First Class Counselors

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/taking-camp-home
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Summer is over and you have scrolled through your gallery a bunch remembering how much fun you had. 

Camp offered a lot - fun, food, friends. But it also taught you a lot and equip you for life after camp. As you unpack, we unpack all the ways you never truly leave summer camp behind.

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Links from this episode:

• First Class Counsellor Episode - Camp Sick
• Go Camp Pro Newsletter
• Farnham Street - Brain Food Email Newsletter
• ACA Magazine

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• Oliver -  Dragon eggs, Fill balloons with water and freeze them. You can also add small prizes. 
• Matt - Camp wide-game: Command and Conquer - Video rules

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

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Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.

This is free professional development for your counsellors! We would love your feedback. Please leave your comments below, or, send Matt an email! Thank you!

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/6-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-prepare-for-the-summer

If you’re listening to this podcast in real-time, then we are in the home stretch. Camp is coming and you can’t stop it now!

This episode is for any camp counselor, but specifically for the ones who are brand new, or any who want to shake off the rust of a few summers away, or for anyone whose year away from camp has felt like a lifetime. So…really everyone!

On this episode, we have 6 quickfire tips for what you can do RIGHT NOW to best prepare yourself for summer.

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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• Oliver -  The Cucumber Potato Chip Technique
• Matt - Game - Toro Toro

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

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Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/self-evaluations

One of the best parts about working at camp is the incredibly dynamic skill-set that you leave the job with. Not only do you gain super-human skills when it comes to working with kids, you’ll pick up a ton fmore in the realm of teamwork, creativity, maintenance, cleaning, cooking…do we need to go on?

You grow in an incredible amount of ways - and the job of a good boos/manager is to help point out where you’ve grown and where you still need to grow, right?

Wrong!

Well, not wrong, but if you leave the measurement of your growth to just one or two people writing an evaluation or giving you feedback, you’re missing a massively important person.

Yourself!

The ability to reflect on your own growth and performance, then take independent action to keep pushing is a hard skill to learn. But with a few tips, or rather, a podcast episode, you can put yourself on the path to self-evaluation success and truly get the most out of this summer.

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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• Oliver:  DIY Ring Toss Carnival Game - Rings
• Matt: - Up your summer footwear game - Matt’s recco - Chacos

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/be-your-directors-best-counselor

If you missed the last episode, you’ll want to listen to it before this one. Listen here:

https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/your-directors-best-counselor

So now that you have listened you might be wondering…why are there so many different types of great counselors? 

We learn that the value of a counselor is not always in the skills they offer but the values they represent and provide. 

So we are going to work though that…and if you stay to the end, you will hear Matt and I share ours!

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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• Oliver:  Evaluations
• Matt: - Clifton Strengths by Gallup

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

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Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/your-directors-best-counselor

It’s a special episode of First Class Counselors. Oliver and many of our Go Camp Pro Podcast hosts are at the Tri-State Camp Conference, so we thought we’d use that time to our advantage.

In this episode, you will hear camp pros from across North America share their answer to “why was the best camp counselor who ever worked for you, the best camp counselor?”

You’ll hear back to back testimonies in this episode and then on the next one, Oliver and Matt will take back the mic to unpack these responses and give you some more practical tips on how to be the next, best, First Class Counselor!

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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• Back next episode!

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

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Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/ages-and-stages-2

Last episode, we introduced the emotional, physical and mental triangle of care and how it informs how counselors work with 5-11 years old at camp.

This episode we push into the wild unknowns of puberty and teenagers and share how we can work with their unique place in social-emotional development. These campers are simultaneously in the peak formation of their morals and ideals as well as being in one of the most socially tumultuous times of their lives. It’s a tough time to be a kid and sometimes, a tougher time to be their counselor.

So how do you not only just make it through a week, but thrive through it, forge deep connections AND maybe even teach a future camp staff? That’s why we’re here today. So tune in, friends!

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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Thanks for checking out the show notes!

• Tim Elmore’s Thermostat vs Thermometer

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• Matt - Trickster Cards Site & App
• Oliver - Juice Bar

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/ages-and-stages-1

97.2% of camps in North America run an “ages and stages” session during their staff training.

Ok, we made that number up, but what ISN’T made up is the fact that it’s one of the most important things to learn before starting your summer. This will sound obvious but something that we - and counselors - can easily forget is that kids are different than teens.

When we’re removed from childhood, even by only a few years, we forget that the physical, mental and emotional abilities that we have a decent handle on are still totally in development for our campers.

This two-part series won’t replace a full-on ages & stages session at camp, but it will certainly give you a good working knowledge of not only what you can expect when working with the wee ones, but some insider tips on how to make it as fun and issue-free as possible.

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

Thanks for checking out the show notes!

• Piaget’s Stages of Development
• Erikson’s Stages of Development
• Vygotsky’s Stages of Development

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• Matt - Ontario Milk camp song
• Oliver - Throw Clap

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

-

Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.

This is free professional development for your counsellors! We would love your feedback. Please leave your comments below, or, send Matt an email! Thank you!

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/ace-your-next-interview

It’s interview season for many camps! Around the world, camp counselors are preparing to share why they are the right fit for a camp position this summer. So, in the spirit of giving you an insider’s perspective, we have 3 camp directors on the panel who are hiring camp staff RIGHT NOW to tell you exactly what they’re looking for in a candidate.

Say hello to Gabrielle Raill (from Camp Code and CampHacker fame!) and Tiff Gratton-McDuffie (from the Day Camp Pod)! This episode is FULL of gold nuggets, so grab a pen and paper and tune in!

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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• Back next episode!

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona
• Tiffany Gratton-McDuffie, Executive Director - Purposeful Play
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

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Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.

This is free professional development for your counsellors! We would love your feedback. Please leave your comments below, or, send Matt an email! Thank you!

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/international-counselor-experience

Did you know that in a normal year, there are over 20,000 international camp staff members that come to North America to experience the summer camp phenomenon? No joke!

Adam Heslop, the Summer Camp Programs Staffing Placement Coordinator from IENA (International Exchange of North America), joins Matt and Oliver to share what it’s really like to prepare to be, and to be an international staff member?

How does Adam know? Because he started off as an international staffer himself! Tune in to hear his stories and the lessons that he has to pass on to new international staffers and the domestic staff that have the opportunity to meet them!

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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• From Adam: 
  • This is the Link to Bridge USA website that has the statistics of the program. Attached is the independent study into the Camp counselor program conducted by the Alliance for cultural exchange. https://j1visa.state.gov/basics/facts-and-figures/

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• Oliver: Space Team - Card Game & App
• Matt: Merlin Bird ID App
• Adam: Learn 5 riddles to have ready to bust out! - Find Adam's here. 

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona
• Adam Heslop, Head of Client Services at IENA

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Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/taking-campers-on-trip-101

A big event for many camps is the Overnight, the camp out, the out trip. It has many names but is the night where your campers and you are out of the cabin and in some capacity under the stars. It varies by camp how it is done. But it is an important experience for all campers and we are going to make sure you make it a first class experience. 

In this episode we’re going to break down how to be prepared for a trip as a counsellor - that means how to both prepare for what you’ll personally need to consider, and the specifics of supervising kids in the wilderness and being an all-around First Class Counsellor on trip.

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!)
(click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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Find them at https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/taking-campers-on-trip-101 

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Oliver: I’m a little piece of tin  song/game

Matt: - Marco Polo App - Connect with camp friends!

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• Matt Wilfrid, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro
• Oliver Gregan, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Winona

-

Camp Directors, this Podcast isn’t for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors is for your counselling staff, the ones who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives.

Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counsellor skills. These are things every counsellor should know, but that you may not have time to teach in staff training.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan and Matt Wilfrd from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counsellors and up and coming staff, who they believe, have the most important job at camp.