First Class Counselors

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Welcome to episode 17 of First Class Counsellors! 

This episode was recorded in mid-March, 2020. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought that it would be the right time to address something that will definitely be useful this coming summer and every summer after it.

Camp is a dirty place - and sometimes that’s part of the fun! Who doesn’t love jumping in mud puddles, rolling in the grass and blowing off that questionable amount of dirt that fell off your pancake you dropped on the ground on a canoe trip.

Even so, especially in the summer following the COVID-19 outbreak, there is a necessity to keep each other safe, by monitoring our health and keeping hygiene in the front of your mind.

It’s something that EVERY camp director thinks about, but as a new counsellor, you’re focused on SO many things, you might not always consider something like this. That’s why we’re covering all things health and hygiene in this episode of First Class Counsellors.

Tune in to this episode to hear about:

• Why health and hygiene is important at camp, not just when we’re in the middle of a pandemic
• All of the different places where you should consider health and hygiene this summer
• How the camp medic/nurse can help, and how you can help them to keep camp clean and people healthy
• A bunch of ways to make cleaning and saying healthy fun!

We hope you enjoy this episode, and most importantly, find it useful!

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If you have any feedback, or a suggestion for a future FCC show, send Matt an email at [email protected]

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Oliver: 

• Wash your hands - no seriously! Find a great camp song that lasts for 20 seconds. Wash your hands while singing the song. You can even record it and send it to your director for their social media!

Matt:

• Learn some fun no-touch icebreakers! You can find a bunch of them in books like this one - https://amzn.to/3aem2bm

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• The Leadership Poem that Matt’s been trying to find forever - https://imgur.com/gallery/AQfwnEX
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - https://www.thoughtco.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4582571
• “Clean as Hell” - Washing Hands Parody - https://youtu.be/5OK0fPYWUf0 
• Go Camp Pro’s COVID-19 & Camp Master Resource Page​
• Go Camp Pro’s Camps & COVID-19 (free) Slack team (even if you have an existing Slack account you'll need to create another one for this new Team)

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• Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell
• Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

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

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

*Please note: First Class Counsellors is moving to it's own Podcast feed. The next episode, releasing on March 26th will not be in this feed. Look for First Class counsellors is your favourite Podcast App and subscribe there!*

Welcome to episode 16 of First Class Counsellors! 

Matt here. I usually write these posts in the 3rd person, but this episode really hits home for me.

99% of my closest friends are camp friends.

I had a rough high-school experience. I wasn’t able to find a solid group of friends and never really felt like I had a group of people that loved me for who I really was. 

Camp changed everything for me.

Because of camp, I found out what I was missing in those relationships at home. Camp people got me. Over the course of one, maybe two summers, I felt like I had a community of people that supported me and that I could turn to whenever I was in need. We stayed connected in the off-season and grew closer and closer with every year.

Fast-forward 13 years. Every person in mine and my wife’s wedding party was a camp person. We spend every new-years together and talk in a group message almost every day.

I’m truly blessed.

Now, not every person’s camp experience will like mine. I had the privilege of being the best friend of the director’s son and I was a long-time camper before becoming a staff member. I wasn’t an international staff member and didn’t have to understand both the culture of camp AND the country I was in.

My privilege aside. I truly believe that camp is one of the best places to make lifelong friends and that’s why we did a whole podcast episode on it.

Tune in to this episode to hear about:

• Why the conditions at camp are perfect for making friends
• How to make friends at camp this summer
• Ways to have great camp friends and still prioritize your job
• A whole lot of other ideas on how to form lifelong connections this summer

We hope you enjoy this episode, and most importantly, find it useful!

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If you have any feedback or a suggestion for a future FCC show, send Matt an email at [email protected]

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Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills

Oliver: 

• Get a BUNCH of high-quality stickers! People love putting them on their water-bottles and you can use them as rewards for people remembering their water-bottles.

Matt:

• Get yourself a good backpack for this summer. In Matt’s camp bag, you’ll always find:
  • A mini first aid kit
  • A GOOD raincoat
  • Deck of cards or small board games
  • Hackey Sack or small ball
  • Waterbottle & Coffee Mug
  • Extra socks
  • Granola bar if you’re allowed

Host Links

• Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell
• Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Every all-star camp staff we know is an excellent initiative-taker. Here’s how to learn it, and do it. 

Welcome to episode 15 of First Class Counsellors!

A raised hand. Someone picking up garbage. A voice, calling out in the darkness, “what else can I do?”.

A Camp Director’s dream!

How have we not talked about this yet!?

There may not be any studies to back this up, but it definitely wouldn’t be outlandish to say that any camp staff that would be called “great”, is likely great at taking initiative.

Staff who know what needs to be done, do it, and ask what else can be done is so incredibly valuable for any organization. When you have a camp staff full of people that take initiative, it means that things are always kept clean, that camp programs are always being made better and that in general, that people are making good decisions.

For you as a counsellor, having an initiative-mindset is like having a superpower. The intuition to see and solve a problem, or better-yet anticipate a problem and get ahead of it will make you a dream employee wherever you go.

That being said, if you’re still working on this superpower, fear not! It, like many all-star qualities, takes time to develop.

Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to wait for the summer to hone your initiative skills?

Well, wait no more! This episode is for you!

Tune in to this episode of First Class Counsellors to hear Oliver and Matt discuss how to develop this critical camp staff skill. You’ll hear about:

The definition of initiative in the summer camp context

Common places at camp where all-star camp staff know to take initiative

How to be appropriately recognized for the great initiative-taking that you will do

How to positively affect your camp’s culture by encouraging others to take initiative

Many more practical ways to strengthen your initiative-taking muscles this summer

We hope you enjoy this episode, and most importantly, find it useful!

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If you have any feedback, or a suggestion for a future FCC show, send Matt an email at [email protected]

Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills

Oliver:

Make a list of the behaviours you want to see from yourself this summer and make a plan on how you’ll work on those. Make an action plan 10 items per behaviour and keep that list on you in the summer. Behaviour change takes time!

Matt:

Make a personal packing list for camp. Then share it with your friends, share it with camp to give to new staff, maybe even make a video of yourself packing for your camp to share on social media!

Host Links

Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell

Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Being the “cool” counsellor really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…

Welcome to episode 14 of First Class Counsellors!

One of the best things about producing a podcast is when you get to hear from your listeners.

Even if it’s just a “hey, thanks!”, it really is appreciated to hear someone “talk” back after hours of us talking into our unresponsive microphones!

What’s even more appreciate is when our listeners reach out with a show suggestion! That’s where the inspiration for this episode came from. Here’s an excerpt from what we received from a Camp Director:

“We do our best to keep a 3-year age difference between staff and campers, but our youngest staff members still interact with our oldest campers during meals and all-camp activities. And, even a more experienced counselor can make these mistakes. I'd love to hear what you guys think! “

Those types of emails are why we’re here as a Podcast. Oliver and Matt saw this email, dropped everything, and got recording!

Tune in to this episode to talk through boundary-setting with teens, and more:

What types of camp programs draw teens to camp? Why do they choose to come to them?

What are some of the best parts about working with teens? How about the not-so-great parts?

How to set boundaries with teens in a way that recognizes their maturity, but draws a hard line at what is and isn’t appropriate

Ways to set teens up for success as they get ready to become camp staff

Some ideas for counsellors who want to work with teens someday

And as we always say, FOLLOW YOUR POLICIES FIRST, then try our advice ;)

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Like our awesome listener, if you have a suggestion for a future FCC show, send Matt an email at [email protected]

Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills

Oliver:

Are you sitting there wondering if you should come back to camp? Make up your mind now!!! We are in February, but this also makes sense in December or November for many camps. I'm finishing off my hiring and I know some staff are going to be disappointed they don’t have a job this summer, but they haven't applied. Get on it and reach out to someone who might be losing camp in their lives

Matt:

Do a social media audit and compare what you see in your posts to your “camp self”. Is this the type of person you would be comfortable showing to a camper or camper’s parent? What messages are you sending out about yourself? Even if it’s a “finsta”, think about if you’re proud of the type of person you are showing off to the world.

Host Links

Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell

Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

Bonus Resource - Because you read the show notes, and you’re awesome!

Awesome things to do that can only be done with teens

Oliver:

They prep a program

PG 13 movie night!!! Bum bum bum

Late nights and sleep-ins

Serious challenge activities

Talent shows with actual talent

Late-night porch talks about the complexity of the universe, life and beyond

Matt:

Night Games & Night Hikes

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Cleaning your cabin with campers. It doesn’t need to be as painful and boring as it usually is!

Welcome to episode 13 of First Class Counsellors!

Don’t you hate it when you watch people litter? Or how about when people leave their shopping cart in the middle of the lot? It probably makes you think, “dang, I bet that person didn’t go to summer camp!”.

One of the biggest lessons that we can teach our campers is the value of serving their community. We have the incredible opportunity to help them understand that their actions have the ability to make other people’s lives easier through simple acts. When we have campers collecting the plates after a meal, doing a camp-wide chore, or even cleaning their cabin, we teach them that they are responsible for taking care of their neighbours and camp through acts of service.

That’s all well and good, but cleaning the cabin can still be the WORST. Right?

We hear you. If parents around the world struggle to get their kids to clean their rooms every day, then we’ve got to muster all of our camp magic and creativity to make it happen at camp. Let’s do this together! First Class Counsellors is here to help.

Tune in to this episode. We’ll guide you through:

The standard of clean that every cabin should keep itself to

How to get every camper on board with cleaning - even the ones who HATE it!

Creative ways to make the cabin cleaning process a little less painful and a lot more magical

Some pro tips for deep cleans, things every camper/staff miss and how to keep your local health and fire inspector happy

A shout out to MTV cribs - and a super cool program idea for your cabin!

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As usual, we hope that what we offer to your staff is incredibly useful. If you do send this along, we would be happy to hear about it. Please let us know by emailing Matt at [email protected]

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Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills

Oliver:

Take time to draw a picture or pictures of camp. Send them on to your camp director and they can post it on social media as a counselor art contest. It can be a game - can you guess what the picture is or which staff member drew it?

Matt:

Get your application and/or paperwork in. This time of year is the time when the keeners can shine. If you can get all your stuff in and even start on any pre-training, your directors will love you for it and know that you are someone they can count on.

Host Links

Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell

Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

What is First Class Counsellors?

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, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell and Matt Honsberger from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp coun

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Welcome to episode 12 of First Class Counsellors! The best counsellors are the ones that take every opportunity to be intentional about the time they spend with their campers. A meal can often be one of the most overlooked chances to make connections with kids, and that sort of makes sense. At meals, there are so many things to pay attention to: are the kids eating? Did they get enough food? Are they all at the table? It’s not easy! Once you’ve got the basics down though, then it’s time for the fun to start! Meals are such a great time to have fun, make conversation and overall, make connections with our campers. These days, some kids may not have the type of home-life where they sit away from a TV or a video, so this is our opportunity to show them something awesomely different! it’s your time to shine and that’s where this show is here to help. Join Oliver and Matt for this deep-dive into how to make meals better than just normal. In this episode, you’ll learn: The basics about how dining halls work at different camps What you need to look out for while kids are eating How to help campers who are picky eaters try new foods Some strategies and games for making meaningful conversation at the table. Some games and activities that you can try to add some magic into the meal. Remember that as you listen to this episode: As we always say, make sure you’re following your camp’s policies and procedures. Don’t promise campers anything you can’t deliver on or anything would be against the way that your camp has trained you on. When in doubt about using a strategy, ask! - As usual, we hope that what we offer to your staff is incredibly useful. If you do send this along, we would be happy to hear about it. Please let us know by emailing Matt at [email protected] - Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills Oliver: Find a way to have your table at your chest when you eat your next meal. When you do this, you find out real quick why campers are always spilling things or standing up or sitting in weird positions. Matt: Think about your global impact when you are eating or at the grocery store this week. When you go to the grocery store, how hard is it to buy food that isn’t in packaging or to not use reusable bags. Think about that to help shape your experiences to pass on to campers. Host Links Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro What is First Class Counsellors? 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, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell and Matt Honsberger 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! Bonus Content - Thanks for reading the show notes! Oliver’s list of creative meal options. If you want to know more about these, send Oliver an email - [email protected] Picnics Caveman meals Silent meals Blind folded 1 on 1 Tied together meals No table meals High table meals Working lunches Campfire meal Make a plate for a friend Serve another table Entertainment meal Poker meals Foriegn language meals Large utensils Upside down Under the table/mole people meal Themed meals On a boat meal

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Happy New Year!

We’re taking some time off to be with friends and family over the holidays.

That means no new episode this week.

AWWW.

We know, we know. But don’t worry, we’ve still got something for you.

The last episode, we talked about how to help campers who are missing home. As we do, we went long in that episode and didn’t have time to include everything that we talked about.

One piece of content that was cut was Oliver and Matt’s personal stories about missing home in their first couple of years at camp.

That’s what we have for you this episode! Tune-in to hear about how Matt and Oliver’s counsellors helped them overcome their homesickness and fall in love with camp.

Host Links

Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell

Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

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!

What to do when campers are missing home.

Welcome to episode 11 of First Class Counsellors!

Campers who are missing home, homesick, whatever you want to call it - it’s something that camp counsellors will face in their camp careers. It’s inevitable and understandable. Our campers love their families, they are nervous about being away and they’re uncomfortable. When they are reacting to those feelings, it’s important that camp counsellors are equipped to both effectively and compassionately help them.

Oliver and Matt swear that they are trying to keep these episodes short, but what can you really expect from a topic as big as this one! Tune in to hear a whole hour of pro-tips and pro-mindsets to have when recognizing and supporting campers who are missing home.

In this episode, you’ll get:

10 signs that a camper may be missing home.

10 ways to prevent missing home from escalating into a camper crying or full-out wanting to home.

20 (YES, 20), different strategies for what to do if (when) a camper is crying or is insisting on going home.

…you can see why this one’s an hour-long :)

Remember that as you listen to this episode:

One strategy will not work for every camper. You’ll have to tweak these and make them work with the information you know about the camper who needs your help.

As we always say, make sure you’re following your camp’s policies and procedures. Don’t promise campers anything you can’t deliver on or anything would be against the way that your camp has trained you on. When in doubt about using a strategy, ask!

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As usual, we hope that what we offer to your staff is incredibly useful. If you do send this along, we would be happy to hear about it. Please let us know by emailing Matt at [email protected]

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Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills

Oliver:

Levels of Homesick, take a few minutes after this podcast and layer the levels of homesickness. 1 to going home. How do campers move up, when do other staff become involved?

Matt:

Write a Christmas or holiday card for your family, however you define it, and let them know how grateful you are for them. If you missed home as a camper, maybe send a note to a counsellor who got you to stay or helped you with compassion.

Host Links

Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell

Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

What is First Class Counsellors?

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, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell and Matt Honsberger 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 mo

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

What to do when you’re missing camp

Welcome to episode 10 of First Class Counsellors!

Camp is over and you miss it. You want more of it but you have to wait FOREVER ‘till staff training. It can be hard, we get it, and we’re here to help!

To keep the fires of camp love glowing deep in your heart, First Class Counsellors is on the case. In this episode, Matt and Oliver cover some practical ideas on overcoming those missing camp blues and get those camp vibes rolling again.

Tune in to hear more about:

Embracing and leaning into that love of camp with the help of other camp-lovers

Beating the missing camp blues with some self-care techniques and inspiration to do some intentional growing

Some ideas on how to connect with your camp community in ways that will both help you, and your camp

Lots of practical and useful skills that you and your co-counsellors can use this summer.

As usual, we hope that what we offer to your staff is incredibly useful. If you do send this along, we would be happy to hear about it. Please let us know by emailing Matt at [email protected]

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Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills

Oliver: Give information about your camp to the career center, or go to your college career center and look for camps.

Matt: Check out campgig.com or other camp-specific hiring sites. It’s never a bad idea to lift your roots and explore the vast camp world!

Host Links

Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell

Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro

What is First Class Counsellors?

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 will hear from young camp directors and leaders to draw out practical and accessible tips that will level up their counsellor skills.

Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell and Matt Honsberger 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!

Welcome to episode 9 of First Class Counsellors!

As we work give Counsellors the skills they need to be the best they can be, we thought it would be important to talk about what separates the counsellors who may stick around for a summer or two and the ones who may have a long camp career ahead of them.

It can be hard to understand what it means to be professional in the camp setting. After all, our dress code is far from formal, we are encouraged to be loud and crazy, and mentions of quarterly reports are usually substituted for cheers that the next meal is chicken burgers.

That being said, the earlier a Camp Counsellor can figure out what it means to truly transition from a camper to a staff role, the better. These professional counsellors know how to get in the game but not take over, how to make a camper laugh, but also how to have a serious talk when needed, and how to set aside anything that gets in the way of giving kids the best week possible.

In this episode, Matt and Oliver talk about breaking down the top 3 barriers that camp staff face when it comes to being “camp professional”. Tune in to hear more about:

Why the transition between camper and staff or being a new staff can be difficult

How to watch out for and avoid becoming an entitled staff member (because Camp Directors can smell entitlement from a MILE away!)

The importance of staying camper focused even when personal friendships can be a distraction

Lots of practical and useful skills that you and your co-counsellors can use this summer.

As usual, we hope that what we offer to your staff is incredibly useful. If you do send this along, we would be happy to hear about it. Please let us know by emailing Matt at [email protected]

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Get Ready - Counsellors, do this NOW to level up your counselling skills

Oliver: Conference season - get involved. Many conferences look for volunteers. It is a great way to connect with young leaders and established camp pros. Gives a reason to talk.

Matt: Start a camp support network. Email Matt if you’d like to be in on meeting up with another counsellor to talk about their camp and what they’re looking forward to about their summer. Matt will connect you two and you can have the chance to meet up online.

Host Links

Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell

Matt Honsberger, Executive Producer of Podcasting at Go Camp Pro