Camp Programs of the Future - CampHacker #178

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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What Programs Are We Ready To Say Goodbye To? - CampHacker #177

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

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Motivation and Morale in the Off-Season - CampHacker #176

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?

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

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Your Hosts:

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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

Caring for Staff's Physical and Mental Wellness - CampHacker #175

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 re-building 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 - and 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.

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

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Your Hosts:

-

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show

(Thank you!)

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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