Staff Retention & Recruiting Tips - For Right Now - CampHacker #109

Your best future staff members are looking. Are they going to find you?

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher

Hey! Welcome back!

We hope that you had an incredible summer.

We also hope that you’ve had an incredible chance to take a breath and reflect on the magic that surely happened this summer. Or even, to not think about camp and…you know…sleep!

Whether you’re still recovering, coming out of hibernation, or still in the busy season, it’s time to start setting the next summer up for success.

Step one. Staffing.

This time of year (October/November), is when the financial and emotional reality of the school is kicking in for students and they are ready to start looking for a summer job. Your potential returning staff have also now taken a breath from the potential drama and tiredness of the summer and are ready again to dream of their home away from home. In either case, the “keeners” are looking, and you want them on your team.

As always on the CampHacker podcast, we try to deliver timely, relevant and practical information to help you (and your staff) on what matters most to you NOW. To help do that, Travis, Joe and Gabz are joined by the brilliant, legendary Kim Aycock and intentionally amazing Jolly Corley on this week’s episode.

Tune in and get inspired to find and build you best staff team yet.

**Travis’ Note: Gabz awesome Ouareau Interview Prep booklet.


Take This Episode One Step Farther

Register for the Caught Between Two Staff Seasons Masterclass with Kim and Jolly. Get your staffing hat on and create your playbook for retaining, recruiting and developing staff for 2019.

Find out more here!


Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: Gear Infusion EverRatchet - (20% off code EverRatchetBacker20)

Gab: JOBY GorillaPod

Joe: Super Thick Index Cards - Joe uses Levenger Cards that are 170lb paper and vertically lined. Amazon.ca Link.

Kim: United by Blue (removes a pound of trash from the world’s oceans and waterways for every product sold...lots of cool “camp” items!)

Jolly:  Backless Yoga Ball Desk Chair - Canadian Link


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Rate and Review the CampHacker Show in iTunes 

(Thank you!)

Do This Now To Set Your Summer Camp Staff Up For Success - CampHacker #108

You may be in the thick of things, but your staff are ready, and they need you.

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Hello Camp Pros!

Well, it's late April/early May, and you know what that means.

EVERYBODY PANIC!

No no, only kidding! But likely, it can start to feel like it at this time of year.

As we finish stretching to prepare for the sprint that is camp, we can't forget that the race we are about to run is not a solo event, it's a relay!

For many of us, our staff are either starting to think about coming, or are starting to trickle up to camp. While it's sometimes stressful when people are adding to the mix of your daily workflow, it's important that we step back and remember that these are the people that will carry out all the marketing and selling you've done since September. Their energy that you had when you were 17 is just waiting to be unleashed and it's important that you take the time to begin to harness that energy and point it in the right direction.

Last episode, we covered some broad ways that you can support staff by creating and sustaining a culture that focuses on mental wellness (which was an eye-opening episode and if you haven't listened already, please do!). This time around, we've brought the team and some friends in to talk about some of the practical steps that you should take NOW to help your staff get ready to unleash their awesome this summer.

Joining Travis, Dan and Joe to share their best practices and ideas are Ange Atkinson, Camp Director at Camp Lantern Creek and Patti Sampson, Camp Director at Coastal Roots Camp, and host of the Podcast: Rec Heads and Camp Nerds

Enjoy!

What kinds of things are you doing right now to set your team up for success? Let us know in the comments!

Bonus Resources - Because people who read the show notes are the best people.

Travis' Bonjoro Link:

Dan’s Dan Pink Episode

If Slack isn't for you, give Flock a peek!

Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: Oxford At-Hand Note Carrier 

Dan: The Emergent Task Planner

Joe: Tempered Glass screen covers for phones

Ange: Use Facebook Live to add some zest to your marketing smorgasbord! 

Patti: Gratitude Journaling

Your Hosts:

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show in iTunes 

(Thank you!)

CampHacker Interview with Ask Doctor G (Dr Deborah Gilboa)

Good Day Camp Mavericks!

Travis here!  I'm stepping in for Matt as he's editing the "big show" (and getting ready for camp!). 

I had an awesome conversation with Dr. Deborah Gilboa - many of you know her as an amazing parenting expert, or you may follow her AskDoctorG YouTube channel - this morning.   We spoke about her early camp experiences, what she learned from being a camp counsellor and how camps can best demonstrate to parents their sincere interest in being a great resource to families. 

It was a fun morning!

Shownotes

We mentioned on this call the co-operative effort that a small bunch of Camp Mavs are working on to create a growing list of "being useful to parents" resources.  If you want to be a contributor and get access, bring a useful link to https://goo.gl/forms/lZ4tc4npiTjrgaev1.   Anyone who contributes gets links to the whole list!

To speak to Dr G about a bundle for your camp you can email:  contact@askdoctorg.com

Supporting Staff Mental Wellness - CampHacker #107

Your camp staff's mental wellness is a priority. Period.

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How many of our camp brochures or websites preach that our camp teaches kids about grit and resilience?

Okay everyone, put your hands down. 

Now, home many of us can say that we put that same effort into fostering grit and resilience with our staff? Sure, we may have staff check-ins and encourage staff to write motivational notes to each other, but although those are great, the times when just that was enough are likely coming to a end.

Before we continue, let's check ourselves remember that the world that we grew up in, in the 70's, 80's and 90's is very different than the one where our staff are growing up in now. The pressures of the world combined with the increased expectations of parents and peers, all lumped in with a toxic social media culture, makes for one of the most tumultuous times to be a youth.

We've grown and changed as an industry in so many ways. Now, when it comes to addressing the mental health of our staff, it's time to grow again. We would never leave our campers who are missing home and mentally struggling, so why would do it to our staff who are missing home, camp and mentally struggling in other ways?

This is a challenging episode, and honestly, it might be one of our heaviest yet, but we hope you'll stick with it and let this sink in.

Joining Travis, Dan and Gab in walking down this road is the fantastic Amanda Grassick from Camp Woodeden. Amanda has been working hard to make their staff's mental health a priority at Woodeden, and after a tough start in their first year, Amanda is starting to see some results thanks to what they've put in place.

This is more than a "get a pen and paper" type of episode. It's a "get a pen and paper, and ready to grow" type of episode. We know you'll enjoy it.

What are you doing to look after your staff team's mental health? Let us know in the comments below!

Bonus Resources

Mental wellness isn't something we can just "figure out" on our own (like you "figured out" how to jerry-rig that leaky toilet, you genius you!). Get professional training and approach this issue like a professional. These links will get you started.

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org

http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca/en

Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: The Power of Moments: Chip & Dan Heath

Dan: Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

Gab: Find someone to talk to that’s not family or friends also this book  Loving someone with Borderline Personality Disorder

Amanda: Smartsheet

Your Hosts:

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show in iTunes 

(Thank you!)