Five Ways To Wreck Empathy
Let’s get three things straight. First, empathy is not a soft skill. It’s much harder to express effectively than most people realize.
Authenticity, Immediacy, And Delight
Running a camp requires leaders to pay attention to more variables, details, and input than they can possibly manage. Children, staff members, bugs, sunscreen, pools, parents, email, homesickness, newsletters, websites, lice, and payments: the proverbial firehose from which camp leaders attempt to drink daily is endless.
Qualified For Anything
The longer I work in the camp and recreation industry, the more I find myself dealing with situations I never expected. I can now say that my background legitimately encompasses marketing, sales, and budget management, while also plunging toilets, mopping the dining hall, having professional conversations with parents about their child’s safety and well-being while at camp, and of course—managing and recruiting staff members.
Find A Way To “YES!”
Twenty years ago, as a new challenge-course facilitator, I was asked to take a group with special needs through some initiatives and low-course elements. I remember being stumped on choosing the activity line-up since there was limited information about the participants and an understanding of what they could do.
An Addition With A Mission
Camp Jewell was founded by the Hartford YMCA in 1901 on the banks of New Hampshire’s Lake Swanzey with three tents, cooking utensils, and a pair of rowboats. In the early 1950s, the search for a new home began with the final decision made to move to Colebrook, Conn. In 1955, the camp opened its doors in Colebrook for the first time.
Mental Preparation
If the past two summers have taught us anything, it’s the need for flexible and attentive plans. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened our eyes to many different societal and existential failures across the country and the world, but it also has allowed for a stronger emphasis on health and safety protocols that many businesses, schools, and camps may not have focused on previously.
Welcome To Morgan’s Wonderland
“Where everyone can play.” These four words aptly describe Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, the world’s first theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment.