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Find full show notes and links at: https://www.gocamp.pro/campcode/anxietyinyoungstaff

Anxiety in Young Staff—and How Camp Leaders Can Respond

This Camp Code episode explores how anxiety is increasingly shaping how 17–25-year-old staff show up at camp, even when they don’t name it directly. Beth, Gabrielle, and Ruby connect the rise in anxiety to global instability, declining trust, perfectionism, constant visibility, heavy phone use, and missed developmental “practice reps” during the pandemic. At camp, anxiety often appears as repeated reassurance-seeking, freezing on decisions, difficulty accepting positive feedback, irritability or aggression, withdrawal in groups, defensiveness (“no one told me that”), and projection that everything is “the worst ever.”

Our hosts also call out how traditional staff training can unintentionally worsen anxiety—surprise scenarios, long lecture-heavy blocks, information overload, and public correction. Their solutions focus on predictable structure, clear expectations, normalizing learning over perfection, teaching simple problem-solving frameworks, building in low-stakes practice (with no surprises), doing corrections privately and praise publicly, creating regular check-ins, and using returning staff as emotional “regulators” who help others stay grounded. The core message: staff aren’t fragile—they’re overloaded—and intentional training can turn anxiety into confidence and leadership growth.

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Best Practice for Leadership Training

From Ruby,

A simple but powerful way to reduce staff anxiety is to think intentionally about the first face they encounter—both during hiring and when they arrive at camp. When the person who interviews or communicates with them disappears at arrival, it can feel unsettling and increase uncertainty. Anxiety drops when staff know who will greet them and what to expect, even if that person is just the handoff to someone else. Sharing a photo, name, or short video ahead of time—“This is who you’ll see at the welcome tent”—creates familiarity and trust. That early human connection helps staff feel grounded, welcomed, and more confident before their first day even begins.

Special Guest:

• Ruby Compton, Chief Exploration Officer - Ruby Outdoors

Your Hosts:

• Beth Allison, Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

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