Traditional Programs
At YMCA Camp Kern, I believe, the success of our camp is directly tied to how aggressively and effectively we network. I think of networking in two ways:
Summer’s End
The end of summer is really just the beginning of the next one. Or, in other words, the best time to prepare for next year’s season is before the memories and lessons of the current one disappear forever.
Memory Makers
What is the magic of camp? What makes a camp different from another camp? So many camp directors approach this question by saying … traditions. True, traditions are created and
Capital Improvements
Everyone has a vision of what will make their camp perfect. Unfortunately, that vision may not jibe with reality (or users’ ideas of a perfect camp), which is why it’s critical to develop a team
Three-Step Program
Hiring a staff to run the camp during the summer is the most time-consuming and important thing a camp director can do each year. How to get started? My suggestion is to make a plan!
Get with the Program
How many times have you heard, "But this is not how we did it last year!" There are ways to honor the past and still move forward with the future in camping. One such idea is the creation of program guidebooks.
Take Charge
Whenever you say yes to a new job in camping you inherit the good and bad of a camp's three main components -- staff, facility and traditions.
Universally Direct
The hardest decisions to make in the beginning of the summer have to do with the efficient use of staff. There are different ways that camp directors attempt to approach this practice…
The Training Table
Here’s the situation... You usually have about seven days before the children arrive. There is a room full of strangers and usually about half or more have never been summer counselors before.
Summer of Surprises
Nine months are spent planning, recruiting, stocking inventory, and training. Then it happens… summertime. The kids arrive and with them arrives all the fun, worries and unexpected changes to all of
The Recognition Factor
One of the most difficult management skills to learn is recognizing and appreciating staff. As directors we focus our energy on being effective and safe managers.
Staff Conscious
Summer is here and the plans have been made, events organized and staff hired. The only thing left to do is deliver the program with the best team possible. How do you do that?
Off-Season Prep
In an industry designed to be the fun makers for children and families, liability is always the watching monster hanging over us that we need to keep fed with protection and risk management.
Orient Before Orientation
Starting at a new camp is a difficult challenge to accept. Whether you're a counselor, a program director or a new camp director there's a lot to be done and a lot to be learned. Orientation for new staff and directors
Giving Programming a Chance
It would be so nice if people were not generally resistant to change, no matter what it was. Even the creation of new programs is a form of change.
Reevaluating the Camp, Part 2
Being new to the job in this industry is really challenging, as is reevaluating and revamping it. As referred to in the last article a new director, or one who's evaluating and working to improve the camp, has to
Collaborative Programming
Every year we sit down as directors and hope to think up the new idea or program; that one program that will knock the kids off their feet with amazement and fun. The problem, though we do not like to admit it, is
Reevaluating the Camp, Part 1
So the interviews are done, the proposal has been accepted and the start date has been set! You arrive on your first day and introduce yourself to the staff that you have not met through the interview process. They
High Adventure, High Opportunity
The popularity of climbing walls and ropes courses has been huge in the past couple of decades and continues to be a distinctive feature to most camps and conference centers in recreation.