|
By Paul A. Schlag
Parents
place a great deal of trust in camps and
camp counselors when they send their children
to camp. Wouldn't it be great if
staff could think about this aspect of
camp before they even arrive at camp? Well
now they can! ACA has a new tool to assist
you with the responsibility of training
camp counselors. ACA partnered with the
University of Georgia to create a stand-alone,
interactive, online training program.
The Camp Is for the Camper Online Training,
Second Edition gives staff a jumpstart
in considering their roles and responsibilities
before arriving at camp. The program's
four interactive modules address counselor
responsibilities as role models, stress
reduction while working at camp, and demographics
of today's campers and behavior management
techniques. The program content draws from
the popular booklet, Camp Is for the
Camper. Buy
this book!
It is imperative that counselors see themselves
as role models for campers and act accordingly. Related
to understanding their own roles, counselors
also need to understand current camper
demographics since today's campers come
from a variety of situations and backgrounds. Knowing
today's campers gives counselors insight
into understanding and dealing with them
in an effective manner. In addition,
serving as a camp counselor is often demanding
and stressful. Counselors who know how
to handle stress are able to better interact
with campers in a positive and safe manner.
Further, every counselor needs to know
how to reinforce positive behavior and
discourage negative behavior. The Camp
Is for the Camper Online Training program
literally gives counselors a jumpstart
in learning how to better serve campers.
Each module provides essential information
in an innovative and interactive manner. The
first module teaches counselors about their
responsibilities as role models to campers. After
learning what it means to be a role model,
participants are asked to choose their
interactions with campers and camper parents
in an interactive format. Through
the “magic” of technology,
the participant can read the camper's and
parents' minds. This gives counselors
a sense of how their actions and interactions
affect campers and their parents.
The second module in the training program
provides tips for dealing with the stresses
of camp. The culmination of this
module is a stress test, where the participants
make choices regarding how they will conduct
themselves at camp. One option leads to
reduced stress, while the other option
increases stress. Thus, counselors are
able to see how their choices and actions
affect stress levels. The next module deals
with the demographics of today's campers.
Participants get to know ten virtual campers,
whose lives reflect current demographic
trends. Further, this module covers the
typical developmental characteristics associated
with different camper age groups (i.e.,
physical, social, emotional, and intellectual
development and activities that are appropriate
for each age group). After learning about
today's campers, participants play "The
Age is Right" game. They are
shown certain developmental characteristics
or demographics and asked to choose the
age group that characteristic or demographic
describes.
The final module explores behavior management.
Participants learn about some of the typical
behaviors encountered at camp (e.g., homesickness,
aggression, unwillingness to participate,
etc.). They also discover strategies
for encouraging, preventing, or dealing
with such behaviors. At the end of
the module, participants play a game called “The
$14,000 Triangle.” They are shown
a strategy for dealing with certain behaviors
and are asked to identify what behavior
the strategy seeks to confront. After participating
in the entire course, counselors are given
a certificate that indicates they successfully
completed the Camp Is for the Camper Online
Training Program, Second Edition.
This interactive training program is an
effective method for preparing counselors
to serve our campers. It encourages
counselors to think about campers before
arriving at camp and provides a solid foundation
upon which directors can build. Since the
program is online, counselors can participate
in this course anywhere and anytime they
want. Participating in this course allows
directors and trainers to spend more time
with hands-on training while on site. The
Camp is for the Camper Online Training
program, Second Edition, coupled with effective,
face-to-face training, can better prepare
counselors to serve campers in a professional,
helpful, fun, and safe manner.
|
