Leadership Training if I Ruled The World - CampHacker #11

What would you change for your summer camp staff training?

Dan & Travis welcome their guests to this week's podcast: Scott Arizala, Kam Kobeissi, and CampHacker co-owner, Beth Allison.

Our idea behind this discussion was to be as creative as possible about Leadership Training (Pre-Camp training to some camps) and see what each of us would do with unlimited time and and unlimited budget.  I think that you'll be surprised at some of the great ideas!

What would you do with an unlimited training budget and unlimited time?

Tool of the Week – Something that you use to make yourself a better Camp Director

• Dan - Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder
• Kam - Adobe Acrobat 8.0 Standard
• Scott - Expert Online Training
• Beth - Fidget basket (silly putty, koosh balls, stress balls, etc.)
• Travis - Invisible Sheild by Zagg - LCD and body covers for cameras, computers, phones, etc.

(please note: Amazon products are affiliate links)

Your Hosts:

• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Leadership and Marketing Consultant at Walking Maverick
• Dan Weir, Director of Camping Services at Frost Valley YMCA
• Kam Kobeissi, Director of Camping Services at Frost Valley YMCA
• Scott Arizala, Summer Camp Trainer and Consultant at The Camp Counselor
• Beth Allison, Summer Camp Leadership and Marketing Consultant at Walking Maverick

Thanks for the evening, friends.

Do Kids Need a Summer Camp Technology Vacation? CampHacker #10

Unplug at Summer Camp

We talked this week about technology.   It's probably pretty obvious that we believe that modern technology is a boost to summer camps, however, our question this week: Is technology always good for our campers?  Should camp be the "place apart" where children can learn to use their imagination with out computers?

Dan was gracious enough to share with us a bit of information from his Masters thesis, which is on this very topic. He has written and spoken on this topic at many camp conferences.

It was great to have with us this week Rebecca Jess from Cairn, the camp that Beth and I used to Direct.  Thanks for joining us, Palais!

What do you think?  Is there a NEED for a place like camp for kids to unplug?

Tool of the Week – Something that you use to make yourself a better Camp Director

• Joe - Brother P-Touch Label maker
• Dan - S'More: Fundraising Resource for Summer Camps
• Rebecca - MadMimi - email newsletter service
• Travis - Petzl MYO-XP headlamp (Black Diamond headlamp with night-vision preserving red LEDs)

(please note: Amazon products are affiliate links)

Your Hosts:

• Joe Richards, Executive Director at Pearce Williams Christian Centre
• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Leadership and Marketing Consultant at Walking Maverick
• Dan Weir, Director of Camping Services at Frost Valley YMCA
• Rebecca Jess, Director at Cairn Presbyterian Camping & Retreat Centres

Thanks for the evening, friends.

Welcome to Our Staff - CampHacker #9

On this episode, entitled Welcome to Our Staff, Gab, Joe, and Travis explore what camps can do to help staff understand their responsibilities perfectly.

The staff Welcome Package is a great place to develop a deeper understanding of your camp's culture.

What do you include in your staff Welcome Package to help your staff get a feel for what their summer will be like?

Tool of the Week - Something that you use to make yourself a better Camp Director

• Joe - Rhode Island Novelty catalogue
• Gab - CraftZine for great how-to's and craft ideas
• Travis - Stock.xchng + shooting your own stock photos

(please note: Amazon products are affiliate links)

UPDATE:

Former 5th Chair Nathan Brant's free e-book about summer camp is out!  The book is full of thoughtful essays on summer camp's past & present.   It includes articles from CampHacker hosts Travis Allison and Dan Weir, plus another 5th Chair guest - Dave Bell, Co-founder of CampLeadership.org.

Download Trail Heads - Thoughts from the Camping Profession

Your Hosts:

• Joe Richards, Executive Director at Pearce Williams Christian Centre
• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Leadership and Marketing Consultant at Walking Maverick
• Dan Weir, Director of Camping Services at Frost Valley YMCA
• Gabrielle Rail, Director at Camp Ouareau

Why Go To Camp Fairs? - CampHacker #8

In this week's podcast we talk about the Why's and How's of summer camp fairs.

Joining us on the show this week: Paul Sheridan, Director at Four Winds * Westward Ho camp on Orcas Island in the San Juans in Washington state.

It seems that each of us have had a different experience with camp fairs and it was really interesting to hear about each person's preference.  At Paul's camp they prefer Slideshows in families' homes as their major promotional tool.

Does your camp go to camp fairs?  Do they work for you?

Tool  of the Week - Something that you use to make yourself a better Camp Director

• Dan - Ultimate Camp Resource
• Joe - Standing Desk
• Gab - Jamie Oliver's Healthy Two Week Meal Plan
• Travis - The CampHacker Newsletter
• Paul - Remember The Milk

(please note: Amazon products are affiliate links)

UPDATE:

Former 5th Chair Nathan Brant's free e-book about summer camp is out!  The book is full of thoughtful essays on summer camp's past & present.   It includes articles from CampHacker podcast hosts Travis Allison and Dan Weir, plus another 5th Chair guest - Dave Bell, Co-founder of CampLeadership.org.

Download Trail Heads - Thoughts from the Camping Profession.

Your Hosts:

• Joe Richards, Executive Director at Pearce Williams Christian Centre
• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Leadership and Marketing Consultant at Walking Maverick
• Dan Weir, Director at Frost Valley YMCA
• Gabrielle Raill, Director at Camp Ouareau
• Paul Sheridan, Director at Four Winds * Westward Ho camp