Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/01/climate-change Recycling programs and talking nature education programs are only step 1. When we talked about climate change and camp 10 years ago, the conversation usually was about how we can be a bit more sustainable, how to teach campers about nature appreciation and maybe looking at recycling a little bit closer. That’s not what this conversation is about. We need to ser...
Jan 11, 2024•45 min•Ep. 191
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/12/giving-up-on-dei Where did the momentum go? We believe that summer camp should be an accessible place where individuals feel welcome and included for the unique and wonderful things they bring to the community. Right? While many camps would say that they believe this - but if they honestly look in the mirror, would their commitment to DEI be the same as it was in 2020? While ...
Dec 28, 2023•51 min•Ep. 190
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/the-pudding/being-in-nature And are we thinking about “nature” too specifically? Being in nature is good for us - we know this intuitively. But did you know that science backs this up? It is proven, beyond doubt, that being in nature decreases anxiety, decreases rumination, and alleviates low mood. Dr. Mandi Baker and Travis unpack some of the major findings over the last few years of research ...
Dec 13, 2023•35 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/12/demographics-tcsc Are you being thoughtful about how a changing demographic will affect your camp? Whether you are a camp with a wait-list, or you’re hoping for a few more “bums in bunks”, something that we need to seriously be thinking about is the potential to serve a the demographic in the world. And, this isn’t just in a “be better at DEI” lens (although we should all be ...
Dec 05, 2023•53 min•Ep. 189
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/no-tech Is the “no technology” policy at your camp compatible with the campers of today? “No technology at camp” is a sacred part of many of our summer camp cultures. The value of unplugging. Being “in the moment”. “Being real” are all things plastered all over our website and marketing materials. Is this the right way? Or is it just the way that…wait for it… we’ve always don...
Nov 30, 2023•43 min•Ep. 188
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/parent-coms-2023 How confident are you that your camp parents will read and act on your emails? Getting your information to parents. The most necessary and maybe one of the most difficult parts of the job. Even though the communication landscape is constantly shifting, what remains the same is that you have important information that parents need. So - adapting is once again ...
Nov 16, 2023•49 min•Ep. 187
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/camp-magic How do you measure magic? Every camp professional, whether new or seasoned, knows what we mean when we say “camp magic”. For most of us, we think of camp magic as this ethereal, indescribable, ever-present part of camp. This “magic” is what many of us feel sets camp apart from everywhere else. To a camp researcher, this camp magic is something that is actually defi...
Nov 15, 2023•39 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/small-systems It doesn’t take as much as you think to set yourself up for long-term efficacy. Travis is joined by Dr. Lydia Hughes Evans to discuss systems of project management, personal efficacy and organizational development that any camp pro can pick up and start using today. - Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director Back next episode! - Your Hosts: Travis...
Nov 02, 2023•27 min•Ep. 186
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/10/decoding-research What is research, and what can it be for camp pros? We need to start here. Before we get into how to use research to empower our marketing and recruiting efforts, we need to unpack the basics of research. So, whether you’re a research buff or not, this episode is meant to get everyone on the same page before we really dig deep. You’ll hear about: What are th...
Nov 01, 2023•35 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/10/setting-and-honoring-boundaries - We are good at so many things as camp pros. Boundaries, writ-large, is not one of those things. We are excited to kick off this, the 13th season of CampHacker with an episode that will especially resonate with those coming off of a wild summer. We are grateful to our guest Kyrah Altman for not only suggesting the topic but for agreeing to com...
Oct 19, 2023•45 min•Ep. 185
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/08/the-intersection-of-camp-and-research Did you know that the positive experience of summer camp is a proven fact? Yes. It is! In this new mini-series from Go Camp Pro, join Dr. Mandi Baker and Travis Allison to focus in on prominent and emerging research in the summer camp world. This episode will set up the rest of the season so tune in and get excited! You’ll hear about: How...
Oct 18, 2023•31 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/06/30-tools - What will you be putting your brain to keep you focused this summer? Well folks, if you’re reading this in June - you’re in it now! Us, too! As we wrap up this season to take our focus to the summer, we want to leave you with a wickedly practical one. Producer Matt and Dan Weir join Travis, Chris, Gabz and Joe to share the tools that will keep them focused, happy a...
Jun 01, 2023•57 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/05/alumni-community - Do you wish your camp had the benefits of an engaged alumni community? It’s a gift to have a group of people that intimately “get” what your camp is all about. And, alumni can be like getting a gym membership or Ikea furniture as a gift. Ultimately useful, but a crap-ton of work to get there. Once you’ve got it going, alumni can be an excellent and cost-eff...
May 18, 2023•39 min•Ep. 183
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/05/new-career-new-camp What would we do if we were starting at a completely new to us summer camp? We’re so grateful to have one of our founding CampHacker hosts Dan Weir join us this episode. Welcome back, Dan! To support the vast number of new camp directors, Dan, Chris, Joe and Travis engage in a thought exercise to put take all the knowledge they have now and plopped themsel...
May 07, 2023•51 min•Ep. 182
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/04/staff-and-boundaries How much do we really need to accommodate this generation of camp staff? Okay, that header is a little misleading. Don’t mistake this podcast for one big “okay boomer” rant. This conversation about summer staff and meeting them where they are at (to an extent) is an important one. If “triggering” a staff member is something you’re worried about. Or staff ...
Apr 20, 2023•42 min•Ep. 181
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/04/partnering-with-parents-in-2023 It's time to adapt to post-pandemic parents! We need to adapt a whole lot as camp directors. On the checklist of “things we need to re-assess every 5 or so years”, parents are certainly on that list. As the majority of our camper parents start to shift toward the majority being millennials, we need to re-think how we are meeting them where they...
Apr 06, 2023•47 min•Ep. 180
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/03/setting-summer-staff-up-for-success - If the success of your camp is your responsibility, then the success of your staff is your responsibility. The idea that our summer staff need to be set up for success is one of those ideas that is intuitive, yet extremely difficult to get right. Couple that with a seismic shift in the psychology and expectations of this generation of sta...
Mar 23, 2023•44 min•Ep. 179
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/03/camp-program-of-the-future - 10 years from now, are you going to be proud of the program decisions that you made today? Last episode , we unpacked the types of programs that we think it’s time to say goodbye to. And because we all know how annoying it is to have people only give you problems and not solutions, that’s where this one comes in. Travis, Gabz and Chris are here to...
Mar 10, 2023•45 min•Ep. 178
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/02/camp-programs-let-go Should They Stay or Should They Go Now? Being a culture of change is essential for any camp that wants to be around for a long time. True camp pros know this, live this and breathe this, but even the best of the best can fall prey to the “way we’ve always done it”-itus. Camp programs. Sometimes, camp programs like our rituals, opening/closing ceremonies, ...
Feb 23, 2023•44 min•Ep. 177
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/02/motivation-morale - When it’s been a few months without staff or kids, how do you and your year-round team remind yourself why you do what you do? Please review us! - Click here! We tell our seasonal staff that a summer of camp is a marathon, not a sprint. But we know that we’re lying to them, right? Or at least relatively. Being a year-round camp pro is a marathon that lasts...
Feb 10, 2023•45 min•Ep. 176
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/01/physical-mental-wellness - It’s not the same staff as 2010, so why are we treating their wellness like they are? We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again - this is not the same staffing generation as it was pre-pandemic. We’re rebuilding so many of our principals and practices post-pandemic, so why not take a deep dive into how we can (and maybe can’t) better meet the men...
Jan 26, 2023•46 min•Ep. 175
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/staff-from-scratch - This is definitely a “glass-half-full” type of situation… For better or for worse, it’s more than likely that we’ve all had to “start from scratch” at some point in the last 3 years. However, starting from scratch with your staff team? Now that is one spicy meatball. Our staff are the core of what we do. The experience they deliver is the one that kids re...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 174
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/all-tows - Our favourite annual traditional…you know…besides camp! Look what’s back, back again, all TOWs back, tell a friend! Your good friends Chris, Gabz, Travis and Joe all share different “tools” that make their lives better in the categories… 2 tools that positively affect your mental health 2 books you read JUST FOR FUN 2 gifts you’d recommend for every camp director F...
Dec 19, 2022•45 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/12/jcamp180-is-supporting-jewish-camps - A vision for the future of summer camp support. What would it look like if organizations outside your camp understood the community-building power of summer camp? We know that camp builds connections that last forever, but telling that story to people outside of the camp world can be tricky - and it’s even more tricky to find outside fina...
Dec 03, 2022•41 min•Ep. 172
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/11/next-summer-not-alone - It’s time to start thinking forward - buty make sure you’re not thinking alone! Shake off that rust. Last summer is over. It’s behind us. Yes, there are lingering emotions, program things to wrap up and reports to write, but it’s time to move on . With some relative certainty about what the summer of 2023 is going to look like after the shutdown phase ...
Nov 17, 2022•41 min•Ep. 171
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/11/mightiest-mess-ups - None of us are perfect. Come celebrate, and learn from our mistakes! We’ve all been there - so why not be there, together? The positive way to frame mistakes is of course, “these were just learning experiences”, but it sure doesn’t feel like that in the moment. We all process mistakes that we make differently. Some people hold onto it. Some immediately mo...
Nov 03, 2022•59 min•Ep. 170
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/10/debriefing-2022 - Our summers may have been different, but the common thread is that our industry will never be the same again. If we ever needed something to teach us the lesson that “camp, like it was in 2019 isn’t coming back” the summer of 2022 was it. Holy moly folks. We hope that you’re doing okay. We know that not everyone is in the same boat, and who knows, maybe 2022...
Oct 20, 2022•54 min
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/06/why-society-doesnt-value-camp We NEED to tell our story. Coming out of this major phase of the pandemic is our industry’s biggest chance to prove our value. Period. We need to do everything we can to show the world that camp is more than a place with games, songs and friends. But how do we do that when there are still so many incorrect stereotypes about what we do? Travis, Jo...
Jun 02, 2022•42 min•Ep. 168
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/05/calling-camp-home Because what other “home” comes with a Gaga pit and 20+ dining hall tables? We know you’ve heard it. “Camp is my home away from home!” - some camps even go as far as saying “welcome home!” to everyone that drives up the camp road. Why does that happen? What is it about the summer camp experience that causes something in our brains that says “I’m home”. And w...
May 19, 2022•47 min•Ep. 167
Have some feedback? A topic suggestion? Text us! Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2022/05/sending-campers-home-intention It may not happen often, but when you, unfortunately, have to send a camper home, you need to get it right. One of the unfortunate realities of being a camp professional is that it’s likely that eventually, a camper is going to have to go home early. Whether it’s because of a medical reason, or a behavioural one, a camper going home is never eas...
May 05, 2022•48 min•Ep. 166
