Camp Administration 101: The Battle Of The Bully
Bullying can happen anywhere, and the dynamics can be complex. To put preventative measures in place to tackle incidents of bullying effectively, it is important to know what to look for as the clear signs that bullying may be occurring.
Seen And Heard
The University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development offers a variety of residential camping experiences through the Minnesota 4-H Camping Program. 4-H camps, typically for 3rd to 8th graders, provide guided outdoor-learning opportunities and traditional experiences.
The Three Big R’s
Imagine a camp where there is no need to fundraise for deferred maintenance, repairs, renovations, or replacements. That old truck that needs a clutch, the HVAC unit that needs a compressor, the program area that needs paint, and that zero-turn mower that is on its last lap—imagine ample funds to tackle these projects and more.
Protecting Camps From Wildfires
Safety is always a priority at camps. Be it lifesaving best practices in the water or interactions with wildlife, camp directors (and staff members) are tasked with minimizing campers’ risk of injury while protecting camp structures and natural habitats.
Camp Administration 101: Managing Risk
Anyone running a camp must consider the exposure to risk and ensure that any space the camp occupies is safe. This is especially true for activities like ropes courses, archery, canoeing, swimming, and adventure programming.
Celebrate The Life Of A Pizza Box
Camp administrators may have yet to notice but there are several days every year that honor and celebrate pizza.
Challenge By Choice
Everyone has had a bittersweet recollection of their adolescence. It could be a memory of piano lessons, birthday presents, orange Creamsicles, or double plays on first base; whatever it is, it carries a holistic feeling of accomplishment, joy, and belonging that grows rarer every day.
ADDIE To The Rescue
Camp directors who feel overwhelmed by the challenge of staff training are far from alone.
Begin With The Right Tools
Working as a camp counselor is one of the most challenging and rigorous jobs a young person can have. At first glance, it may be viewed as a fun job to run around, teach activities, and make friends, but employees very quickly understand the immense responsibility of caring for other people’s children.
Camp Administration 101: Bridge The Gap
A Counselor in Training (CIT) program typically allows high-school students to volunteer within a camp program. Set up properly, it provides on-the-job training with the hope that participants become counselors down the road.
There’s A New Kid On The Block
Because I said I would is an international social movement and nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept. The organization was founded in 2012 following a viral internet offer to send ten Promise Cards at no cost, to anyone, anywhere in the world.
Born To Perform
Many kids dream of running away with the circus, but did you know they actually can? Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2022, Circus Smirkus is a nonprofit, circus-arts organization that inspires kids of all ages to develop artistic, athletic, and life skills through the power of performance.
Flooded With Positive Energy
Teaching a new skill to campers, especially in a sport with a complex motor skill like the golf swing, can be challenging. But it also can be the most satisfying and meaningful camp experience for both campers and the instructor, using a strength-based approach.
Grown-Up Camp
The email to camp parents read like this: Every year, we get dozens of parents who half-jokingly ask if we can host a day of camp for PARENTS. Well, guess what? We're calling your bluff—the day you have been waiting for has finally arrived! Liberty Lake and Screamin’ Hill Farm Brewery present … GROWN-UP CAMP!
More Than Lenses And Lighting
Founded in 1976, the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) has put cameras into the hands of hundreds of young filmmakers since summer camps began in 2013. SIFF Camps foster a fun, welcoming environment for young people to engage their creativity through film, with the freedom and technology to explore what excites them.
Intentionally Inclusive
The dream was always that the physical property of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s Camp Settoga in New York would be a manifestation of core values—a chance to really “walk the talk.” And now, it is.
Plugging In To Social-Media Marketing
Summer-camp marketing has drastically changed over the last few years. When I was a camper, a DVD and a brochure were sent to a prospective family.
Camp Administration 101: What’s Next?
Whether a camp operates year-round or only over the summer, there will be peaks and valleys in a program schedule. During an off-season, there are several things to catch up on or prepare for the next session.