[Music] hey there and welcome to your counselor expectations video module my name is Chandler metf or Cheeto and I'm the training manager here at cassm my pronouns are she her and hers I want to take a moment to congratulate you on earning one of the most impactful roles you can hold at kassum being a camp counselor as a part of your role you'll be foundational in ensuring that all campers who enter a cassm space are supported feel safe loved and accepted creating an environment where all children can show up exactly as they are and Thrive within our programs is no small feat and we will spend the next couple of minutes discussing the ways that you can best show up in this extremely essential and important role while at Camp before we dive into this module I want to take a moment to set some expectations as a camp cassum counselor your Paramount role is to ensure that campers are safe respected and uplifted at camp this means that it is our job to support all children with all identities as they grow and thrive in the kesum community at kesum we are committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all children and staff any ideology language or behavior that threatens the physical mental or emotional well-being of our community or restricts anyone's right to express their identity at Camp will not be to tolerated this commitment aligns with our dedication to diversity equity and inclusion or Dei and applies to all campers and staff regardless of background ethnicity race gender identity sexual or orientation or any other identity okay let's zoom out this training will examine qualities that will help you become a successful camp kesum counselor as well as chat more about what you can expect to experience at Camp we'll also discuss how to care for campers in your units and cabins as well as how to address dynamics that may arise with your peers and the children your care first let's start with the basics and chat more about the roles and responsibilities that you will hold as a counselor at Camp kassum all counselors will be assigned to one unit which is a group of 10 to 12 campers of the same age for daytime activities supervised campers while maintaining a 3 to1 camper to counselor ratio in the cabin and all around the campsite enforce all of cassim's rules and policies model and enforce health and safety protocols be responsible for the safety and success of all campers in their unit during the day time as well as all the campers in their cabin at all times please note these groups will often be similar or the same help facilitate friendships between campers so that they can make lifelong connections based in mutual support and understanding and depending on your chapter's needs you might also support in the preparation or running of different camp activities I'd like to acknowledge that these are the basic roles and responsibilities that you will hold as a counselor at Camp cessm based on your chapter's programming needs Traditions or other factors you may be asked to hold other roles or adopt other responsibilities at camp this summer now let's take a moment to discuss the chain of command as a counselor you'll report to someone called a unit leader unit leaders are folks that will serve as the supervisor of your unit serving as the touch point between your unit the admin team Camp advisers and other professional staff members these individuals are typically your peers and have been selected during your interview process as individuals who receive additional training to hold additional responsibilities at Camp let's talk a little bit more about what a leader will do at camp and how they can support you as a counselor in your unit throughout Camp Unit leaders will serve as someone counselors can lead on for support and guidance throughout kesm programming act again as an as a liaison between the counselors in their unit and the admin team which includes the camp adviser support counselors in their unit model and uphold policies standards and health and safety requirements throughout the program and create and are support camper Behavior plans now we've named a lot of roles and responsibilities here so let's take a moment to set our intentions as a counselor your biggest role at Camp boils down to this we have to challenge ourselves to show up fully for our campers and work as hard as we can to ensure their physical and emotional safety this is a time for children to experience the magic of connection friendship and kesum this is not a time for us to prioritize our own Camp experience of course we hope that all kesm staff have fun Thrive and learn and grow during kesm programming however our priority should be and will be our campers in their cessm experience let's talk a little bit more about how this goal pertains to peer-to-peer interactions at Camp as counselors you'll be working as a member of a unit or a team of peers to support A specific group of campers as they navigate cessm programming while you may already know some of your co-counsels in your unit or your unit leader from previous interactions at your college or university oftentimes you'll be working with folks for the first time in this Hands-On capacity in working with others especially peers there are inevitably opportunities for conflict tension or miscommunication especially in a camp setting Camp is fast-paced tiring and while custom programming is fun and exciting it can also trigger heightened emotions and staff particularly if they an intimate connection with cassim's Mission this being said it's not unusual for tension or miscommunication to occur within the unit or staff structures at Camp I want to highlight here that feelings of frustration annoyance or even anger or normal human emotions which means that they may show up at Camp it's not only acceptable but it's expected what's not acceptable as a counselor in a camp setting is playing out any tension points frustrations or fighting publicly in front of children as this will deeply impact their Camp experience if you're facing a challenging interpersonal Dynamic at Camp please elevate your concerns to your unit leader or if they're involved in the dynamic to the camp adviser present at the end of the day well we hope that all counselors leave kesum sharing connection and friendship your co- counselors are at their core your colleagues you're working together together to create a magical Camp environment for the campers in your care this means that sometimes putting up with frustrating situations annoying or challenging human behavior or navigating miscommunications is an important part of your role as a member of your counselor team now let's shift gears a little and talk about the skills that will make you an excellent counselor at Camp first I'd like to touch on vigilance this skill goes hand inhand with ensuring camper safety paying attention and being engaged will keep your campers more safe something as simple as being mindful of your surroundings and looking at for potential physical dangers or staying alert for potential emotional dangers will go a long way next let's talk about rest resting is one of the tried and true ways that you can ensure that you are ready to show up as the best possible version of yourself for your campers with incredibly long days it's important to take breaks to rest including M mandatory rest breaks body on bedtime and sleeping at night you can't be your full self if you're exhausted there's nothing better for you as a counselor than to get all the sleep you can when you can please remember that not sleeping or not resting is not a badge of honor at Camp it actually hinders your ability to create a magical environment for your campers through programming finally intentional and thoughtful counselors can implement the mindset of taking a stance of curiosity not Judgment at camp we may encounter new environments games experiences people and behaviors seeing campers exhibit behavior that is new to us can be confusing or feel challenging at first and that's okay try to remember that in its most basic form a behavior is someone's way of telling you something all behavior is essentially communication when you get curious you might see some T typical behaviors in a new light instead of thinking why is this child acting this way we can Instead try asking ourselves what is this child trying to tell me what are they trying to communicate to the group outside of adopting a lens of curiosity at Camp as a counselor it's your job to job to illuminate the hidden curriculum for all of our campers especially those children that are attending kesm programming for the first time but what does that mean the term hidden curriculum references all unspoken rules about a space that remain unsaid but inform the space and how people navigate it for example if your chapter has certain Traditions or uses certain terminology to refer to things like messy games or even empowerment campers who are new to the space will not know what these terms mean and what not will not know what these spaces look like showing up to activities or falling into Traditions that everyone else understands failing to know this could take them away from the experience or could cause new can ERS to feel embarrassed or othered and does not create a safe Camp environment it's your job to ensure that all of the camp hidden curriculum is explained to new and returning campers so that you can make space to answer any of their questions next ensure that you practice relationship building at Camp there are simple ways to make sure that every camper feels included and welcomed into cessm spaces focus on specifically calling campers by their Camp names and remembering the names of all the kiddos in your unit use kids' names three times as soon as you learn them this can help and tell them that you want to make sure you know their name because it's important to you you can make a bunk map of which camper is sleeping where and quiz yourself on the names you should absolutely know all these names in your cabin and unit everyone wants to have their name known so play some name games with the group so that everyone can know each other's names together once you establish positive relationships with campers in your unit you're in a good possession to position to connect campers with one another based on their shared interests and your own observations in the hopes of facilitating these lifelong friendships and fostering a sense of community amongst all campers next we're on establishing systems that help your campers succeed during their time at Camp additional structure may be needed around transition times or key programming for example to establish structure around shower time you could work on using specific language or setting up pre-established counselor roles in responsibilities instead of saying something like okay shower time go grab your stuff let's go tailor your instructions to campers who may need a little more guidance or Direction by saying something like it's time to go take a shower make sure you grab your PJ including your underwear shampoo and body wash and soap toothbrush and toothpaste and change your showers change into your shower shoes with no socks then meet me by the door to door cabin in two minutes some counselors may work to help campers get their supplies While others will make sure that the kids are ready and they're actually ready to take a shower when brushing teeth for a younger unit think age six to seven you may want to have more a more Hands-On approach and system you can make sure that each camper puts toothpaste on their toothbrush and set a two-minute timer that ends in a dance party when they're done there endless ways to gamify mundane tasks and make camp that much more fun speaking of we're ultimately at Camp to make amazing memories and create magical moments for our campers if there's a way to make something fun or silly do it most people children and adults alike respond well and are typically more engaged when you gamify something and Camp is the perfect environment to test this Theory out do you have a morning chant or a song to sing on your way to breakfast do it do you have a light to how whisper when you're going to bed how can you make the most mundane tasks fun all right before we go let's talk about what a typical day at Camp might look like in your role as a counselor we'll start with wakeup time in the morning you'll wake up in your cabin with your unit or campers some kids especially teens can be a little slow to warm up in the morning so take a moment to think about how you're going to balance creating a peaceful wakeup environment and having some fun in the morning you'll need to ensure that everyone gets what they need for the day is dressed for the activities and practice is personal hygiene like washing their face and brushing their teeth if one of your campers has a hard time waking up in the morning connect with your unit leader to see if we can learn anything from their application notes meet with the MHP or the camp adviser to see if they have any tips or tricks and remember Camp is a really new experience and environment for kids as resilient as they are they might need you to bring A Touch of Home and their usual routine into the camp space next still transition to breakfast if your campers have morning medication make sure they'll that they visit the nurse before breakfast if if social dynamics are a little quiet at breakfast that's okay everyone's just waking up be prepared to encounter picky eaters kids who just don't want to eat anything they're offered and if it's not a dietary restriction or allergy try to find a solution you can ask what would you prefer or get creative with saying something like I wonder if it tastes the same way as it smells or if it's cut up into small pieces what it tastes like if you're unable to get a camper to eat any options available at breakfast tell your Camp adviser immediately as they will help gain plan for the rest of the day next up is your first activity of the day this could be anything from a camp game to arts and crafts to a rotation of activities if campers are dragging their feet here it's time to amp up your energy remember if you seem tired and half asleep you do set that tone ask yourself am I really making an effort to chat with all the campers in my unit are you noticing any challenging Dynamics are there kiddos who look like they may be on the Outer Circle it's nice to take this time to check in with folks on what they need does everybody have water sunscreen have you taken into account that there are kids who don't want to participate but still a supervision this is a good time to do all of that as a part of this first half of the day at Camp you may sing camp songs this is the time to bring that energy up are there campers who want to lead a song do you find that you're still with the same campers each time maybe switch it up keep in mind that songs aren't for everyone so if a camper does not want to participate that's their choice and we will honor it this time can be overstimulating for campers who do not Thrive with loud noises or crowds so if your campers would benefit from an alternative activity make sure you create those plans in advance next let's talk about free selects this is a time of the day where your campers may have gotten to choose which activities they participate in as campers in your unit transition their various activities make note of where the campers in your unit end up going and make this experience fun for them this is a great time to interact with campers outside of your unit pay attention to the conversations that campers are having are they healthy and appropriate can you facilitate making friends with kids who haven't met yet are you engaged and paying attention keep all this in mind next we have our transition to lunch when exiting free selects and depending on the age of your campers you may want to give a heads up on what's coming next like rest time now let's talk about rest time remember rest time is an essential part of Camp programming not just for our campers but for you as staff as well for children rest is essential as I navigate a busy and exciting day of camp relaxing is an essential tool in ensuring that everyone is emotionally and physically safe for the entire duration of camp and during this time it's important to Model Behavior and require all campers to rest nap or do some quiet activity with their body on bed not socializing this is not a time to be used for showering chatting or playing ladder games keep in mind this is one of those times that at least one counselor needs to be practicing active supervision at all times so if you're taking a nap make sure you plan ahead and coordinate with your co-counselor when you're done with rest time make sure you assist campers in grabbing everything they'll need for the next activity for example you can say something like in 15 minutes we're heading to lunch and then we'll go to swim time you'll want to bring your water bottle sunscreen towels sunglasses and swimsuits make sure that to check that each camper has brought the appropriate items as they're leaving the cabin speaking of swimming let's talk more about swim time at swim time it's game on for counselors what do I mean by this you need to be vigilant and constantly scan the water to ensure that campers are being safe the best way to do this is to be physically present for the entirety of swim time you can either stay in the water with them or sit on the edge of the pool deck and scan the water visually make sure that you're also observing the lifeguards and ensuring that they are doing their jobs finally make sure everyone in the pool is being included in large group games having and having fun after the pool it's time to shower shower time is a great opportunity to revisit what you've learned above how can we build a system and how can we make things fun here's an example if you have four showers and 10 kids who need to shower and 30 minutes to do so you've got to make a plan maybe this means choosing who goes first and who goes second and third and rotating each day if you have showers outside of your cabins make sure everyone has everything they need before leaving the cabin as a counselor you want to make sure that you an earshot of the showers and ensure that conversations are appropriate you can do this by standing in the doorway giving timed warnings about when a shower transition will happen and making sure campers have private changing areas in the shower after showering campers will typically head to dinner or an all Camp campfire at dinner ensure that you keep an eye on every camper and their eating patterns and assist any picky eaters with getting the food they enjoy check in with campers who need nighttime medication and ensure that all the campers are eating if a camper Skips a meal at any time notify your unit leader or Camp adviser immediately after programming you'll head to cabin chat and then find finally lights out or bedtime while you'll have another training dedicated to cabin chat make sure to use this time to notice who's making space and taking space and come up with ways to engage everyone in your cabin whether your cabin wants to talk about light-hearted silly things or get deeper with their sharing it's your job to facilitate this cool down from the day consider creating an environment where children can relax and lower their voices a call out here that bedtime can be hard some kids are in a new space and haven't been without their parents before so let them know that if they need you you're right there every day at Camp is different and that's what makes it magical as a counselor you'll find that the best way to learn about being an excellent role model at Camp is to just simply Dive Right In well we encourage our campers to try new things and grow while at cessm programming you may be growing in a lot of ways yourself make sure that you make time to check in with yourself and seek support if you have any questions or concerns that arise during your time as a counselor in cesm spaces we hope this video helps to illuminate the hidden curriculum of being a camp custom counselor thank you for watching and we hope you have the best week of camp and thank you for all that you do for cassm [Music]