Gen-Y At Camp: How to Understand, Manage, and Increase Resiliency in Millennial Camp Staff

Overview:

Gen·er·a·tion Y (noun):  

Generation Y; plural noun: Generation Ys; AKA: Millennials  

1. the generation born in the 1980s and 1990s, comprising primarily the children of the baby boomers and typically perceived as increasingly familiar with digital and electronic technology. 

2. the people largely comprising staff at camps across America, often (unfairly) called “entitled, whiners, or snowflakes” by older generations. 

Gen-Y (also known as Millenials) are members of the workforce born in the mid-1980’s to about 2005.  This age group is often saddled with a reputation of being hard to manage, emotionally fragile, and entitled.  Camp executives around the country describe their young staff as having unrealistic expectations, insisting that every moment of their job at camp be fun, easy, and personalized — or else they’ll leave mid-session and go home. 

Yet, Gen-Y brings so many positives to our camp programs.  Energetic idealism, savvy communication, and adept teamwork skills come naturally to most members of Gen-Y. How can we learn to effectively manage, mentor, and maintain our young staff to receive these benefits camp-wide?   

This webinar will look through a generational lens to better understand, manage, and increase resiliency in our Gen-Y staff.  My goals are to first Divide our group into understanding the unique strengths and weaknesses that come with being raised in our personal generation's culture and norms.  Next, we will Unite our group once more with the commonalities of goals and purpose that we share, no matter age or background.  Finally, we will take a specific look at how to Manage Gen-Y’s needs, as we, the old, ancient folks in management, can more accurately design programs, meet needs, and motivate for employee retention and camper loyalty.