Training Big (Camp) Brothers/Sisters - Farm & Wilderness

I love staff training. There is something special about the anticipation of the summer to come. Camp starts to slowly awake when staff arrives, and I especially enjoy seeing newbies and returners begin to come together around the common cause of helping raise creative, empathetic, and strong campers at Timberlake.

At camp, we talk about in loco parentis, or our role as stand-in families to keep all our campers safe. We take that very seriously – we’re humbled families send their children to us each summer. I also keep in mind that many of my staff are not that many years removed from our campers. They, like our campers, are often still in school and are often in the midst of all the life changes that accompany that (middle school and college are alike in that way). It’s helpful for my staff to think of themselves less as parents but more as incredibly awesome, wise, helpful, and demi-god like big brothers/sisters. They’re here to caretake the campers and, yes, also to provide those thoughtful conversations, crazy adventures, silly moments, and at times the tough love that the best big brothers (biological or not) can offer.

I guess to extend the metaphor, that makes me the chief parent of a large, at times weird, always awesome, and very temporary, chosen family. Feel free to send me the largest “Best (camp) dad” mug you can find – I drink coffee like it’s water.

Some Specifics

Our staff training is wide-reaching. It roughly falls into three ethics: Creativity, Empathy, and Work. It is grounded in many teacher-trainings I have given and I use all the teacher tools in my kit to help staff fully internalize all that they need to know.

Creativity – Anything is Possible

Camp runs on great programming. During training we talk about what that means, getting as specific as we can. We use a cycle of Inspiration/Orientation/Perspiration/Celebration/Reflection in all our programming. For training, we prepare, plan, and clean activity areas. We dream big about the silliest adventures we can think of and practice our songs so we’re ready to sing them beautifully (at least competently) when campers arrive.

Empathy – Everybody Counts

Camp is like a roller coaster – so many emotions, all the time. At Timberlake, middle schoolers are in the woods doing crazy new things every day. Like a roller coaster, it only works (and is only fun!) if we start with safety and security. I teach staff that we are best when we are preventive rather than reactive. We go over how to create solid routines and rituals in the cabins, give clear directions, how to help redirect misbehavior without yelling, and many other tips and tricks for classroom, I mean camp, management. We also have deep conversations around identity – race, class, gender, sexuality, and more, to support all campers at Timberlake. I believe every kid deserves a champion, and it is up to all of us to be prepared – it could be any one of us!

Work – Let’s Get it Done

We fix camp. We dig ditches, haul gravel, organize costume closets, clean out cabins, build bridges (physical and metaphorical), practice safety drills, organize trips rooms, set up activity areas, fix all the random things that need fixing, and so much more. No amount of money can buy “group bonding activities” that match the very real need of fixing things, together. We build this into our staff training – we work, together. We struggle and overcome, together. This piece will never be dropped from training; camp wouldn’t be able to open, and our staff wouldn’t be prepared for the immense task of welcoming and caring for our campers.

This is only scratching the surface of our trainings. Work is Love Made Visible, and our trainings show the love we have for our families, our campers, and the institution. Those big (camp) brothers and sisters are coming along nicely, and they can’t wait to welcome you all soon.

Camp magic for real, y’all.