Adventure Programming and Training - CampHacker #121

Adventure programming is about way more than a $1M ropes course!

Adventure programming, challenge courses, low ropes, rock walls, team-building, staff construction, initiatives, WHATEVER you want to call it, this episode is about that.

This type of camp program has really been changing and growing over the years. From the early days where people built and tested their own ropes courses to today where zip-lines are tested by the same people who certify elevators, we’ve certainly seen it grow.

One thing that has remained true is the goal of adventure programming. Campers take part in adventure programming at your camp to become changed through exposure to challenge and risk. Whether that be the risk that comes with being 30 feet in the air or that risk of telling their friend that they need better communication from them, the benefits to this type of programming are truly endless.

However, before you get your harness on and take a drill to an unsuspecting maple tree to start an adventure program at your camp, there are a lot of things to consider. Who will make sure your ropes course is up to regulatory standards? Do your staff know how to properly run adventure programming? Have you properly budgeted for this course? What the heck is an Ubuntu card!?

Yeah. Put that drill away and get, Air Pods out and listen in to this episode. Gabz, Travis and Joe are joined by Phil Brown from High 5 Adventure. Phil lends his expertise to the group as they share their practical tips and philosophies when it comes to planning, implementation evaluating and proper training for adventure programming.

What is the coolest adventure program you have at your camp? Let us know in the comments!

Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: Loom

Joe: Wall Control Magnetic PegBoard: 

Gabz: ToDoist

Phil: Ubuntu cards

Bonus Content! - The Canadian Camping Magazine Searchable Archive

Thanks for letting your awesome out, Joe!

https://archive.org/details/canadian-camping-association

Thanks to our sponsor!

Radtagz - Be and Be Known

New Show! - The Camp Owners Podcast - Ep. 1 - Camp as a Business - ft. Steve Baskin!

A New Podcast from Go Camp Pro - The Camp Owners Podcast!

Whether you are a Camp Owner, an aspiring camp owner, or a lover of some of our other Go Camp Pro podcasts, we’re so happy to have you here.

The Camp Owners Podcast is here to explore a side of the summer camp world that is experienced by those that have the privilege of running an independent program.

In this world of camp, the stakes are high. Not only do private camps have the same goals, aspirations and responsibilities that other camps have, but there is also usually a ton of personal livelihood on the line. When you OWN a camp, you really do own the successes and failures that any for-profit enterprise faces.

On this podcast, our hosts, Howie Grossinger and Kelly Schuna will be joined by some seasoned prime camp professionals to dive deep into the issues that most private camp pros will need to face, and the best practices that they use to create, and sustain a summer camp for their campers to enjoy summer after summer.

In season one, tune in to the podcast monthly to hear about topics like Camp As a Business, Camp Insurance, Buying and Selling Camps, Work/Life Balance, Pricing, Staff Training & Engagement

Thanks for tuning in! If you have any feedback, please get in touch with our producer, Matt at matt@gocamp.pro.

In our first episode, Camp as a Business, Howie and Kelly are joined by the wise and wonderful Steve Baskin of Camp Champions. Together, Howie, Kelly and Steve address some of the unique aspects of the private camp industry and what even the most business-savvy camp pros need to be thinking about as we enter a new decade.

Tune in to hear about:

  • What can you expect from this season of the Camp Owners Podcast?

  • Steve Baskin’s camp origin story and his favourite part of being a Camp Owner

  • What does it mean to view camp “as a business”?

  • What is a unique or unexpected challenge of being in the business of camp?

  • What is an insider tip that you would give to a new or up-and-coming camp owner?

  • What is something that camp owners should have on their radar for the future of the industry?

What is something you hope to learn from the hosts and guests of the Camp Owners Pod? Let us know in the comments!

What Inspires You? - Things that inspire our hosts and guests to be the best Camp Owners they can be.

Howie: Simon Sinek - https://simonsinek.com/

Kelly: Esther Wojcicki - “The single most important behaviour that you can role model for your children is the ability to have functional relationships” -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Wojcicki

Steve: Angela Duckworth, Carol Dweck and David Jaeger’s work regarding mindset.

Host Links:

Hosts: 

Guest:

Thanks to our sponsor - CampBrain!

CampBrain is a robust camp tool designed not only to manage summer camps, but also manage your conference center and fundraising needs, all in one database. Since 1994 CampBrain has been innovating and constantly adding new features. Look for the Camp Store Module being released this spring. For more information visit them at http://campbrain.com.

The All Tool of the Week Episode - Part 2 - CampHacker #120

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher

Tool of the Week - (insert trombone music here)

We’re back with a second edition of an all tool of the week show. We received a ton of positive feedback about the last episode and because we’re all about giving the camp pros what they want…here you go!

Tune in to hear all about Gab, Dan and Travis’ favourite tools that help make them a better camp director.

If you’re checking out the show notes for the links…hey! Here they are!

Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Phone apps

Dan

  1. Fantastical for iPhone - https://flexibits.com/fantastical

  2. Google Keep - https://keep.google.com/u/0/

  3. FlipClock - https://fliqlo.com/

Gabz

  1. Decide Now! - https://decidenow-app.com/

  2. Get Pocket - https://getpocket.com/

  3. Tyme - https://www.tyme-app.com/en/

Travis

  1. Pocketcasts - https://www.pocketcasts.com/

  2. Google Home - https://store.google.com/ca/product/google_home

  3. GStone - find gaming groups - https://www.gstonegames.com/homepage_eng/

Software

Gabz

  1. Google Slides - https://www.google.ca/slides/about/

  2. Figma - https://www.figma.com/

Travis

  1. Basecamp - https://basecamp.com/welcome-back

  2. CamelCamelCamel.com - https://ca.camelcamelcamel.com

  3. MightyNetworks - https://www.mightynetworks.com/

Books

Dan

  1. When by Dan Pink - https://amzn.to/2T25PQJ 

  2. Originals: how nonconformists move the world by Adam Grant - https://amzn.to/39UaWZ5 

  3. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene - https://amzn.to/35AdxnN 

  4. Bonus: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek - https://amzn.to/2QXgFF5 

Gabz

  1. Mending Matters - https://amzn.to/2QVwgos 

  2. Sapiens: A brief history of humankind - https://amzn.to/2s2D6Qy 

  3. Proust and the Squid - Maryanne Wolf - https://amzn.to/2R17Slc 

Travis

  1. The Art of Gathering - Priya Parker - https://amzn.to/2QAm45R 

  2. Gun Machine by Warren Ellis - https://amzn.to/2tFnpiL 

  3. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng - https://amzn.to/2sYY0ka 

Hobby-ish things

Dan

  1. Free Audiobooks - Libby App - https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/

  2. Untitled Goose Game - Nintendo Switch - https://goose.game/

  3. Rocksmith - Xbox - https://rocksmith.ubisoft.com/rocksmith/en-us/home/

Gabz

  1. Printing - Book

  2. Skill Share 10$ per month - https://www.skillshare.com/

  3. Centr - https://centr.com/join-us

Travis

  1. AFOL LEGO - Skylines, Bricklink, Rebrickable

  2. Kindle Unlimited - $.99/month for 3 months trial - https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku?shoppingPortalEnabled=true

  3. Masterclass.com - https://www.masterclass.com/

Misc

Dan

  1. Joby tripod for video conferencing - https://amzn.to/39TGEpi 

  2. Anker Batteries - https://www.anker.com/

  3. FOCUSPOWER F10 Mini Earbud - https://amzn.to/303fOGN 

  4. Udemy - https://www.udemy.com/

Your Hosts:

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show in iTunes 

(Thank you!)

Thanks to our sponsor!

Radtagz - Be and Be Known

PS: Do you believe in what we do?

If you’ve gotten even one good idea from the CampHacker Podcast, we would really appreciate your official support.

To help support the work that we do, you can:

  1. Leave us an honest iTunes review - http://camphacker.tv/itunes

  2. Support the show by becoming a Pateron subscriber - https://www.patreon.com/camphacker

Thanks so much!

Fantastic Focus Groups - CampHacker #119

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Stitcher

Fantastic, frank, feedback from families and staff.

There are not many industries out there like ours…for many reasons!

One of the primary ones is the focus that we all share on relationship building. Whether it’s between campers, staff and campers, staff and staff or admin and staff, building cohesive and strong relationships may as well be the theme of every day at camp.

The relationships that our camps have with their families are unique and wonderful, too. Yes, families are our clients and any business out there can say, “We treat our clients as families”, but we know that when it comes to camp, we’re not just a service provider to those families, we’re partners in raising their children.

Part of that “partnership” is showing families that we value their opinion and perspective when it comes to working with your camp.

Now, hopefully, you’ve got some sort of feedback mechanism for your parents, (if you don’t, get in touch, we can help with that!). Surveys, calling families, soliciting online reviews are all good, but those can seem very surface level or even transactional. To up the level of trust, intentionality and intimacy with your families, it may be time to think about focus groups.

A focus group is one of the best ways to get the real and emotion-driven feedback that you could never get from a digital survey. As well, spending that face-time with some of your most valued families is one of the best ways to build trust in your camp. When you show your families that you want to truly understand their perspective, you show them that you are committed to them and their child.

Focus groups can also be a valuable tool to use with your staff. If you want to introduce change, brainstorm new program ideas or just see things from their perspective, a focus group can build trust and group buy-in among your team.

What should you ask in a focus group? Where should you do it? Who should you ask to attend? All great questions! To answer them, Travis, Dan and Gab are on the case! Tune in to hear about the strategies and intentions that you should think about when planning your next focus group.

What kinds of questions would you ask in a parent focus group? Let us know in the comments!

Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: Custom inside joke stickers (check out the Youtube video of this episode to see Seth’s!)

Dan: 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace

Gab: Getting your camp dog vertified as a therapy dog or emotional support animal. Parents will love it!

Your Hosts:

Rate and Review the CampHacker Show in iTunes 

(Thank you!)

Thanks to our sponsor!

Radtagz - Be and Be Known

PS: Something special, for those of you who read to the end of the show notes:

Go Camp Pro’s “Find Your Karen” exercise - An essential guide for finding (and keeping) the exact, right families for your summer camp.