Counselor Blog

No doubt your camp counselor experience this summer included some awesome campers, co-workers, and even a “lesson learned” or two.

We want to collect the best camp counselor stories from across the country and share them here! Tell us about your favorite memory, camper, day at camp, boss, activity, etc. Write it up in 500 words or less and send it to us at media@ACAcamps.org, and you might just see it on the blog.

Congratulations on a “summer well-spent,” and good luck with your fall adventures!

Photo courtesy of Camp Howe, Goshen, Massachusetts
 

Update October 2012: Camping Magazine Featured by NicheMedia for outstanding use of camp photograpy!

Did you take some awesome photos at camp this summer? Enter them into Camping Magazine's 2013 Golden Lens Contest!

You could win a $150 cash prize and your photo could be on the cover of the next May/June Camping Magazine!

Just send your favorite photos that depict the camp experience (and represent the best practices in the field) to magazine@ACAcamps.org.

Before you submit your photos, make sure to fill out the online photo release!

Include your name, camp name, contact address, and phone number in the e-mail.

(Photos must be .tif or .jpeg files and at least 300 dpi. For cover considerations, please don’t crop photos.)

The deadline to submit photos is November 30, 2012.

Check out previous Golden Lens winners and honorable mentions.

Submit your photos today!
 

As a counselor, you make sure to have a positive attitude, and you encourage campers to see the bright side of life. You realize that camp is more fun when everyone is happy — but did you know that by promoting positivity, you’re also helping campers find success and literally reverse the effects of stress and anxiety?

When you are in a positive state of mind, you are more apt to succeed! According to Christine Carter, PhD, a sociologist and happiness expert at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, “When our brains are positive and we’re experiencing positive emotions, we’re much more creative, better at problem solving, and our perception is more open — making us more able to learn.” Help your campers learn that staying positive puts them on the fast-track to achieving their goals!

Carter also explains the physiological effects of positive emotions: “Say you are anxious and you’re heart rate goes up. If you have a good laugh, feelings of gratitude, or feelings of hope — any sort of positive emotions — generally speaking, your heart rate will drop. Positive emotions even boost your immune system a little bit.” A positive mindset will literally make campers healthier!

Want to know the best predictor of a person’s happiness, and how you can support positive emotional skills at camp? Read this interview with Carter from the 2012 January/February Camping Magazine.

Tell us what you do to keep a positive atmosphere at camp in the comments below!

Photo courtesy of Happy Hollow Children's Camp in Nashville, Indiana

Whether this is your first and only week at camp, or you’ve already been there for a few weeks, it’s important to make healthy choices to keep you running on all cylinders!

Eat Well
Fuel your body with what it needs to make it through your busy days — which includes lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk, and healthy proteins like lean meats and beans. For more specifics, visit the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s Healthy Eating Plan.

Tip: “Most people eat too fast and even when they are not necessarily hungry. Use meal time as an opportunity to 'slow down' from the busy camp pace.” Read more in the Camping Magazine article: “Make a Commitment: Encouraging Wellness and Healthy Living at Camp.”

*Bonus* When you eat healthy, you set a great example for your campers, who look up to you! Lead by example and help campers make wise food choices. (Just be careful to guide — not dictate — what campers eat!)

Stay Active
The CDC recommends that adults get at least 2 ½ hours of moderate-intensity exercise each week and do muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week. So get out there and get involved in a fun game of pickleball with your campers!

Tip: Exercise helps your mind, too — and quick! According to Michael Otto, PhD, "Usually within five minutes after moderate exercise you get a mood-enhancement effect." So if you need a pick-me-up, try walking or jogging!

*Bonus* When you play fun new games with campers, they might just end up taking those activities home with them, continuing their fun and active lifestyle!

Sleep!
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again — getting enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do for yourself this summer! Not only will it put you in the right mindset to eat healthier and stay active, it will help your mood and keep you alert.

Tip: “Power naps” can be really helpful! During your break period, try to grab 10–20 minutes of sleep.

*Bonus* According to the American Psychological Association, 69 percent of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week. Helping your campers learn how to make getting enough sleep a priority can have a great effect on their at-home habits! 

Photo courtesy of Camp Westminster on Higgins Lake.

You will have tons of fun as a camp counselor this summer — but did you know that you’re also developing critical workplace skills?

Traditionally, the “3 Rs” (reading, writing, and arithmetic) have been the focus of workplace preparation. In other words:

• Can you write coherently?
• How’s your reading comprehension?
• Is your toolbox of math skills pretty full?

But according to the American Management Association’s 2010 Critical Skills Survey:
. . . [T]he new workplace requires more from its employees. Employees need to think critically, solve problems, innovate, collaborate, and communicate more effectively—and at every level within the organization.

In fact, there’s even a new phrase to describe these additional, critical job skills: the “4 Cs” (critical thinking and problem solving; communication; collaboration; and creativity and innovation).

So now you need to ask yourself questions like:

• How do you work on a team?
• When was the last time you used limited resources to overcome a problem?
• What is your communication style?

Learn more about 21st century skills.

This summer, notice all the ways you hone your skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity on a daily basis — and then write them down!

For example, what did you learn about communication and collaboration while teaching a new game to your campers? How did your prioritize your responsibilities at camp? Did you think of a creative and fun way to do cabin chores? Write all these things down in a job skills journal!

Being aware of your budding skills will make you more conscious and intentional in their development. And keeping a record of your critical job skills will make it much easier to list them on your resume this fall.

Have fun this summer and watch yourself grow!
 

According to author and psychologist Michael Thompson, PhD, 97 percent of children experience at least some occasional homesick feelings at camp. Considering that statistic, you’ll probably have at least a few campers who experience some level of homesickness this summer. As their counselor — their first line of communication and comfort — do you know what to say and do?

Selected Tips for Handling Campers’ Homesickness

1. Early on, introduce campers to older campers who were once in their shoes.

“One thing that helped me was bringing me to visit older campers in their bunks,” said David. The older campers welcomed David and shared personal memories of their first days many years ago. In their unpacking, they also showed a glimpse of a teenage world to which most ten-year-old boys aspire. When companies market products to children, they often will show children and teens several years older than the actual target audience. These older campers then recognized and said hello to David (at the waterfront, walking to meals, etc.) during the first crucial days of camp — building his self-confidence and feelings of importance.

From “Opening Day Blues” by David Fleischner

2. Ask campers how they’re doing, and really listen to their answer. Let them know it’s okay to miss home.

A quick check-in helps most campers with mild homesickness, and sometimes a group discussion can do the trick: a group conversation at bedtime, for example. One counselor said that when her whole group of girls was showing signs of homesickness, she had them all describe their bedrooms to each other and to her, in minute detail. She also described her own room at home. The girls felt enormously comforted by the extended opportunity to share these details of home. Other counselors, usually young men, tell me that they had the whole group describe their favorite meals.

From “What Camp Staff Can Do to Help Children: An Excerpt from Homesick and Happy” by Michael G. Thompson, PhD

3. Distract campers with all the fun activities at camp.

Remember the special things that only happen at CAMP — Distract. Distract. Distract. Find ways to keep campers busy with activities to take their minds off what is bothering them.

From “Top Ten Ways to Prevent/Treat Homesickness” by Paul Denowski, Rob Grierson, and Tony Oyenarte

"Camp is like life," my counselor told me the summer I was homesick. "The more you get involved, the more you'll get out of it."

So what did I do? I got involved.

. . . And eventually, you realize that the saddest part isn't being homesick at the beginning, but not wanting to leave at the end.

From “A Place to Share: Life at Camp” by Neal Levin

Photo courtesy of Camp Foster YMCA of the Okobojis in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Guest post by Michael Eisen

When I was nine years old I spent my first summer at camp. It was a huge step for me to be away from home for that long. I remember being very homesick that summer, but one of the things that made it easier for me was having a really kind, caring, and compassionate camp counselor. It’s unfortunate, but when I went to camp, having a really good counselor was by no means a guarantee. Over the next eight summers spent as a camper and one summer spent as a counselor myself, I learned a lot about what it took to be considered a campers favorite counselor, and I want to share some tips on how you can show up in that way for ALL your campers this summer!

Kindness and Compassion

Reflecting back on the handful of favorite counselors that I had throughout my summers as a camper, the most important factor that jumps out at me was their ability to show genuine kindness and compassion no matter what I was experiencing. There wasn’t that harshness when I did something they didn’t approve of, or the teasing that I got enough of from my fellow campers. Instead they always responded with a softness that made me feel safe and comfortable. I was a very sensitive kid, so being away from home and dealing with campers picking on me was a big challenge. But feeling like I always had someone who had my back was my saving grace. It did not require a huge amount of extra energy; simple things like having a one-on-one conversation every so often, encouraging me with positive feedback, and even giving me a hug when I needed some love went a long way in making my summer more enjoyable.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Growing up in a household that had a lot of talk and very little action, I was able to recognize quite easily when someone was just saying something but not following through. I believe youth emulate and respond more to our actions rather than our words. So the days of “do as I say, not as I do” are over . . . if you want to be considered someone’s favorite counselor. What makes a good leader and a good counselor is leading by example and LIVING by the same guidelines that you set out for your campers. If you want them to act a certain way, follow certain rules, take part in certain activities, be kind to each other, etc. then you as a counselor need to show up in that exact same way. My favorite counselors always walked their talk. If you want to get your campers to do what you say, YOU need to do what you say first!

It’s All about Perspective

In my opinion, this principle, if practiced consistently, would abolish most conflict in our relationships. The challenge is we don’t practice it nearly enough. Everybody wants to feel like they are understood and heard — campers and counselors alike. Is it fair to expect to be understood, respected, and listened to without practicing understanding, respecting, and listening to others first? I didn’t think so! It’s a two way street, and perspective allows each party to meet in the middle. My favorite counselors always took the time to listen to what I had to say and understand where I was coming from. If there was an argument or a conflict, my desire to assert myself and be right significantly decreased once I felt understood. Give your campers the understanding and respect that they deserve, and you will find that they will follow suit and do the same back to you.

Take Time for Self-Care

It can be very challenging having to be at your best and providing care for other people, especially kids. It is even more difficult to do so if you are not caring for YOURSELF first. Caring for yourself is not selfish, it is self-full. The more that you care for yourself, the more you will be able to care for others. You cannot expect to be at your best all summer long without taking the time to refill your own tank. My favorite counselors always made me feel like I was important, and it was clear that they treated themselves with just as much kindness and care as they did me. You need to make yourself the most important person in YOUR world, so you can make your campers the most important people in THE world, this summer.

Practice Good Sleep Habits: Getting a good night’s sleep is SO important. Operating on four or five hours of sleep every night is not ideal if you want to show up as your best for your campers every day.

Make Time for FUN: Make sure you are having fun too. Do more with your time off! Engage your creativity, move your body, play, dance, and sing like you are still a camper. When you are having fun, it is contagious. It is clear to your campers when you are not enjoying yourself and it can wear off on them.

Reduce Your Stress: If you find yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take five minutes off and find yourself a quiet place. Practice breathing deeply in through your nose and letting out a big sigh through your mouth as you exhale. Do this ten times with your eyes closed and your stress will melt away. Most of the time, when you are stressed out, you are not breathing enough — and without enough oxygen moving through your body, everything tenses up!

The most important thing to remember is just to BE YOU! The more real and genuine you are, the fewer barriers will exist when you are interacting with your campers, and the more fun you will all have!

Michael Eisen is an inspirational speaker, author, and the founder of the Youth Wellness Network, an organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering youth across the globe to live happier and more positive lives. After positively transforming his own life at the age of nineteen, he is now on a life-long crusade to share with other young people the principles, strategies, and practices that gave him the strength to start living a more joyful and healthier life. He contributes a fresh, young, authentic voice to the field of wellness, and is rapidly becoming a youth-wellness expert. Michael's first book, Empowered YOUth: A Father and Son's Journey to Conscious Living, co-authored with his father Jeffrey Eisen, will be released fall of 2012 with Hay House. To learn more about Michael and the Youth Wellness Network, visit www.youthwellnessnetwork.ca, become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/youthwellnessnetwork) and follow him on Twitter: @youthwellnet.