By CampHacker - from Go Camp Pro
5
4242 ratings
The podcast currently has 248 episodes available.
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Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/05/start-camp-2025
If we were starting a summer camp from scratch, here’s what we can do!200 episodes and over 14 years, the CampHacker Podcast has been around literally so long that we actually can’t find the first few episodes (seriously, if you find them, holler!).
After 200+ hours (that’s 1.5 weeks, people!), it’s time to put our money where our mouths are…hypothetically at least.
In this episode, Travis and Chris take their collective camp and education experience, alongside the realities of running summer camps today, and put it together to share how they would build and launch Camp Hudson (get it, Hudson + Allison?).
From site ownership (hint, they wouldn’t), to who they serve (hint, start local), to marketing (hint, often and BIG), this episode covers a lot of ground.
Join us in this hopeful and intentional thought experiment as a send-off for the summer of 2024.
Thanks for the season, friends!
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Tool of the Week - Make Yourself a Better Camp Director-
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Thanks to our sponsor!UltraCamp
Imagine camp registration software that actually gives you MORE time for what you love - CAMP! With UltraCamp, you can effortlessly track attendance, manage staff, streamline registration, and more. Explore now at ultracampmanagement.com/camphacker
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/05/camp-pro-adhd
You can be a camp professional and have ADHD - there are lots of us out there!You probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that as we have gotten more comfortable talking about exceptionalities, disabilities or diversabilities, the rate of diagnoses for those exceptionalities, disabilities or diversabilities has gone up.
More and more people (kids, teens and adults are like) are discovering how their brains work best and are starting to understand their potential when the spaces that they are in work in their favour.
As with most things - the camp industry, by and large, is catching up on making sure that their spaces are using Universal Design Principals when thinking about how they create the day-to-day of staff training and summer camp.
Travis and Chris are joined by Lisa Drennan, founder of MERGE Diverse Abilities Inclusion Consulting and an absolute PRO when it comes to making spaces more inclusive for kids, teens, young adults and adults who identify as neurodivergent.
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Tool of the Week - Make Yourself a Better Camp Director-
Rate and Review the CampHacker Show
(Thank you!)
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Thanks to our sponsor!UltraCamp
Imagine camp registration software that actually gives you MORE time for what you love - CAMP! With UltraCamp, you can effortlessly track attendance, manage staff, streamline registration, and more. Explore now at ultracampmanagement.com/camphacker
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/05/camp-2035
How are you doing at pushing past the overwhelm and considering the big picture?If you’re reading this on release (mid-May) - it may feel impossible to get out of the weeds and think about the future.
That’s fair - and - in order for our industry, and even our camps to make it the next 10 years, we need to consider the challenges that we’re going to face and the opportunities we’ll discover along the way.
Thank goodness for people like Stephane (and Travis - it’s not him who writes these show-notes, so he’s not being an arrogant jerk by mentioning himself) to help us zoom out and think of the big picture.
In this episode, Travis and Stephane use their combined experience to share what camps and camp leaders will need to do to ensure they not only survive until 2035, but to thrive along the way.
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Tool of the Week - Make Yourself a Better Camp Director-
Your Hosts-
Rate and Review the CampHacker Show
(Thank you!)
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Thanks to our sponsor!UltraCamp
Imagine camp registration software that actually gives you MORE time for what you love - CAMP! With UltraCamp, you can effortlessly track attendance, manage staff, streamline registration, and more. Explore now at ultracampmanagement.com/camphacker
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/04/13-tips-for-new-camp-pros
New and new-ish Camp Directors, this one is for you. Kick some butt this summer.There are a TON of full-time camp professionals that have entered the industry post-COVID.
For those of us that have been around for a while, we know how incredibly difficult the first few years of the job are. You’re figuring out what this level of responsibility means for you and your team and with problems emerging, it can really feel like a whack-a-mole type of situation.
So - Travis asked fellow camp podcasters to combine their joint 200+ years of full-time directing to distill their best pieces of advice for people just like you.
You’ve got these 13 (and many more) people behind you - so get out there and do what you do!
We’re grateful to the following people for sharing their tips:
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Your Hosts - In order of “appearance”:-
Rate and Review the CampHacker Show
(Thank you!)
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Thanks to our sponsor!UltraCamp
Imagine camp registration software that actually gives you MORE time for what you love - CAMP! With UltraCamp, you can effortlessly track attendance, manage staff, streamline registration, and more. Explore now at ultracampmanagement.com/camphacker
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/04/what-they-dont-get
What is one thing you learned working at camp that surprises people when you talk about?The fact that people don’t understand what we do full-time is not just and “us” problem - it’s a problem for our entire industry.
It’s annoying as all heck - yes.
And.
It could be the reason why you’re under-enrolled and understaffed.
One of the biggest issues facing our industry is our reputation. We are consistently fighting against Hollywood stereotypes and the notion that camp is a luxury item for privileged kids or glorified child-care.
We - meaning consultants, associations, directors, staff, etc. - need to do a better job articulating what camp does for it’s leaders and the types of people that it creates.
If we don’t, how do we expect families and staff to value the experience enough to trust us with their kids or their summer employment?
Do these show notes sound like we’re up on a soap-box? Well just wait for the episode!
Tune in to get a (kind) earful from Travis and Chris!
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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp DirectorHave some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/03/choice-based
Elective-based, choice-based, whatever you call it, it just may be the future of camper programs.We welcome back one of our original hosts, Dan Weir and welcome back Jack Schott from The Summer Camp Society (and TSCS Podcast!) to unpack all things choice-based programming.
You’ll hear:
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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director-
Your Hosts:-
Rate and Review the CampHacker Show
(Thank you!)
-
Thanks to our sponsor!UltraCamp
Imagine camp registration software that actually gives you MORE time for what you love - CAMP! With UltraCamp, you can effortlessly track attendance, manage staff, streamline registration, and more. Explore now at ultracampmanagement.com/camphacker
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/03/our-advice-to-new-staff
What are the most important things staff need to know to be successful this summer?Right now (March), camp directors everywhere are starting to think about staff training…or, intending to do so at least.
There are a trillion things that we want to teach staff and it would be literally impossible to pack it all in during training and even harder to decide on which one is the most important.
This episode, Travis and Chris put themselves in the shoes of camp directors the day before the kids arrive at camp. If this was the only advice they could give to camp staff - what would it be?
Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t narrow it down to one each, but it’s all great.
Please pass this on to your camp staff! The keeners will thank you!
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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp DirectorChris - http://makeplayingcards.com
Travis - Talknotes https://talknotes.io/app
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Your Hosts:-
Rate and Review the CampHacker Show
(Thank you!)
-
Thanks to our sponsors!UltraCamp
Imagine camp registration software that actually gives you MORE time for what you love - CAMP! With UltraCamp, you can effortlessly track attendance, manage staff, streamline registration, and more. Explore now at ultracampmanagement.com/camphacker
Camptivities
Why spend hours on your schedules, only to find mistakes and missed activities for your campers! Let Camptivities do the heavy lifting and help you create the best schedules yet, without the mistakes, and in less time. Come check out Camptivities; specifically designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/the-pudding/gen-z
Unlocking the Potential of Gen-Z at Summer CampStaffing continues to be one of the biggest thorns in the paws of our industry. It’s a challenge that isn’t likely to go away soon, so what can we do to ride this wave, rather than just letting it crash into us?
Travis and Mandi dig into this topic and share how an approach of curiosity is a Camp Pro’s best tool when working with this generation of camp staff.
In this episode, we cover:
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Your Hosts:-
Thanks to our sponsors!The American Camp Association - Illinois
The American Camp Association of Illinois is made up of nearly 289,000 members, volunteers, campers, families, and professionals who believe in the power of camp. We work to disrupt the effects of poverty by providing fundamental services for children and families, and learning opportunities for camp professionals. Learn more about ACA Illinois by visiting acail.org.
Camptivities
You know the impact you want camp to make in a child’s life. But figuring out the day-to-day details can be overwhelming. Let Camptivities help you make that impact by streamlining the creation of your camp activity schedules. Schedule a demo at camptivities.com.
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/the-pudding/power-between-people
With great power comes…well, you know the rest.We all know that even in the sunshine and butterflies that is summer camp, there is evil lurking about. An evil that affects people and communities from all over. It has a name, too.
Are you ready?
Power.
Okay, maybe a bit dramatic, but it’s something nonetheless that we need to talk about when it comes to the microcosm that is summer camp.
On this episode, Mandi and Travis discuss how the power structures of the summer camp world have consequential effects on not just the employees, but the entire culture and program.
You’ll hear about:
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Your Hosts:-
Thanks to our sponsors!The American Camp Association - Illinois
The American Camp Association of Illinois is made up of nearly 289,000 members, volunteers, campers, families, and professionals who believe in the power of camp. We work to disrupt the effects of poverty by providing fundamental services for children and families, and learning opportunities for camp professionals. Learn more about ACA Illinois by visiting acail.org.
Camptivities
You know the impact you want camp to make in a child’s life. But figuring out the day-to-day details can be overwhelming. Let Camptivities help you make that impact by streamlining the creation of your camp activity schedules. Schedule a demo at camptivities.com.
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!
Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/02/retain-staff
The number one recruiting tactic? You got it - retaining!As the summer creeps closer, the staffing woes of the industry rear it’s ugly head again.
Wouldn’t it be great if staffing wasn’t the thing that stole your focus from creating the best program you know you could be? Well, it’s a long road, but one of the biggest shortcuts on that road is retaining last summer’s staff!
And, how do you do that? Well, because this is a Go Camp Pro podcast, you know we have to talk about being intentional in your strategy. How do you be intentional? Well, we’re here to help with that, too!
In this episode, Chris and Travis go deep into the very nature of intentionality and how that can apply as you look to retain your best staff.
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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp DirectorChris - Big Dumb Cup: https://www.stanley1913.com/collections/tumblers
Travis - Beeper App https://refer.beeper.com/XYMr2p
-
Your Hosts:-
Rate and Review the CampHacker Show
(Thank you!)
-
Thanks to our sponsors!UltraCamp
Imagine camp registration software that actually gives you MORE time for what you love - CAMP! With UltraCamp, you can effortlessly track attendance, manage staff, streamline registration, and more. Explore now at ultracampmanagement.com/camphacker
Camptivities
Why spend hours on your schedules, only to find mistakes and missed activities for your campers! Let Camptivities do the heavy lifting and help you create the best schedules yet, without the mistakes, and in less time. Come check out Camptivities; specifically designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com
The podcast currently has 248 episodes available.
55,930 Listeners
19 Listeners