Camping Magazine articles from May 2006

Camping Magazine archives from May 2006

What's happening with camp enrollment?
May 1, 2006... Whenever camp professionals get together, at some point the conversation focuses on issues around enrollment. Some folks boast of waiting lists and high numbers of returning campers. Other directors talk worriedly about decreases in enrollment...

How do you get what you really want?
May 1, 2006... Have you had either of the following exchanges (or something much like them) with a contractor? "That's not what you SAID!" "But you knew what I MEANT!" Or, "You didn't ask me to!" "Well, I shouldn't have to!" Under the best circumstances,...

Consulting agreements: what exactly are you paying for?
May 1, 2006... In order for camp professionals to maintain their focus on their organization's mission, consultants are playing an increasingly important role in the operation, management, and planning of camps. Camp leadership looks beyond its in- house...

Successful bully prevention and management isn't rocket science.(Bullying Prevention at Camp--second in a Series of Three Articles)
May 1, 2006... How do children deal with bullying issues in summer camp? The first step has to do with awareness of bullying issues (Haber 2006). Awareness allows you to know the "ins" and "outs" of bullying and what makes it different from normal conflict,...

Mission impossible.(camping )
May 1, 2006... Each year, thousands of camps begin their season by gathering a special group of people together--some returning, some new--for a seemingly impossible task: camp staff orientation. With a very short time to prepare counselors, specialists, and...

Understanding group processes.
May 1, 2006... The foundation of the summer camp is the group. Throughout the summer, in addition to the attention we give to the individual camper, our focus is continually on the various group configurations. We attend to the cabin group, the same-age...

Excellence in staff training to reduce bullying.
May 1, 2006... The first two articles in this series about bullying in summer camp have provided a background for what constitutes bullying, as well as the strategies you need to help reduce this behavior in camp all year long. Staff training is one of the...

A letter from Peg.
May 1, 2006... Dear Camp Counselor, You will never again have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of another like you will have this summer. Does that seem like a drastic statement? I suspect it does sound inflated especially if you...

Letting go.
May 1, 2006... Soon, parents will load their cars, vans, and SUVs with their children's trunks, duffel bags and "stuff" and either drive to camp or gather at shopping malls, airports, church and synagogue parking lots to send their children off to camp by...

What camp means to me.(A Place to Share)
May 1, 2006... Before camp, my proudest moment had been winning the spelling bee in third grade. I was tall, gangly, and knew big words, but "confidence" was not one of them. I knew the arid and hot Texas landscape, but the jagged peaks of Colorado were...

Pros and cons of administering epinephrine to campers who are experiencing anaphylactic shock.
May 1, 2006... As summer quickly approaches, staff training becomes a number one priority. An important component of training is emergency and first aid situations that might arise at camp. Will your staff be trained to deal with anaphylactic reactions? ...

Rites of passage.(for American childrens)
May 1, 2006... For years sociologists, anthropologists, and psychologists have mourned the loss of traditions marking important childhood "rites of passage." In earlier American culture, movement toward adulthood was accompanied by more ritualistic,...

Preventing staff infection: strategies for a healthier summer.
May 1, 2006... It's early in the season; campers and staff across the nation are drifting into their summer camp worlds. Orientation messages are--for now--at the fingertips of most folks. New staff ask, "How am I doing?" Returning staff are slipping into...

What is your fiduciary IQ?(Risk Management)
May 1, 2006... Are you a fiduciary? Do you have fiduciary duties? What is a fiduciary anyway? A quick check for the meaning of the word on the Internet revealed three pages of definitions. The common thread running through all is that fiduciaries have...

The ACA Camp Research Symposium: practical knowledge for your camp.
May 1, 2006... An understanding of the partnerships (with parents, organizations, and links to future careers) that exist at camp prove beneficial in the supervision, support, and training of staff. The following studies were presented at the Camp Research...

Training your staff to manage the challenges of adolescence.
May 1, 2006... Adolescence is a challenging time for everyone. Bodies and minds are in a constant state of flux as young people confront intense emotions and novel experiences. Camp is an ideal environment for older campers and younger staff to get their...

Seven absolutes of camp counseling.
May 1, 2006... Those who have tracked my work over the years might be asking what in the world I would be doing making a list of seven absolute anythings when it comes to working with youth. I have always maintained there is no simple formula for working with...

Developing excellence in camp leadership.
May 1, 2006... A 2004 American Camp Association poll of its members found that the one area camp administrators wanted more information on was personal leadership development. It is evident that there is a quest in the camp field for enhancement of...

Sanctuary from the storm.
May 1, 2006... We will call him, Mr. Joe. An eighty-one-year-old former resident of New Orleans, Mr. Joe tells Canon Walter Friese, interim director of Hardnter Camp and Conference Center in Pollock, Louisiana, about his aching arms as he swam his way to...

Essentials of homesickness prevention.
May 1, 2006... Preventable Suffering Turner, the Junior Division Head, had been sitting with eleven-year-old Robin at the foot of the big elm tree for nearly an hour. He'd pleaded with Robin to give camp a try, begged him to return to the kickball...

The journey of a camp professional.
May 1, 2006... It started out innocently enough: I was attending college and working at camp during the summer. Over a few years, I drifted from education to recreation courses; my classes dealt with camp, social work, facility management, and administration....

Coworker to supervisor.
May 1, 2006... You finally got it--the big promotion! Along with this recognition of your talents comes more pay, perhaps a coveted year-round position, and being entrusted with more responsibility. As you walk into your first staff meeting in your new...