Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/04/9-tips-new-families How to make campers & families feel like insiders - before they even get to camp! After a few years away from a regular summer, we likely have more new families than ever. One of the biggest “shake off the rust” things that we need to remember is how we welcome and prepare new families for their, or their camper’s first time at camp. Joe, Travis and Ga...
Apr 21, 2022•47 min•Ep. 165
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/04/honest-staffing-conversation There’s still time to be proactive. For this summer, and the ones to come. Here we go. The camp season is on its way and while we’re so desperately ready to be back, we have to face the reality that the camp industry, like many others, is facing a real staffing crisis. Whether it’s pay, whether it’s work-load or whether it’s COVID, we need to be m...
Apr 07, 2022•52 min•Ep. 164
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/02/succession-planning The year after you leave camp, how will it be doing? How does that reflect on your succession planning? What’s the plan? Seriously. When you, or another senior staff leaves… Who will pick up where you/they left off? Where are the procedures? What are the most important parts of the culture? Who knows the wifi password? Yes, even that last one. We’ve said i...
Mar 24, 2022•48 min•Ep. 163
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/02/our-best-life-advice-for-staff We don’t just raise staff to be great camp employees, we try to help set them up for success for the rest of their life. Camp has this beautiful, strange and messy blurring effect on the work/life relationship between bosses and employees. It’s tough for a lot of reasons, but we’re going to talk about one of the best parts of it on this episode....
Mar 10, 2022•53 min•Ep. 162
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/02/the-next-100-days When it’s crunch time, you need to make sure all systems are GO. Here are the 10 most vital tips to make the most of the summer camp home stretch. Not only did we get some great feedback on our last episode with Ari and Abi, they realized that as they were preparing for their upcoming summers, they were relying on some tried and true strategies that their ye...
Feb 24, 2022•40 min•Ep. 161
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/02/building-trust-with-parents Regaining and building trust is one of our top post-pandemic priorities. We know, we know. You have a million other “post-pandemic priorities”, but this is one you can’t let slip! After 2 years of a pandemic that had us in a consistent tornado of fear AND for some, 2 years of no camp, we have some trust to build with families! But, like many things...
Feb 10, 2022•44 min•Ep. 160
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/01/how-can-we-be-more-motivated Check-in with yourself. What do you need? Here’s how to make it happen. Motivation isn’t innate. There are times that, for whatever reason, we need a boost. Either it’s a project that we find difficult, or we aren’t getting the support or rest we need, or any number of things that can get us feeling down and distracted. It happens to everyone, inc...
Jan 27, 2022•45 min•Ep. 159
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/01/marketing-when-you-dont-want-to It’s not about selling people on camp. It’s about telling your stories. Do you like every single part of being a camp director? Come on, be honest. There’s something that is every camp director’s kryptonite - something that you KNOW you need to do, and you probably do it, but just the thought of it makes you feel gross. For many directors out t...
Jan 13, 2022•53 min•Ep. 158
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/12/operations-director It’s time for Camp Directors to stop trying to do everything. Invest in operations. Ari Polsky, the smartie that he is, posed this question in the COVID-19 + Camp Slack last June: “Based off the texts I have received from a few camp colleagues, and the current setup work I am doing I have some thoughts/questions: Are we (as a field) investing enough in ope...
Dec 30, 2021•41 min•Ep. 157
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/12/all-tow-2021 Cue the trombone music, it's ALL TOOLS ALL THE TIME! Back by popular demand, back again is our annual All TOWs show! This year, a focus on gifts for camp directors that promote positive mental health. Chris, Gabz, Travis and Joe all share… 2 tools that positively affect your mental health 2 books you read JUST FOR FUN 2 gifts you’d recommend for every camp direct...
Dec 16, 2021•42 min•Ep. 156
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/12/be-a-better-delegator Who’s the best delegator you’ve ever met? The working title of this episode is “delegate like your life depends on it”. A bit dramatic? Yes. Kind of true? Also yes! If you can’t delegate - if everything at camp needs to run by you before it happens - if you need to facilitate every hard conversation - then you (and your camp) may not last very long. So w...
Dec 02, 2021•47 min•Ep. 155
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/11/do-this-right-now Don’t just make it survivable, make it AWESOME. We’re releasing this podcast at the time where the previous summer is still “going” and next summer isn’t quite “coming” yet. However, if you haven’t run since 2019, the summer of 2022 feels like it’s coming fast and furious. This is the time for deep thinking, planning and rest. It’s possible to make policy re...
Nov 18, 2021•40 min•Ep. 154
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/11/these-are-the-staff-you-need No more warm-body syndrome. Hire great staff and make it work with the number you have. This isn’t the first Go Camp Pro Podcast about staffing, and it certainly won’t be the last. This year all of our shows are going to cover many topics on staffing - where to find them, how to interview them, how to keep them, etc. But when you get down to it, w...
Nov 04, 2021•43 min•Ep. 153
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/10/what-to-do-about-it Part 2 of our conversation about the big changes needed in the Camp World. To listen to part 1: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/10/future-of-camp-pt-1 Last episode, we gave a laundry list of what’s NOT going well in the industry. Here, we shake off the doom and gloom start to unpack what it might look like to fix some of these changes that seem big and ...
Oct 21, 2021•39 min•Ep. 152
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/10/future-of-camp-pt-1 Yes - S*it scared. As Ruby points out in this episode, the CampHacker team doesn’t shy away from saying the hard things. Episode 39 of the Podcast, recorded in 2012 talked all about why the camp industry was in peril. Switch those last two numbers and fast-forward to 2021, and we’re STILL in many of those same perils. Like many industries, the pandemic has...
Oct 07, 2021•38 min•Ep. 151
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/09/camp-union How might (or might not) a union help serve Camp Pros as they navigate an increasingly stressful profession? At the end of August, a particularly thought-provoking post was made in the Summer Camp Professionals Facebook group. After hearing about some of the horror stories of this, and past summers, a pro posted this: “…Its become clear to me in the last few months...
Sep 23, 2021•44 min•Ep. 150
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/06/why-we-volunteer Over 16 hours of volunteer podcasting this year. Why do we do it? How can we encourage the next generation of camp pros to give back to the industry… There are SO many people that love and support the industry. From Podcast hosts, to speakers, to bloggers, to association volunteers, to contributors in the online communities, there are tens of thousands of vol...
Jun 24, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 149
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/06/recruitment-begins-now Was staffing a pain for you this year? Let’s get ahead of this beast for next summer! The global pandemic has hit our industry hard in so many ways, but one of them that we didn’t really expect was how hesitant our youth and young adults who have traditionally served every summer at camp would be about joining us for another season. And whether that was...
Jun 10, 2021•48 min•Ep. 148
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/05/summer-self-care Boundaries, sleep, and exercise - tools for camp pros that are just as important as duct tape and zip ties. This isn’t some fluffy episode where we tell you to take up meditation and manifest your stress away. Self-care for Camp Directors seems like an oxymoron most days. To accomplish any sort of balance in our camp lives, we need to put just as much intenti...
May 27, 2021•45 min•Ep. 147
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/05/incentivizing-staff-beyond-the-paycheque Pay your staff more - AND - here are some other ways to appreciate and incentivize the camp experience. We should all be working to pay our staff more. Full stop. That being said, it may be impossible to pay staff for the sheer amount of joy, passion, blood, sweat and tears they put in to the work they do. So even WHEN we’re able to pa...
May 13, 2021•48 min•Ep. 146
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/05/parent-perspective-pik-my-kid SPONSORED CONTENT - Thanks to PikMyKid for their support! Every single camp has its own way of managing pick-up and drop-off and the great camps put a lot of time and intention into both processes. Remember, those two times may be the only physical impressions of your camp that parents get, so a well-polished process will win you big points in th...
May 10, 2021•27 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/04/memorable-moments It’s going to happen. Here’s how to fire with compassion and dignity. We, as camp pros are all about stories. Stories about moments where we know that kids lives were changed. Where do those stories come from? There are so many intentional things that go into creating the type of environment where those moments flourish. Great camp pros know how to cultivate...
Apr 29, 2021•45 min•Ep. 145
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/04/fire-someone It’s going to happen. Here’s how to fire with compassion and dignity. This is another thing that’s just “part of the job”. Firing someone is especially hard in a place that’s so connected with people’s emotions. Often, when someone is fired at camp, it’s not usually because they have anything against us, or even about camp. They’ve usually just made a choice that...
Apr 15, 2021•51 min•Ep. 144
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/04/all-at-once You know…when the chocolate pudding really hits the fan. We don’t wish it on you. But at some point in your camp career, it’s going to happen. Something will go wrong and you’ll say to yourself “crap, that’s not good”. Then you’ll get an urgent walkie call and you’ll say, “seriously?” Then, the power will go out, and you’ll be standing there in the dark saying to ...
Apr 01, 2021•55 min•Ep. 143
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/you-can-do-it A Love Letter for Camps Considering Running in 2021 - from Go Camp Pro Review us on iTunes! If you’re able to run camp this summer, we want to make sure you know you can do it. This special Go Camp Pro Podcast is for camps out there who are on the fence about running this summer. We support each other in this industry and we believe that it’s on all of us to help each...
Mar 22, 2021•47 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/03/stuck-and-unstuck Never ever ever ever ever ever say “We’ve always done it this way” again. How often do you feel stuck in a rut? Becuase of this year, because of the work, because of the stress, there are always reasons to get stuck, but being a true Camp Maverick means that you’re quick to recognize those moments, and quick to being the process of “unstucking” yourself. Chr...
Mar 18, 2021•49 min•Ep. 142
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/03/camp-director-career This episode is a loving punch in the gut. As we’ve said before, it’s our job as camp directors to think about the big things. And sometimes, those big things aren’t popular, or happy-go-lucky things, but that doesn’t make them any less important! Our podcast is no different. Back in April 2020, we broached the topic of “ What if camp doesn’t r un in 2020...
Mar 04, 2021•47 min•Ep. 141
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! CampHacker: Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/02/eye-of-eagle-2021 Our job is to look forward. But when you feel like you don’t have time, allow the CampHacker crew to help! Have you heard the expression “in uncharted waters?”. Of course, you have. Well, right now, in February 2021, we’re in the uncharted river paddling towards the uncharted waterfall , which descends into the uncharted wading pool. Even for cam...
Feb 18, 2021•52 min•Ep. 140
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2021/02/blm-at-camp A follow-up conversation with the organizers of the Black Lives Matter at Summer Camp Movement https://blacklivesmatteratcamp.com/ Summer camp is built on the idea of giving young people fuller lives through recreation, enrichment, and community. Our industry centers on the well-being of youth and was created to better their life outcomes, experiences, and persona...
Jan 28, 2021•45 min•Ep. 139
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find show notes and more at: https://www.camphacker.tv/podcast/2020/08/racism-in-recreation A repost of an important conversation around how to make the camp and recreation industries a more welcoming place for a wider range of people. In this special summer bonus episode, Travis is joined by Dr. Daniel Theriault to discuss racism, power and privilege in the recreation industry. Dr. Theriault and Travis dig into some of the work that’s needed to s...
Jan 28, 2021•38 min
