Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/04/staff-and-boundaries

How much do we really need to accommodate this generation of camp staff?

Okay, that header is a little misleading.

Don’t mistake this podcast for one big “okay boomer” rant. This conversation about summer staff and meeting them where they are at (to an extent) is an important one.

If “triggering” a staff member is something you’re worried about. Or staff feeling overwhelmed is something you’re bracing yourself for this summer, this is the episode for you.

Chris, Gabz, Joe and Travis are here to challenge you (and your staff) to think differently when it comes to helping staff set healthy and realistic emotional boundaries. 

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Chris - Give your mind a break
• Gabz - Cueheat Waist heating belt https://amzn.to/3YUOqbm
• Joe - Point Salad Card Game
• Travis - Love and Logic

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Consultant and Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

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Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

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Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/04/partnering-with-parents-in-2023

It's time to adapt to post-pandemic parents!

We need to adapt a whole lot as camp directors.

On the checklist of “things we need to re-assess every 5 or so years”, parents are certainly on that list.

As the majority of our camper parents start to shift toward the majority being millennials, we need to re-think how we are meeting them where they are at. Systems of communication, expectation-building, community-building and trust are all things that we have control over in this special relationship, and one that we need to pay attention to.

Joining the regular panel is returning guest Jolly Corley, a camp pro and parent partner expert to weigh in on re-evaluating this post-pandemic group.

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Chris - Thompson Tees - Chris’ fav
• Gabz - Loop Ear Plugs - Engage
• Joe - Book - The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
• Travis - Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us about the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans - Michaeleen Doucleff https://bookshop.org/a/84130/9781982149680
• Jolly - Fabulous habit app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fabulous-daily-habit-tracker/id1203637303
  • https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.thefabulous.app&gl=us

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Consultant and Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau
• Jolly Corley - Camp Director and Trainer - www.jollycorley.com

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

-

Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/03/setting-summer-staff-up-for-success
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If the success of your camp is your responsibility, then the success of your staff is your responsibility.

The idea that our summer staff need to be set up for success is one of those ideas that is intuitive, yet extremely difficult to get right.

Couple that with a seismic shift in the psychology and expectations of this generation of staff and the “correct path” to properly coaching and nurturing this generation of staff is going to be more important than ever. 

Whether this episode is an affirmation of your staffing philosophy, or you’re feeling the strain of this gen of staff, Chris, Gabz and Travis are here to give you practical advice on how to increase the impact of this essential staffing mindset. 

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Chris - Artisans of Spendent Vale
• Gabz - Multi colour variety pack zip ties
• Travis - Faster Than Normal - Peter Shankman https://bookshop.org/a/84130/9780143131229

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Consultant and Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

-

Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/03/camp-program-of-the-future

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10 years from now, are you going to be proud of the program decisions that you made today?

Last episode, we unpacked the types of programs that we think it’s time to say goodbye to.

And because we all know how annoying it is to have people only give you problems and not solutions, that’s where this one comes in.

Travis, Gabz and Chris are here to talk about not only the specific programs that they are excited to see in the future, but the intentionality that will need to go into them.

Because it’s really hard to know what the world is going to look like 10 years ago. We’re recording this in 2023 and think about how different the world was in 2013! A smartphone, 4 major social media platforms and a pandemic later, and we could have never seen what was coming.

Whether technology majorly changes or not, we know that it’s “people before programs” so making sure we have the right people and right philosophies around social-emotional learning is what’s going to really move the needle.

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Chris - Get yourself a foam roller
• Gabz - Finch: Self Care Widget Pet
• Joe - FUNdoing Fridays - Chris Calvert
• Travis - 5-Minute Fridays - Liz’s AI How To to make marketing writing better, Chris & Alyssa’s work on making a place for Neuro Divergent staff, Michael, Jorgi - all GCP

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

-

Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/02/camp-programs-let-go

Should They Stay or Should They Go Now?

Being a culture of change is essential for any camp that wants to be around for a long time.

True camp pros know this, live this and breathe this, but even the best of the best can fall prey to the “way we’ve always done it”-itus.

Camp programs.

Sometimes, camp programs like our rituals, opening/closing ceremonies, activity areas, camp-wide events gain this “sacred” status that we hold onto for simply the idea of it.

Consider this episode your wake-up call.

Chris, Joe, Gabz and Travis put their heads together to call out and call in camp programs and rituals that they think need a good hard look at.

As a preview - Chris is going to make you think differently about Color War.

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Chris - Laptop Stand https://amzn.to/4022hy2
• Gabz - Image Colorizer https://imagecolorizer.com/
• Joe - Sullivans 36"x59" Gridded Cutting Mat for Home Hobby Table - Jo Ann Fabrics
• Travis - Shade: trees, cooling stations, deep porches, picnic shelters

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

-

Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/02/motivation-morale
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When it’s been a few months without staff or kids, how do you and your year-round team remind yourself why you do what you do?

Please review us! - Click here!

We tell our seasonal staff that a summer of camp is a marathon, not a sprint. 

But we know that we’re lying to them, right? Or at least relatively.

Being a year-round camp pro is a marathon that lasts YEARS, with sprints embedded within it, just to keep us on our toes.

With burnout being a hot topic for employees of every level, it’s important that we check in on each other. The whole gang’s here to share what they do day in and day out with themselves and their teams to stay connected with the “why” of their world.

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Chris - Not Just Play: Summer Camp and the Profession of Social Work
• Gabz - Rode Videomic ME for smartphones https://amzn.to/3iUgsnS
• Joe - Book - 100 Things We've Lost to the Internet - Pamela Paul 
• Travis - Pixton 

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

-

Thanks to our sponsors!

Camptivities

Scheduling is the backbone of every camper’s experience, but when there’s a staffing change, it’s almost impossible to fill that role with someone who knows all of the nuisance a schedule takes. Come check Camptivities out; specifically designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/01/physical-mental-wellness
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It’s not the same staff as 2010, so why are we treating their wellness like they are?

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again - this is not the same staffing generation as it was pre-pandemic.

We’re rebuilding so many of our principals and practices post-pandemic, so why not take a deep dive into how we can (and maybe can’t) better meet the mental and physical health needs of our staff team?

It’s certainly not going to be easy. It will be tempting to go down the road of “well, we didn’t have it like this when I was a summer staff!?” - even when we know that’s not going to cut it anymore - but we owe it to this generation of staff to continue to make camp the kind of impactful place it was for us.

Chris, Joe and Gabz are here to help. Listen in as each of these well-seasoned camp directors are being vulnerable and bold enough to be willing to go back to the drawing board in the name of meeting their camp staff where they are at.

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Chris - Bamboo Plant  https://www.thespruce.com/growing-lucky-bamboo-1902994 & Shutterfly - https://www.shutterfly.com/ 
• Gabz - Coursera - https://www.coursera.org
• Joe - Center Cam - https://thecentercam.com/ | PowerToys (Windows) https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/XP89DCGQ3K6VLD

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show
(Thank you!)

-

Thanks to our sponsors!

Camptivities

Scheduling is the backbone of every camper’s experience, but when there’s a staffing change, it’s almost impossible to fill that role with someone who knows all of the nuisance a schedule takes. Come check Camptivities out; specifically designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/staff-from-scratch
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This is definitely a “glass-half-full” type of situation…

For better or for worse, it’s more than likely that we’ve all had to “start from scratch” at some point in the last 3 years.

However, starting from scratch with your staff team? Now that is one spicy meatball.

Our staff are the core of what we do. The experience they deliver is the one that kids remember, and parents decide to re-register their kids for.

When you’re starting from scratch with staff, we almost have to set aside the program. It’s not the traditions, the zip line and the costumes that give kids a memorable experience, it’s that the staff can create a safe space for campers to build confidence and create connections.

It’s an incredible opportunity to go back to the core of our mission and what makes a great camp staff in the context of our mission.

And who better to join Chris, Joe, Travis and Gabz on the show than the one and only Michael Brandwein!

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More from Michael

Live Online March 28 & 29, 2023

Brandwein on Training: The Step-by-Step System for Planning & Presenting Your Best Staff Training Ever

Early Bird Discounted Registration until Feb. 15

https://acai.wildapricot.org/event-5064766

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Live Online May 13, 2023

Brandwein on Super Staff SuperVision: The Quick Course on Outstanding Skills to Coach, Motivate, & Bring Out the Best in Staff

Early Bird Discounted Registration until April 1

https://acai.wildapricot.org/event-5064659

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Find the TOWs at  https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/staff-from-scratch

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau
• Michael Brandwein, Speaker, Trainer and Author - https://www.michaelbrandwein.com/store

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Thanks to our sponsors!

Camptivities

Scheduling is the backbone of every camper’s experience, but when there’s a staffing change, it’s almost impossible to fill that role with someone who knows all of the nuisance a schedule takes. Come check Camptivities out; specifically designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/all-tows
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Our favourite annual traditional…you know…besides camp!

Look what’s back, back again, all TOWs back, tell a friend!

Your good friends Chris, Gabz, Travis and Joe all share different “tools” that make their lives better in the categories…

• 2 tools that positively affect your mental health
• 2 books you read JUST FOR FUN
• 2 gifts you’d recommend for every camp director

Find all of the TOWs and links at https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/all-tows 

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Chris Hudson, Camp Director - Camp Highlight
• Joe Richards, Executive Director - Pearce Williams
• Gabrielle Raill, Camp Director - Camp Ouareau

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

-

Thanks to our sponsors!

Camptivities
Scheduling is the backbone of every camper’s experience, but when there’s a staffing change, it’s almost impossible to fill that role with someone who knows all of the nuisance a schedule takes. Come check Camptivities out; specifically designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

UltraCamp
Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us!

Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/jcamp180-is-supporting-jewish-camps

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A vision for the future of summer camp support.

What would it look like if organizations outside your camp understood the community-building power of summer camp?

We know that camp builds connections that last forever, but telling that story to people outside of the camp world can be tricky - and it’s even more tricky to find outside financial resources to support the community mission.

The work of JCamp180 is an incredible model for how advocacy and support can work on an industry level. Consulting, advocacy, grant-writing, and funding access - all things that JCamp180 has done to support Jewish Camping across North America.

The rest of this industry LISTEN UP. 

The industry as a whole, does such a good job of sharing resources and collaboration, but especially when it comes to fundraising, we have this tendency to move into a scarcity mindset and try to do it all on our own.

This model is a vision for us to zoom out and look at how the industry, as a whole, can thrive under a network of financial support and advocacy.

Find out more about JCamp180 at https://jcamp180.org/ 

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Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

• Ari - Time Boxing
• Sarah - 7-Minute Workouts - https://www.workoutinc.net/ 
• Travis - LED Light strips - battery or plugin https://amzn.to/3EWezy4

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Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro
• Sarah Eisinger, Director, JCamp180
• Ari Polsky, Consultant, JCamp180

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

Thanks to our sponsors!

Camptivities

Scheduling is the backbone of every camper’s experience, but when there’s a staffing change, it’s almost impossible to fill that role with someone who knows all of the nuisance a schedule takes. Come check Camptivities out; specifically designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker