As we finish up staff interviewing and hiring for the summer of 2012, we turn to the work of creating the highest quality Staff Training program we can. Our campers deserve only the BEST OF THE BEST! Staff Training week is one of the most challenging yet incredibly rewarding weeks of the summer for our staff, as they ready themselves for the amazing job of helping campers recognize and develop value in themselves and in the world around them.
Typically, the management team of Directors arrives early in June, working for a few days on things like getting their program areas ready and putting together lesson plans for classes. We also talk about aspects of good supervision, helping the counseling staff do their best, and what it takes to run a great program all summer long.
Then the assistants, instructors, counselors and junior counselors arrive and the enthusiasm and level of excitement increase by a million percent!! Of course, we need to get our certifications in Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and Lifeguarding completed. Then we spend the next several days getting ready for the important work ahead of us.
This year, we’re excited to have the folks from uLEAD running some excellent sessions for our staff. uLEAD is an organization that provides “unique leadership experiences for asset development.” Based in Indiana, uLEAD offers measurable experiences for leadership, growth, and change, utilizing their Leadership3 model. This model “was created to affect lasting change and leadership that sticks by focusing on six core principles.” These principles are: design, balance, community, competence, skills, and vision. uLEAD works with the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets model, and focuses as well on the concept of Servant Leadership. We are confident that our investment in this training will result in an extremely valuable experience for staff, that will enable them to provide the highest quality Camp Jorn experience for campers.
The remainder of our Staff Training week consists of SO many things, it’s sometimes tough to comprehend!
- Trips orientation and training
- Emergency procedures and drills
- Child Abuse Prevention and policies
- Child development, relationship-building, behavior management
- Role playing camper situations
- Teaching practices, program progression, recognition of accomplishments
- Environmental stewardship, conservation practices, appreciating our natural world
- Evening programs, themes, campfires, songs, fun!
The list goes on! In the end, we arrive at our first camper session READY and chomping at the bit to get started with the BEST SUMMER EVER, 2012!!!
Now is my Story 