Staff / Volunteer Training Topics About the Training Goals and objectives Overview What do you want answered /learned by the end of training

Basics:

• Camp Rules/Policies
• Boundaries
• Philosophy/mission/goals/history/Core values (every camper matters/respecting the camping environment)
• Site tour (About the site and facilities)
• Traditions
• Camp songs
• Typical day/week/summer
• Camp terminology (i.e. electives/rest period/theme day…)
• Awards
• Camp logistical details (i.e. (phones/visitors/mail laundry/$/lining up for meals/flagpole/the play)
• Family camps (working with parents…)
• Year round programs
• Rules around continuing contact with campers in the off season
• Social Media protocol.
• Fundraising (visitors)
• Schedules
  • Daily
  • Week
  • Summer (Theme days and special program implementation)
  • Meeting Schedules (Cabin Mtg’s, Unit Mtg’s, Staff Mtg’s,)
• Privacy laws
• Requisitions/supply shopping

Overview of the staff position:

• Staff Job Descriptions (in general/head/activity heads/support/specialists/counselors/group leaders)
• Camp hierarchy
• Code of conduct (elaborate things like tolerance/confidentiality/media)
• Go over contract
• Days off/time off/town nights
• Expectations
• Role modeling
• Taking the initiative
• What does supervision look like at this camp
• Logistics (phones/visitors/mail/laundry/paychecks/maintenance/office/messages/requisitions/in&out procedures/garbage)
• Staff evaluation/feedback (cheat sheet)
• Role during all camp gatherings (i.e. sing-songs/meals/theater/services/announcements)
  • Hands up and quiet (including yours!)
  • Spreading staff among kids
  • Check all campers are there (attendance)

Staff Wellness

• Staff support
• Taking time off/rest
• If your feeling sick.
• Voicing grievances
• Besides the love of the campers…other staff motivation (financial bonuses, special perks, recognition, directors taking over for cabins)

Group dynamics

• Trust and support
• Decision making
• Challenge and conflict
  • How to be approached
• Goal setting
• Communication
• How your extended family fits together (i.e. activity heads, C.I.T.s , support staff…)

Feedback from previous year (staff and surveys)

The Camper Pop

• CIT’s
• LIT’s
• Kids:
  • Behavior management (1=prevention 2=dealing with behavior 3=when to pass the buck to someone in a more senior position)
  • Parent Panel
  • Camper Rules (i.e. cabin hopping, food in cabins, cell phones, supervision etc.)
  • Bullying
  • How to answer the sticky questions (i.e. sex, divorce, religion…)
  • The basics of counseling (usually presented creatively in a 15-20 min rotation lead by a head staff):
    • Special needs – modifying to each individual childs needs (i.e. ear infections/ADHD/divorce…)
    • Homesickness
    • How we can help build camper’s self esteem
    • Making the boring fun
    • Watches (O.D.-Night watch /General swim/rest period)
    • Fighting/stealing/lying
    • Cliques / inclusiveness
    • Cleanliness/clean-up (bed making/shelves)
    • Sensitive issues (shaving/menstruation/sex talk/bed wetting/lice/crushes on staff)
    • Bed time/wake-up
    • Letter writing/tuck
    • Camper relationships
    • Cabin team building opportunities (i.e. rose and thorn/cabin nick names…)

  Cancer:

  • Psychosocial:
    • How to listen (it’s a skill)
    • Death, Dying, bereavement
    • Remembering ceremonies (perhaps run one for the staff)
    • Funerals
  • Medical:
    • What is cancer?
    • Types of childhood cancer
    • The good news about survival
    • Treatments
    • Chemo/radiation/spinal tapes/isolation/Hickmans/ports/topical anesthetic/prosthesis
    • Long term effects of:
    • Hair loss/amputations/brain damage/sterility/sexuality/growth
  • Our Camper Population:
    • The child with cancer (loss of friends, missed school/ compromised immune system/what they know/financial/guilt…)
    • The “cured” child: (Fear of returning/long term effects…)
    • The palliative child
    • Siblings (guilt/latch key/jealousy/bereavement/growing up fast…)
    • Parents ($/time off work/marital relationship/guilt about other children…)

  Child protection:

  • Children’s aid society
  • Situations you don’t want to find yourself in
  • Privacy (showers/cabin changing)
  • How to listen through a disclosure
  • Method of least intrusive

  General Programming (instruction & programming time)

  • The No No’s with the oncology population to make things fun equally for all…
    • No running (different ways to play games like capture the flag-with rock paper scissors)
    • No wrestling (protect ports/hickmans/low platelets)
    • No programs surrounding death or afterlife (i.e. ouigi boards)
  • All accessibility programming (Cover many challenges: Oncology related/amputations/sight/hearing/behavior…)
    • Duck tape modification game
  • How to program:
    • The “Sieve” (Program Viability!)
    • Reading the audience (knowing when to abandon!)
    • Recording programs
    • Technical stuff (i.e. sound system…)
    • Requisitioning
  • Types of programs:
    • Opening Day/Welcome!
    • Electives/Free 4 All
    • Rainy day/windy day/hot day backups
    • Campfires
    • Evening programs
    • Special programs (Olympics/fashion show/idol)
    • Theme days
    • Theme meals
    • Staff programming
    • Dances
    • Talent shows
    • Banquet/Camp Closing
    Medical
    • Basic First Aid training (just the life and death … immediate):
      • R.E.D.
      • C.P.R.
      • Choking
      • Anaphylaxis (epi pen training)
      • Heat stroke
      • Potential spinals
    • Infirmary/Med Shed/Body Shop/Heath Center
      • Meet the med team
      • Tour and procedures (i.e. sick call/ if someone’s not well)
      • Storing of medications (campers and staff)
    • Camper care:
      • Infectious diseases/universal precautions
      • Lice management
      • Mosquito protection (West Nile virus)
      • Impetigo (de-stigmatize and inform…treatment strategy!)
      • Sun protection/hydration
      • Nutrition (i.e. discouraging dieting/role modeling)
      • Hygiene (teeth, showers, rashes, fingernails, purell dispensers before meals)

      Safety

      • Risk management
      • Emergency procedures
        • All camp assembly
        • Searches (land/water/trip/night)
        • Fire (if happen upon one to the all camp gathering)
        • Fire extinguisher training
        • Night fire
        • High wind/lightening
      • Hazards (i.e. whimis/toxic stuff)
      • Accident/incident reporting
      • Reporting hazards (i.e broken equipment)
      • Safety checklists (challenge them to update checklist)

      Dining hall procedures

      • Rules (i.e. food fights/table visiting/kitchen)
      • Peanut Butter protocol
      • Manners
      • Hand washing
      • Fire/exiting fast
      • Protocol
      • Blessing/grace
      • Food/seconds/alternative
      • Meet the kitchen and pantry staff (appreciation)
      • Kids first
      • Special diets
      • Kosher stuff (when applicable)
      • Station Duty
      • Morning song
      • Clean up (leftovers/ Recycling program?)
      • Dinner on the Green (BBQs)
      • Staff fridge
      • Breakfast in Bed
      • Snacks
      • Announcements

      Time with unit heads on age specific stuff.
      i.e. younger units- making sure they are dressed weather appropriately

      Waterfront training

      • Swim testing
      • Guarding
      • Emergency (day/night) (if at swim/if not)
      • Role at instructional/general swim
      • General Swim
        • Buddy system
      • Shallow water spinal
      • boating

      Activity Area 101 (For group leaders

      • Area Rules
      • Staff use of areas
      • How to be a helper
      • Clean up
      • Supervision of campers
      • Being prepared
      • Moving kids to activities
      • Working together with volunteers
      • Different roles/responsibilities/appropriate dress at the different areas
      • Basic skill training
      Activity Heads:
      • Goals of Pre-camp
      • Learning:
        • Leading an activity in general
        • Typical day
        • Role in cabin
        • Risk management (assessment/supervision)
        • Equipment (taking and maintaining inventory / reporting unsafe&/or broken
        • How to Program
        • Rainy/windy day procedures
        • No-shows
        • Spares
        • Extra periods (i.e. general swim)
        • Staff use of area
        • Award system (formal recognition, i.e. dining hall announcements/raising flagpole)
        • Area Binders (Camper lists/ daily logs / area outlines / summer calendars)
      • Time to:
        • Set up area
        • Programming…
        • rainy/windy back-ups
        • regular activity time (levels?)
        • Special clinics
        • weekly themes/projects
        • obtain supplies
        • schedule special events
        • make awards

        Trippers:

        • menu with kitchen
        • routes and evacuations with the directors
        • training from the head tripper- emergencies …fire on trip/missing camper/ medical emergency
        • animal control
        • weather protocol
        • packing (clothes/food packing and order of consumption)
        • sleeping arrangements
        • programming the fun and learning
        • no trace camping
        • rules on trips
        • medications
        • water purification
        • bathrooms
        • campfire safety and cooking
        • sanitation
        Little detail stuff to do:
        • Car moving/registering with key
        • Staff special diets
        • Name tag making
        • Paper work (contracts/health forms/tax forms/other admin)
        • 1^st night watch schedule (Head staff- rotating)

        In prep for first day:

        • Camper profiles
        • Unpacking
        • Opening day logistics
        • Welcome prep (cabin signs/name tag making/banners/cabin wheels/schedules)
        • Unhappy cabin placement procedures
        • Name games/ice breakers/tours/infirmary-health checks/go over rules
        • Unit cheer learning
        • “I want to go home”
        • Confiscating food/contraband
        • First day/night schedule (very detailed play by play)
        • What should be covered in cabin meeting (i.e. emergency meeting spot for fire/ cabin contract/rules/our family)

        Other (time specific or not for everybody)

        • Visitors day (pre/during/post)
        • Bus monitoring
        • Changeover (packing/day of/welcoming/those who want to stay longer)
        • Inter-camp games
        • Boat/vehicle training
        • Clinic Visits (Chemo)