Returning camp staff can help build a team environment with new staff during precamp activities. A panel of experienced staff can answer questions and previous emergencies can be reviewed to build risk management expertise. Three games are described in which returning staff can share knowledge in a fun way. (TD)

Presents an exercise to encourage camp staff to appreciate their responsibilities by composing a letter from a parent to a staff person expressing feelings, expectations, worries, and hopes about camp. The exercise focuses on guiding staff to generate an action plan to meet these expectations. Gives sample hypothetical letter from parent. (TD)

Much camp counselor work takes place where no administrator is present. Gives managerial tools that help "see the invisible" before campers arrive and during camp. Discusses methods of evaluating staff. Studies from other fields with similar managerial situations show that leadership through articulation of a vision and staff attitudes are more…

Camp health care staff can give basic health education to counselors, covering daily hygiene for young children, basic understanding of common chronic illnesses, observational skills to detect illnesses, elementary public health tutoring, and OSHA medical standards. Health personnel should be included in planning precamp and in-service counselor…

At a round-table discussion, five camp caretakers identified common camp maintenance problems. Snow loads, wooden floors, storage of lake equipment, removal of grass cuttings and leaves, local suppliers, vandalism and trespassing, swimming pools, assigning work, use of outside contractors, decisions to replace or repair, job satisfaction, and…

Employers are responsible for sexual harassment perpetrated by a supervisor. Camps may be responsible for sexual harassment between campers. Steps to reduce liability include providing multiple channels for reporting sexual harassment; having written policies prohibiting sexual harassment and procedures for reporting it; posting these policies and…

A camp director explains his supervisory style as being based on one-minute goals, one-minute praise, and one-minute reprimands; his experience as a parent; a decentralized model of staff supervision; and building relationships with staff by talking and listening to them. Gives American Camping Association standards for staff supervision and…

A study of teacher-mentor relationships found that periodic brief conversations were more helpful and easier to accomplish than longer ones, and establishing shared learning expectations lessened reluctance to seek or provide information. Another study found that analyzing dilemmas concerning the child's best interest during in-service training…

A camp's culture must be established in a way that maximizes the opportunities to fulfill the camp's highest priority goals and objectives. A camp director describes how his staff training emphasizes building relationships, a sense of community, and experiencing camp activities. Skill practice, safety management, policies, procedures, and…

Camp program staff and service staff can "war" and negatively affect campers. Frequent causes are misunderstood roles, conflicting expectations, jealousy, and feelings of being undervalued. Presents ideas for integrating program and service staff in the off season, when staff arrive, and during camp, and for dealing with a "civil…

Like other organizations, camps need creativity, which breeds originality, improvement, inspiration, and renewal. Explains three broad types of creativity, describes characteristics of organizations that encourage creativity, lists barriers to creativity, and discusses ways that administrators can foster creativity in staff. A sidebar lists…

Review of recent articles defines elements of risk management for camps: an organizational culture of safety; properly trained and certified staff; continuous improvement, feedback, and input involving all personnel; and a flexible communication policy. Both participation in leisure activities and related lawsuits have risen steadily in recent…

The employee-supervisor relationship is critical to a camp's success. Ideas from psychology, biology, and organizational dynamics illuminate how supervisors interpret certain staff traits and behaviors. The "set-up-to-fail" syndrome is described. Recommendations cover building good relationships and improving communication between supervisors and…

Discusses how camps can cultivate staff from among the camper ranks. Outlines questions to consider in deciding whether internal leadership development (ILD) is appropriate and feasible. Describes elements of successful ILD programs and six training techniques to maximize ILD: leadership by example, delegation of responsibility, role-playing,…

A. J. Romiszowski developed a schematic model for analyzing performance problems. Whether a problem lies with staff members or their environment is determined first. Staff problems are grouped according to past performance. Work environment problems include work methods, management systems, and job organization. Model emphasizes flexibility and…