Tag: summer camp staff

Staff Training

May 15th, 2017

Each summer, over two hundred men and women arrive at Camp Weequahic to prepare for an incredible experience. Hailing from literally around the world (17 countries and 22 US states at last count), these mostly college aged adults have chosen to spend their summer doing something different differently.

 

Let me explain….

 

What we do is pretty simple to explain: we run a residential summer camp for girls and boys ages 7 to 16.

 

How do we do it? That’s an easy but more involved conversation. The answer involves our structured-choice program for the kids, the way we interview, hire, and train our team, the great traditions and Evening Activities, the Dining Hall experience, what to do on trips off camp, and so much more.

 

We have a team of eight people who work for 10 months planning a 2 month party and then take another 10 days to get everyone else up to speed. It’s not rocket science but it’s pretty involved.

 

Why do we do it? Well… that’s the special answer. And, it’s the answer we delve into from the first moment of our 10-day staff orientation. It’s also the answer we finish with the night before the kids arrive. It’s the most important thing to clarify and embrace as it is at the core of everything we do.

 

What’s the answer, you ask? You’ll have to be a staff member to find out. But, I’ll give you a hint: it has a lot to do with creating an amazing experience for everyone we meet through gratitude, attitude and courage….

 

Getting Ready for Orientation

Team members should arrive with an ‘open for anything’ type attitude ready to be challenged and engaged. We put our newest team members into odd situations, fun situations, hard situations and everything in between.

 

We focus on the ‘why’, teach our expectations and policies, practice those in real world situations, and laugh a lot together. We help each staff member ‘sharpen their own saw’ and then work with everyone to create a community that is supportive, friendly, fun, safe, and adventurous.

 

What we are preparing for?

The kids! (And, frankly, each other!)

 

We have 450 campers from all over the US and larger world arriving at camp on June 24th. Two thirds will be heading home on July 15th and the next awesome batch of 250 kids arriving on July 17th.

We want our campers to be surrounded by people who will, first off, keep them safe both physically and emotionally and secondly, who are excited to show them how much fun can be enjoyed in our community.

 

The better a community we create with one another as a team, the better an experience we can provide to our campers, their families back home, and our team at camp.

 

Sure, it’s fun and it’s usually the most challenging job anyone has ever had. The more we work together and support one another, the easier and more fulfilling it becomes.

 

The End Result

Remember when I said our staff arrive ready to do something different differently? Spending your summer caring for, teaching, and leading young people changes our team members. It requires selfless action and that’s not something that gets celebrated a lot any more. That’s why it’s different.

 

Camp impacts our staff just as much as our kids. It opens up their world, shows them the enormous influence they can provide, and reinforces the notion that happiness comes from serving others.

 

What does ‘differently’ mean? That’s the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ that we’ll teach you at Weequahic. We can’t wait to show you!
Let me be the first to welcome our Summer Staff of 2017. Travel safely to camp and get ready for AMAZING!

Aaaaachoo! How Camp Weequahic Keeps Kids Healthy

April 24th, 2017

Many parents ask us about what happens if their child gets sick at camp, and what we do to keep everyone healthy. These are very valid questions, and ones that we take extremely seriously. We want all of our campers to enjoy every day at camp and be in the best health possible. We are serious about maintaining the cleanliness of our surroundings, and encourage campers to be avid hand washers and reduce the sharing of germs whenever possible.

 

There are sinks, hand washing stations, and access to hand sanitizer all throughout camp, making it easy to quickly wash their hands before a meal or after as sport or event that involved a lot of hands-on activity.  Our main focus is on the health and safety of all of our campers, and so we try to implement these 4 tips to keep campers performing optimal health.

 

We Keep Them Hydrated

We know that dehydration can be a major risk for kids who are on the go all day, especially when the temperatures start to climb. Drinking a lot of water is great for the immune system and flushes out toxins that can make campers feel sluggish and sick. We have water available all over camp and are always encouraging campers to drink up before, during and after each strenuous activity.

 

We Let Them Sleep

Although kids may not be excited about bedtime, as parents, teachers, couches and well-educated adults, we all know that sleep is vital in keeping their growing minds and bodies at their peak. This is why we’ve set specific times for our campers to rest throughout the day, as well as encourage them to get a good night’s sleep each night. Campers have different “bedtimes” depending on their age, but all campers get plenty of opportunities to rest and recharge their batteries each day

 

We Feed Them Well

We provide our campers with freshly prepared and healthy food choices for every meal. They have access to fruits and a salad bar and have every opportunity to make good, healthy food choices. We teach campers that when you put healthy foods in, you’ll get power and speed and energy out. We know kids will want to indulge in sweets every now and then, and that is perfectly okay. But for the most part, they are eating nutritious food that fuels their bodies and boosts their immune systems, making it easier for their bodies to fight off colds.

 

We Encourage Good Hygiene

At camp, we encourage campers to wash their hands regularly and teach them proper etiquette when sneezing or coughing around other people. We discourage sharing of drinks or snacks that could spread germs, encourage high fives and fist bumps to reduce the transfer of icky germs, and if a camper does feel like he/she is coming down with something, we have a fully staffed medical facility on campus that can help.

Are You One in a Million?

January 22nd, 2012

According to the American Camp Association (ACA), nearly 1.2 million people take on the adventure of working at camp each summer.  They come from all over the world and all walks of life.  Some of them are former campers while others have never experienced summer camp at all.  Their educations are as diverse as their backgrounds and many of them choose summer camp over a traditional internship because of the unique, well-rounded work experience it provides.   Whether the winter weather already has you thinking about what you’ll be doing this summer or you’re just browsing summer employment opportunities, it’s worth asking yourself, “Am I  one in a million?” :

  • Summer camp staff come from all over the world.  Increasingly, as summer camps recognize their unique position to promote a global community in a fun, relaxed environment, they are recruiting staff from near and far.   The ACA reports that within the last decade “there has been an increase in the use of international staff to expose campers to different cultures.”  If you live outside of the U.S. and you’ve been wanting to travel to the USA, summer camp is a great way to earn some cash while getting to intimately experience life here.  If you’re an American and a trip abroad just isn’t quite in the budget, you need go no further than a residential summer camp to make new friends from all over the world—and pad your bank account while doing it!
  • If you think that being a former camper is a pre-requisite to being a great camp counselor, think again.  Many camp staff members who return to camp year after year never even set foot on a summer camp campus prior to working at one.  Like many of their colleagues, that one step was all it took.  They were won over and continue to return each season.
  • Summer camp employment isn’t just for education majors and coaches.  Increasingly, those with majors in the social sciences, sciences, math, engineering, and even medicine and nursing are finding a summer home at camp as an alternative to the traditional internship.  Summer camp provides many unique experiences that one can gain nowhere else, such as a 24/7 commitment and the opportunity to simultaneously work with children and adults in a close-knit family type community.  Summer camp also develops a diverse range of core skills valued by employers today.  As a camp staff member, one must make split second decisions, be an efficient negotiator, use creativity to sell ideas and concepts, resolve conflict, solve problems, be an effective leader, know how to prioritize, be extremely flexible, accept change, and be awesome when it comes to multi-tasking.  If it sounds like a big order, it is.  But almost all who take on the challenge report that it’s also one of the most fun and rewarding experiences upon which they’ve ever embarked.
  • If you are an education major or a coach, have you thought of summer camp as an opportunity to build experience working with children ages 7-15?  Working at summer camp develops many of the same skills that are often used in the classroom or on the field.  Many educational institutions view summer camp experience as some of the  most valuable on a potential educator’s resume.
  • How many traditional internships pay you AND provide you with room and board?  In addition to a stipend for the summer, almost all residential summer camp positions offer room and board as part of their employment packages.  What this means to you is that, potentially, everything you earn throughout the summer goes straight into your pocket…or your bank account, as the case may be.  Even if you allow yourself a bit to splurge on sightseeing around the local area (many of America’s finest summer camps are located in some of the most beautiful parts of the country), it’s still possible to take home a substantial amount of cash at the end of the summer.  This is particularly appealing when one considers how much rent and food can add up to over a summer.

If you’re looking for the summer job to beat all summer jobs, summer camp may definitely be your cup of tea.  At summer camp, everyday will be a new adventure that takes you both indoors and out from sunrise to sunset.  There are no cubicles, no computers (aside from computers available for staff to use on their free time), and no time clocks.  And…there are beautiful surroundings, a camp full of campers who depend on you, a slew of challenges you never knew you’d face (and enjoy), and a circle of lifetime friends waiting to meet you.  If you’re one in a million, what are you waiting for?  If you are a college or university student, check your college’s upcoming career fair lineups.  Many summer camps travel to universities to recruit this time of year.  It may be possible to meet the first member of your future camp family in person.  If your college days are behind you or there are no summer camps scheduled to visit your university, you can apply directly through Camp Weequahic’s web page.