gabz, Beth, and Ruby have spent the last several months working with Colette and Kim from ACA Illinois to put together the first annual Women in Camp Summit. Patti Sampson of Patchwork Marketplace teamed up with the Camp Code co-hosts to do a crossover episode of the podcast to talk about this exciting event. Check out the Rec Heads and Camp Nerds …

Leadership training is important for everyone at camp Many camps have some portion of their staff comprised of volunteers. Be it your nurse for the week who is also a camper parent and trading their work for their child's camp tuition or a community member who simply loves to give back to camp, it is important that these folks get trained too. If y…

Training staff for when it is time to move on Every camp director has had that staff member who needs to move on from camp but having the conversation can be difficult. Tune in to hear Beth, Gabz, and Ruby share their best tips for having those conversations now and how to build this idea of "growing elsewhere" into your camp culture so anyone in y…

Video continues to be a powerful resource in this day and age. Beth, Gab, and Ruby discuss 12 more of their favorites that can be incorporated into staff training this year. Gabz Videos Misunderstandings Knowing our limits Visual Note Taking This Grandma Is Trying To Use Google Home Beth’s Videos Raising Successful Kids Transgender Kids Failure is …

Teaching campers and staff about consent in a vitally important way Though recent headlines have brought this concept to the forefront, this has been a conversation that has been ongoing. This is not a fad conversation and right now, there is an opportunity for youthe development professionals to dive deep and make influence real change in the worl…

How much time do you spend in meals during camp? Meal times offer opportunities for connections and teaching and every second of staff training is valuable. Every person has to eat. Can these three truths come together and help relieve the time pressure so many of us feel during staff orientation? Consider how much of your summer is spent collectiv…

Deciding what to tell and what to practice during leadership training It can be tricky to strike a balance between sharing with staff why certain topics they learn during staff training are important with the time invested in practicing the skills they are taught. Join Beth, Gab, and Ruby for a discussion about how to get just the right mix of thin…

Staff training after everything's gone beautifully When things go wrong, we tend to analyze and question what could have been done differently and how to prevent these scenarios from playing out again. Sometimes, we have really fantastic summers when everything pretty much goes as, or better than, planned. These summers are worth reviewing as well …

Teaching trip and expedition leaders to carry on traditions and build networks of support If your camp runs programming with staff that are off-site for most of the season, this podcast is for you! Beth and Ruby discuss best practices for carrying on camp traditions, setting these staffers up for success, and providing support and training even if …

Training staff to spread the message that everyone belongs In a world where exclusion can quickly become a theme, camp professionals are remarkably good at creating a safe space where campers and staff can feel empowered to find themselves and be themselves. I think we can all agree that the world would be a different place if every child went to c…

How do you train employees with areas of expertise that are your areas of weakness? Whether you are new director at an established camp or are simply training staff in program areas that aren't in your repertoire, sometimes we have to train staff who know more about some subject areas than we do. Joining the Camp Code hosts today is Chantal "Match"…

More Leadership and Orientation Ideas for the Best Training Ever Thought you had heard all that the Camp Code hosts have to offer? No way! There's always new ideas flowing out of this podcast! Check out this week's episode to hear twelve brilliant brand new ideas for staff training that you can plug into staff training this year in this quickfire s…

Setting New Employees Up for Success While we spend a lot of time planning staff training for our summer staff, it is not uncommon to expect new year-round directors to jump in without providing them the tools for success. Beth, Gab, and Ruby are joined by special guest, Travis Allison for this special episode of Camp Code. Best Practice for Leader…

"You have learned everything I have to teach." If you work in camp long enough, you will either watch a long-time staff member (director, year-round staff member, long-time seasonal staff member) leave or you, yourself, will opt for something different from #campdirectorlife. While camp directors tend to be the types to be inclined to keep this kin…

Best Practices For Your Employment Application Puzzled by why you can't seem to find the right staff each summer? Perhaps it is because of the wording, structure, and requirements of your staff application. Gab, Beth, and Ruby discuss the must-dos (and a few must-don'ts) to help you start your staff training before your people are even hired. Best …

Training for Leading When You Think "What Else Could Go Wrong?" As camp people, we sometimes find ourselves looking around thinking "Universe, what else could you possible throw at me?" and sometimes that all happens before 9 AM. Some summers are just like that and often it is due to circumstances totally out of your control. This episode will talk…

By Beth Allison, Ruby Compton, Gabrielle Raill

Helping You With Last Minute Details for Your Leadership Training Season 3 of Camp Code wraps up with THE checklist to ensure you are ready for staff training this summer. Invest some time in to making sure all of these things are done to ensure a smooth training and thus a smooth summer for all. Best Practice for Leadership Training This week's ti…

The Best Staff Training Don't Dos from Directors Who Have Done Them It's crunch time for preparing staff training for the summer and there are some common pitfalls that every director falls into when designing and implementing orientation for the summer. Beth, Gab, and Ruby share some of their biggest lessons learned over the years and hope that yo…

Keeping Your Return Staff's Attention When They Think They Know It All "Coming back for your second, or third, or 85th season at camp can be a glorious thing. You understand the weird rituals and chanting that seem to spontaneously erupt throughout the day and when somebody whispers Color War, you understand exactly what is about to happen. But man…

Training Staff How to Treat One Another Ah...the birds and the bees and the smell of hormones at camp in the summertime. Whether in a single gender or co-ed environment, the reality is people fall in love at camp. And some people think they fall in love at camp. It makes sense as folks are living and working closely together and acting genuinely an…

Training Camp Staff On Being Let Go By talking about what it looks like to get fired from camp, you may find that your staff make better decisions, which, in turn, actually reduces the likelihood of you having to fire staff as often. Gab, Beth, and Ruby discuss how they train their staff about the termination process, what worked and what didn't, a…

Why your seasonal staff need sales training and why it is worth your time Your summer staff are trained on your mission and are bought in to the why of camp. Who better than your staff to help you market camp than those who really know it inside and out? Tune in to today's podcast to learn how to teach your staff some basic sales strategies that wi…