Camping Magazine articles from September 2007

Camping Magazine archives from September 2007

Take your horse to camp.
September 1, 2007... Another way to increase usage at camp facilities is to allow people to bring their own horses to camp. Both youth and adults will have this interest and appreciate having a location to camp with their equine friend. Attending camp with a horse...

Global understanding: the benefits and challenges of international staffing.
September 1, 2007... During the summer of 2006, over 26,000 international staff from one hundred countries worked in camps across the United States. Their positions included counselors, program staff, administrators, cooks, housekeepers, maintenance staff, and...

From Peg.(Peg L. Smith)
September 1, 2007... We are tethered by invisible wires. I am not sure children today can feel the unspeakable liberation of moving, dancing, and running in open spaces free of realized or unrealized confinement. Maybe that is the reality of today's world. Maybe it...

Slicing the pie: selections from ACA's 2007 compensation and benefits survey.(American Camp Association )
September 1, 2007... Naturally, camp directors want to be paid a competitive salary and compensate their counselors and staff fairly. It is not surprising, therefore, that salary and compensation information repeatedly comes to the forefront when directors are...

Do you need to step it up a little? Naturally.
September 1, 2007... Here's a test, and some suggestions. Wondering if there's enough focus on nature at your camp? I've cooked up a little "diagnostic." Score how well you measure up, and take note of my advice at the end. I certainly hope you find some...

Whether you're eleven or twenty, camp is valuable: a place to share.(Reprint)
September 1, 2007... A couple weeks ago, I ate lunch with a group of fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds--the same kids I'm supposed to transform this summer into "future camp leaders." One of the girls said that her friends and teachers give her strange looks when...

Who's on the bus?(and how long will they be there?)
September 1, 2007... What makes our camps great? Getting the right people on the bus, in the right seat, and keeping them there (Collins 2001). Staffing is the most important thing we do. As a camp director, I wear many hats--fundraiser, cook, public speaker,...

"The Sky is Falling!"--Mr. C. Little: building principles.(Chicken Little)
September 1, 2007... There is a fable about a character named Chicken Little who is plunked on the head by an acorn falling from a branch above. Being prone to panic, he announces to everyone he encounters that the sky (instead of the acorn) was falling. The panic...

Who are the teen campers? Teens today.
September 1, 2007... All who work at camps are interested in campers. We like to know who they are, where they come from, what they like and dislike, and how to make their time at camp into a fun memory as well as a positive developmental experience. However, some...

Top 10 things you can do to train your staff well: top ten.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... 10 Model behavior you want leaders to display with campers. 9 Use initiatives, activities, and programs to promote team building among staff. 8 Review basic job expectations on a regular basis with staff members. 7 Create a...

Bridging the gap.(camp management skills)
September 1, 2007... On one side, there are the emerging professionals, expressing frustration because they are not getting hired as the camp directors, or upper-level administrators, and not understanding why. On the other side are the owners/operators expressing...

Cultural competency: the key to hiring diverse staff.
September 1, 2007... The complaint about the counselors came on an otherwise positive parent evaluation: "I have concerns with camp staff that have multiple piercings, dreadlocks, unusual hair cuts or colors, and tattoos. I understand the desire to express one's...