Begin Camp Staff Training on the Same Page

The first activity of your pre-camp training needs to have the right combination of purpose, creativity and anticipation of the adventure about to begin. Once they are all moved into their cabins or tents and you are ready to begin the formal part of your training, bring your staff members together and get yourselves on the same page.

The Page is Yet Unwritten - Have your staff members gather together outside your staff room or lodge. Hand out a blindfold to each one. To set the mood, have some instrumental music playing in the background. Explain that you would like them to silently enter the space, find a space alone on the floor and put on their blindfolds.

Once they are all blindfolded, place a very large book that you have already made in the centre of the room with The Page is Yet Unwritten as the title. Make it as big as you can (ours was 8' x 4'). Ask your staff to listen to the song, Unwritten, by Natasha Bedingfield. As they are listening, quietly go around the room and leave a journal and pen on the floor beside each person.

Once the song is over, ask them to remove their blindfolds and take a few moments to write what they want out of this summer - their goals, their hopes, their dreams - for themselves, each other and, of course, your campers. After having them share some of their goals in smaller groups, have them write their goals in the huge book. You may want to play the song again as they write in the book.

You may wish to return to the book several times through the summer to see how they are doing with their goals.