Right now, as I type this, thousands of international camp
staff are counting down the days until they ship off for Summer Camp in
America. They don’t realize it quite
yet, but they are about to embark on a journey that will leave lasting impacts
on countless numbers of campers and staff all over the United States. I should know, I spent many years after my
very first summer as a camper trying to emulate and idolize my first camp
counselor. His name was Colin and he
traveled from England in the summer of 1988.
Do you think that Colin set out in that summer knowing that one of his
campers would be blogging about his impact 23 years later? Of course not, besides the fact that blogging
wasn’t in existence at that time, how could he possibly know he was going to
shape someone’s life?
The opportunity to impact lives is one of the greatest
strengths of camping. However, before we
can begin to shape our campers’ lives, we must begin to impact and prepare the
lives of our staff. Where do you
start? How do you start? What can you do to influence the int’l staff
of your camp so that they are charged up, juiced and moving in the direction
that your culture of camp promotes?
It begins with communication, followed by communication and
ends with communication. These staff are
traveling halfway around the world, are experiencing a new country, yet alone a
camp culture. Communication prior to
camp is a great way to ease the millions of anxious butterflies that are
consuming their stomachs as they count down the days until they go to camp. Communication helps them to begin to understand
what is expected of them.
I’ve broken down a communication plan into three different
segments of camp: Pre-Camp, Staff Training and Summer Camp.
Pre-Camp
Communication:
·
Facebook is a great way for your staff to
connect with you and other staff. If you have an active Facebook Group for your
camp, it can provide a great avenue to communicating with all of your staff
·
Follow up with staff to make sure they know what
their role is and how its important. (In my first summer as a Camp Director, an
international I hired to be a special needs counselor arrived and he believed
he was working as a member of our maintenance staff. Somewhere there was a disconnect and imagine
traveling halfway around the world thinking you are in one role and finding out
you are in another. He did great BTW!)
·
Empower your returning International Staff to
help you in the communication process.
Having someone who has gone through the experience can provide excellent
insight.
·
Syke them up!
They are embarking on the journey of a lifetime! Get them jazzed for the
adventure they are about to take.
·
Review Travel arrangements. Verify their flight times, airport,
etc…Inform them of the plan to pick them up and getting them to camp. If you don’t have a plan to pick them up, get
one! Your staff are traveling halfway
around the world and might very well be terrified at thought of maneuvering
around America’s transportation system. Make the positive first impression that
you care and have a friendly smiling face to greet them as they clear customs.
Staff Training:
·
Greet them…even if they are arriving in the dead
of night. Having that friendly face who has been the point of contact really
goes a long way.
·
Know who they are. These staff are going to be making lasting
impacts on your campers! Know their
name, where they are from, their job, and memorize two to three things about
each international staff and work it into a conversation. That first impression of “WOW! They really
know me!” can help with them feeling acclimated with camp.
·
Have an “International Only” Session during
training (preferably in the first 24 hours of arrival) – cover basics about
your camp culture. Where is the
phone/internet access? How do I contact
home? How/When do I get paid? Is there really such a thing as Vampire Deer? (go
ahead – google it and find out). Ask
returning internationals to help out.
Hold a Q&A session.
·
Be intentional in your training plan to
incorporate the Intl’s into camp. Camp
can be a very intimidating place if you feel you are alone. Take extra steps to connect them to your
culture. The sooner they connect, the
sooner they’ll be making connections with your campers.
Summer Camp:
·
Celebrate them.
Int’l staff have the gift of culture.
That impactful lasting moment in which campers are exposed to diversity,
culture, and perspective. Hold several
events celebrating international diversity throughout the summer.
·
Check in with your staff – all of them – encourage
them, support them, surprise them, praise them publicly and privately.
·
Give feedback – be it informal or formal. Staff want to know how they are doing. They want to improve. They want to make an impact on a camper’s life.
Your staff – domestic and international – are going to have
countless opportunities to make an impact, make a difference, and inspire the
lives of your campers. Invest in these
staff. Commit to them. Give them the
very experience they are going to strive to reach with your campers. You won’t regret it. I know I don’t.
This is the life you have......
