Embedded Files
Addressing Needs
Addressing Needs
For the time they are in your care, campers are likely to view you as a parental figure. At the very least, they will see you as an older sibling.
It will be your responsibility to address many of the campers' needs including physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. You will not be asked to do this alone - the Leadership team is always available to help you.
Physical needs should always be addressed as soon as possible. We have provided room in the schedule to address most of these needs, but you may have to adapt on the fly in order to best care for your campers. Physical needs may include:
Needing to use the restroom
Hunger and Thirst
Illness or Injury
Overheating
Fatigue
Emotional and mental needs take time to work through. Many of these things will arise as you develop a closer relationship with campers throughout the week. Not all of these things are within our ability to fix - as a counselor your job is to be available to listen, remind your campers they are in a safe space and can share what's on their mind, and encourage them with love. Emotional and mental issues may include:
Problems in their home life
Problems with friends at or away from camp
Homesickness
Discouragement
Self-Worth issues
Disappointment
Spiritual needs may be prompted by their devotion time. Campers often have lots of questions after hearing from God's Word and addressing these needs gives us an opportunity to speak the truth in love. When addressing spiritual needs, it is important to focus only on what we know and to leave the peripheral topics up to the Holy Spirit who will work it out in their heart (Politics, Current Events, etc.). Spiritual needs often come in the form of questions like the following:
How can I know God is real?
What do I do to be saved?
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
How can I know the Bible is true?
What does it mean to be a Christian?
What does God want me to do in _________ situation?
When addressing any kind of need, it is important to remember the following:
Make sure you are listening with an open mind and heart.
Avoid judgement.
Ask clarifying questions.
Make sure you fully understand what the camper is saying.
Don't debate - share the truth in love and allow God to soften their heart.
Use God's Word as your answer.
Don't step out of your boundaries - you are not a licensed therapist.
Make sure they know they are never alone.
If you don't know the answer, be honest with them. Ask a Leadership staff, look up answers in the Bible, and remind them that sometimes, God leaves our questions to be answered in Heaven.
Except for cases when the camper or someone else is in danger, keep conversations private. If another staff member needs to know, share the minimum details with them. Other campers should never be told or allowed to overhear details from counseling.
If the following issues arise during your conversation with a camper, you should tell the Director:
Abortion
Abuse
Bullying
Criminal Activity
Cutting or Self-Mutilation
Depression
Drugs or Alcohol
Eating Disorders
Gender Dysphoria
Pornography
Promiscuity
Racism
Same sex attraction
Suicidal tendencies
Teen Pregnancy
Anything else that sounds like a red-flag behavior or experience
Bathrooms
Bathrooms
Counselors should never be alone with a camper in the bathroom.
When taking campers to the bathroom, prop the door open and stand outside in the hallway.
Take note of certain campers that should not be in the bathroom at the same time.
Seek to take groups of campers rather than individual campers when possible.
If need arises, there are feminine products available in the women’s administrative restrooms.
Beads
Beads
One of the major goals of summer camp is to help campers learn about God and learn to be more like Christ. As they exhibit Christ-like behavior during their time at camp, we seek to reward and reinforce that behavior in the hopes they will continue it and learn to value it.
Beads are the number 1 way to reinforce positive behavior at camp - the campers LOVE them!
Beads can only be GIVEN for positive behavior - they cannot be taken away for negative behavior.
Beads will be displayed on a necklace given to the camper on their first day.
Necklaces are distributed on Mondays along with the letter bead of their first and last initial, and a fun bead (the plastic ones that are some kind of object).
Anyone with a necklace from a previous year gets the beads only.
You will have two bags of beads in your Huddle Bag - one of general colored beads that can be given for Character or Activity and one with animal beads that can be given for the Bead of the Day.
Beads are distributed at the end of the day in your huddle rooms. They can be distributed more often throughout the day BUT you will always have a designated time to give out beads.
They are given for the following attributes:
Character - This bead should be given to 1-2 campers who strongly exhibited one of the following character traits throughout the camp day:
Respect
Kindness
Responsibility
Cleanliness
Stewardship
Courage
Activity - This bead should be given to 1-2 campers who participated well in every activity regardless of their skill level OR the ones who excelled in a particular activity while exhibiting strong sportsmanship.
Bead of the Day - The topic of the challenge bead is determined by the counselors based on the expectations you set forth in that day's morning meeting. It should be given to only 1 camper who fulfilled this challenge all day long. Examples include:
The huddle has been struggling to work as a team during activities and one camper took the charge of leadership, making sure everyone was included in the activity and that the group worked together.
The huddle has been struggling to be quiet and pay attention during devotions and one camper reminded them all to pay attention and be respectful to the devotion leader before you went in.
It's up to your counseling team to decide on what you want to do when campers lose their beads. It may be best to set a policy that the first lost bead can be replaced and others are just lost.
Campers must wear their necklace or put it in their bag.
If a camper loses their necklace completely, they may have to start over if the necklace is not found.
When you give a bead you should explain how that camper has earned the bead and encourage celebration from the rest of the huddle.
Breaks
Breaks
Breaks are scheduled during times where there will be a lot of campers in one space with a consistent adult.
If you would like to take your break at a different time than what is listed on your schedule you MUST get the change approved by the Director.
Breaks should take place away from campers. You may take your break in the huddle room if campers are elsewhere, in the Staff Lounge (B4 Overflow), outside, in your car, or in another camp space that isn't being used.
If you are taking a break in a room on campus, the door must be left open at all times.
You may not leave campus during your break.
You may use your phone on break and may turn off your walkie.
You are expected to return to your huddle promptly and without delay at the end of your break.
Boundaries
Boundaries
Refer to Section 4, Appropriate Behaviors.
Camper Advocacy
Camper Advocacy
It is your job to ensure your campers are safe, loved, and accepted.
To the best of your ability, it is your job to ensure all campers are enjoying themselves and engaging with camp programming.
It is not your job to be a camper's personal therapist, their pastor, or their best friend.
If your camper is having an issue that can be fixed, you should contact those who can help and ask them to do so.
Cleaning
Cleaning
The campers' job is to leave every space they use neat. The Program Staff's job is to leave that space clean.
Cleaning Huddle Rooms:
Wipe down tables
Sweep floor
Take out trash
Cleaning the Gym:
Sweeping the floor
Moving bleachers
Cleaning the Lunch Space:
Wipe down tables
Sweep floor
Take out trash
Clipboards
Clipboards
Each huddle will be given 1 counselor clipboard with their camper's information on it. This clipboard must be with a counselor at all times.
Campers should not be privy to what is on the clipboard as it may contain private medical or disciplinary information.
Each week counselors will be given a roll sheet with the following information:
Camper Names
Check In/Out columns for each day
A column to note their participation in the Theme Game (TG)
A column to note their receiving a Bead
A column to note their preparedness for Water Games (WG); Do they have a swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes
A column to note their being able hold the huddle prop (to ensure everyone gets a turn)
Also on the clipboard will be a blank first aid sheet, blank discipline chart, the huddle schedule, and a medical conditions sheet that will note any pertinent medical information your campers have.
If any of these sheets need to be replaced, contact a Leadership staff.
It is imperative that you know where your clipboard is at all times.
Before leaving for the day, make sure your huddle bag and clipboard are in your huddle room. At the end of the week, make sure all your materials are turned into the Director before leaving.
Customer Service
Customer Service
Campers and their parents are our "customers" - they are paying for a service and have high expectations for that service. We want to put forth an excellent program that campers want to come back to.
Get to know your campers - listen to them, seek to understand them, empathize with them.
Get to know the parents if you see them at Rides In/Out. Tell them something good about their child's day. If you have to share something negative that happened, be professional and empathetic.
Make sure parents remain as informed as possible - if campers are consistently misbehaving, if they're incredibly homesick, or if they've had a significant injury, ensure that someone is relaying the necessary details.
Ensure the spaces campers enter in the morning are clean and ready to be used.
Keep your conversation positive. Campers should not know you are having a bad day and they should never hear you saying something negative about another staff member or about Camp Trinity.
Discipleship
Discipleship
Our goal is for every camper to hear the truth of the Gospel. We are not called to lead them into a certain decision or to "convert" them - it's the Holy Spirit's role to draw camper's hearts to salvation in Christ.
Campers may have a profound response to what they hear during devotions. They may come to you seeking more information about what it means to be saved. Your job is to listen, share truths, and help them make an informed decision IF they choose to do so. You should also ask questions:
Have you ever chosen to follow Jesus?
Why do you want to follow Jesus?
Who is Jesus? The hope is that they understand He is the Son of God who came to save us.
Why do you think you need Jesus? The hope is that they understand their sin and their need of a Savior.
What did Jesus do to save you from the punishment of sin? He lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead.
What does it mean to trust in and follow Jesus for the rest of your life?
Some key points of the Gospel can be found in Romans 3:23-28.
We are all sinners and we cannot live in relationship with God because of our sin.
We can be made right with God and live in relationship with Him. This happens when we put our faith (belief and trust) in Jesus and we receive His forgiveness.
Forgiveness is a free gift of grace - something we don't deserve but are offered because God loves us. We cannot earn forgiveness through works.
Forgiveness comes through the death of Jesus - because He was without sin, His death paid the punishment of sin.
God always does what is right - He is the model of perfection and when we follow Him, we can be made right in His eyes.
Our faith in Jesus will also spur us on towards a life that looks like His. When we receive His love, our hearts will be softened to obey Him.
4. If your camper decides to follow Jesus for the first time, we want to celebrate that! Please let a Leadership staff know.
Discipline
Discipline
General Concepts
Discipline must be consistent. If you give an instruction, you must expect campers to follow it. If they don't, there must be discipline.
You have to follow through. If you say that talking during devotions will cause them to lose a minute of playground time and they talk, they must lose a minute of playground time. Your word is everything.
Don't change the rules as the week goes by. Whatever expectations you set on Monday must be consistent with those you implement on Friday.
Group control has to come from you. You cannot expect your campers to willingly choose the right option in every situation.
Make sure that everyone understands the expectations and rules you set. Ask if they have questions and create clarity for them.
Disrespect should not be tolerated. Call them out, correct the behavior, and issue consequences if necessary.
Don't play favorites with your campers. Everyone needs to be held to the same standard.
Know that not every camper will respond to the same type of correction.
Utilize options - some campers will understand the consequence of walking a lap during an outside activity while others may need to write an apology letter. Learn what your campers will respond to.
Do not let your campers view counselors as good cop and bad cop. Every counselor should discipline the misbehavior they see, when they see it.
Take care of things quickly - seek to avoid escalation.
Ask questions about why they misbehaved and seek to get to the bottom of every situation.
Give campers action steps and remind them of the consequences for misbehaving again.
Preventative Discipline
This is when you take steps to avoid misbehavior.
Keeping campers engaged, giving them specific tasks, separating students who will act up if seated together, and setting clear expectations are all examples of preventative discipline.
Our camp curriculum is created to prevent camper misbehavior. Activities are meant to be engaging and spark their creativity.
Learning campers' names, implementing call and response phrases, and removing distractions will help to prevent scenarios where campers misbehave.
Appropriate supervision is also a major key in preventative discipline.
Supportive Discipline
This is when you take actions to redirect campers who are starting to tend toward misbehaving.
Redirecting campers who are getting rowdy, providing help during activities, and acknowledging positive behavior are all examples of supportive discipline.
This technique is focused on helping campers recognize what the wrong choices are and encouraging them to use self-control to avoid them.
This is typically focused on 1-3 campers rather than the entire group.
Corrective Discipline
This is when you take measures to correct an active situation of misbehavior.
Talking with disruptive campers 1-on-1, following through on consequences, and removing the camper from a negative situation for a time are all examples of corrective discipline.
This technique is what most people think of when they hear the word discipline.
It's important when issuing a consequence that the camper understands what they did wrong, why it was wrong, and what the result of their actions will now cause.
Common Examples of Misbehaving
Talking during silent times
Directly disobeying instructions
Breaking rules during an activity
Deliberately breaking camp equipment
Not keeping their hands to themselves
Running away from the group
Blatantly disrespecting a counselor or other staff member
Fighting (this must be immediately reported to the Director)
Discipline Process
First Offense: Issue a warning.
Repeated Offense (Same issue multiple times): Issue a consequence
Losing playground time, walking laps during outdoor activities, sitting out during indoor activities, losing access to certain materials (if they keep using them incorrectly), moving seats, etc.
Continued Misbehavior or Disrespect: Call in Leadership
Leadership will handle conversations with parents about continued misbehavior or disrepect. This may result in a camper being sent home for the day or the week. We also have parent letters that will be sent home and signed for repeated misbehavior or disrespect.
Use your dispicline sheet ALWAYS! Keeping a record is vitally important for sharing next steps with parents. If you don't write it down, it didn't happen.
First Aid
First Aid
All camper medical needs should be listed on their forms. Counselors will be made aware of any health concerns their campers have should that information be deemed necessary to share.
Examples can include but are not limited to: Allergies, Sensory Disorders, Processing Disorders, ADHD, Autism, Chronic Health Concerns.
Counselors are NOT expected to be mental health professionals or medical professionals. Your job is to care for the safety and wellbeing of your huddle to the best of your ability.
If a camper is deemed unable to continue in the program due to a health concern, that decision will be made and executed by the Director.
Campers are required to turn in all medications at the beginning of the week.
If a camper has an emergency medication (Inhaler or Epi-Pen) they may keep it with them ONLY by expressed permission from the Director.
Counselors will be made aware if one of their campers will be self-carrying an emergency medication.
All first aid administration MUST be documented. Your clipboard will have a sheet to document minor first aid occurrences (band-aids, ice, cleaning wounds).
Any major first aid occurrences MUST be documented via the Incident Report. This includes major falls, injuries, bone breaks or sprains, large cuts, and any head trauma.
All documented first aid must be turned into the Director at the end of the week. This ensures that parents can check what care was given to their camper should they have questions later.
If you don't write it down, it never happened. Make sure you are staying on top of this documentation.
In the case of an incident which requires first aid, write down the following information:
Camper Name
Date and Time of Incident
Brief description of what happened
Any care given
Make sure you follow up with anyone who seems to continuously be bothered by an earlier injury.
Explain what you're doing as you administer first aid (Ex. "I'm going to use water to clean off your cut, I'm going to put some medicine on it that won't hurt, I'm going to put a band-aid on it).
Any first aid occurrence that requires an incident report MUST be followed up on by a Leadership staff. If the injury is an emergency, follow the Medical Emergency protocols listed in Section 5.
Any of the following first aid issues MUST be brought to a Leadership staff immediately:
Lice
Accident clothes
Allergic reaction
Vomit
Asthma
Falls
Head Injuries
When administering first aid, there is a possibility you may run into a few of the following Red Flags:
Suspected parental abuse
Threats/bullying/physical abuse among campers
Suspected sexual abuse
Suspected self harm
The above Red Flags must be reported IMMEDIATELY to the Director. You may be asked to give further clarification of what you saw and how you saw it.
Getting Points
Getting Points
Huddle of the Week is determined solely based on the amount of points your huddle receives.
Points can be obtained the following ways:
Correct guesses during the Theme Game (Afternoon Assembly)
Correct on the First Try = 100 points
Correct on the Second Try = 50 points
Correct on the Third Try = 30 points
Theme Day Participation - this will be based on the overall participation in the theme of everyone in the huddle
The winning huddle will get 100 points
Second place will get 50 points
Third place will get 30 points
Correct guesses during the BIG Game (Friday afternoon)
Correct guess of only the location = 300 points
Correct guess of only the Trickster = 300 points
Correct guess of both the location and the Trickster = 700 points
The Director may give out additional points for the following things:
Whole huddle participation in any activity or game
Whole huddle demonstration of respect during a group activity or assembly
Whole huddle demonstration of kindness/sportsmanship during a group activity or assembly
Whole huddle demonstration of responsibility/cleanliness during a group activity or assembly
Points will be tallied daily by a Leadership staff and the Huddle Leaderboard will be announced every day during Closing Assembly.
Group Management
Group Management
Group control is a main focus for successful counselors. The more you enforce your standards, the better and easier your week will be.
Managing individual campers comes first. Typically, it is not the entire group that is having behavior problems, but 1-3 campers who are influencing the rest.
Learn your campers' names as quickly as possible. If you can't call on them, you can't correct them.
Know that not every camper is the same - some are natural leaders while others tend to isolate.
Spend time with each camper and get to know them. The better you know their personality, the easier it will be to discipline them if needed.
You are in charge at all times. They are children in your care and must follow your rules. If you let them walk all over you, it will be a very difficult week. Be confident in your authority and stand firm behind your decisions.
Don't take it personally. Campers act out because they want attention, because they are upset by something around them, because they didn't get their way, or because they don't want to do what they're asked.
Campers are not meant to be your friends. Don't let what they say or do affect how you feel about your ability to be a successful counselor.
Let them be upset but remain firm in your decisions.
Provide clear instructions and repeat them often.
Keep routines as consistent as possible.
Praise good behavior.
Know where all of your campers are at all times. Do headcounts often and make sure everyone is accounted for.
Huddle Bag
Huddle Bag
Each huddle will be given one huddle bag that should be carried with a counselor at all times.
This bag will contain the following items:
Your clipboard
A first aid kit
Ice packs
Beads and necklaces
Your huddle prop
A Bluetooth speaker
If any of these items breaks or if your supplies begin to run low, please tell a Leadership staff.
Huddle Spirit
Huddle Spirit
The goal is for everyone in your huddle to feel like they're in the greatest huddle ever. This starts with you.
The more campers buy in to your huddle, the more they will want to participate in activities together.
Make everything a big deal - theme game, theme days, huddle cheers and chants, gauntlets, etc.
Participate in what they're doing - if they see you having fun, they will want to have fun.
How the campers feel about each other also affects how your huddle functions. Finding ways to unite the huddle involves personally getting to know each camper and then using every resource at your disposal to connect them to each other.
Know everyone's name
Be intentional about speaking to everyone, include campers in the conversation
Invite campers to sit with you & the group during snack/lunch times
Get excited and be happy
Lead your group well
Communicate the positive things that you see about your group/campers (includes using incentives wisely)
Look out for the following negative behaviors and be sure to break them up quickly:
Cliques
Whispering and secrecy
Campers sitting alone
Negative attitudes
Bullying
Rumors
Excessive competition
Make sure you and your co-counselors are working as a team.
Take time before the day starts to strategize, make notes, and discuss what will be who’s responsibility (ex: carrying things, taking roll, leading lines, etc).
If you start to see problems arise amongst your co-counselors, bring them to a Leadership staff.
Never throw your co-counselor under the bus. You need to present a united front to your campers.
LEAD and Volunteers
LEAD and Volunteers
There will be a group of LEAD participants as well as a handful of 9th grade volunteers assisting with camp each week.
These participants are learning how to be future counselors.
They will be looking to you as role models. You should only set positive examples for them in the following ways:
Professionalism and Maturity
Biblical conduct
Respect
Accountability
Taking Initiative
Cleanliness
Work Ethic
Leadership
Safety
Love
They will often be assisting your huddle in various activities.
Encourage them to lead in the following ways:
Leading call and responses or chants during transitions
Playing with campers
Escorting campers to the bathroom
Walking campers during Rides Out
Getting campers excited for the next activity
Building relationships with campers
Providing extra supervision
LEAD and volunteers are not staff. They cannot:
Discipline campers
Supervise campers alone
Administer first aid
Provide discipline insights to parents
Give a camper permission to use the restroom or to leave for any other reason
LEAD and Volunteers are subject to the same rules as campers and can be disciplined by Leadership staff if appropriate. If you are having trouble with a LEAD or Volunteer, you need to tell a Leadership staff.
Need to Know
Need to Know
The following items are things you need to know off the top of your head every day of camp:
Headcount - The number of campers in your huddle at any given moment
Allergies and Medications (as applicable)
Names of all your campers
Your schedule (which you can reference as often as possible)
Your huddle beads
2. The following items are things you need to have with you at all times:
Clipboard with all the correct forms
Your name tag
A Building Key
Your huddle folder and all necessary paperwork
Your huddle prop
Your first aid bag and supplies
Playing with Campers
Playing with Campers
During activities:
Play to the level of your campers. Throw at 25% of your normal level to ensure no one is injured.
Let your campers shine. Encourage them to participate their hardest and celebrate when they succeed.
Make sure that everyone is following the rules. No one has fun when winning doesn't mean anything.
You must continue excellent supervision as you play with campers.
If something breaks during your activity, tell a Leadership staff as soon as possible.
If a material or supply runs out during your activity, tell a Leadership staff as soon as possible.
If there is inclement weather during your scheduled outdoor activity, a Leadership staff will contact you with instructions for a Plan B.
Plan Bs can be disappointing for campers who were excited for a particular activity. We will do our best to reschedule any missed outdoor activities for a different time later in the week.
Your job is to make everything as exciting as possible, from table games to dodgeball. Campers will recognize your energy and attitude and will often seek to match it.
Running Activities
Running Activities
Make sure you have all of the appropriate equipment before you start.
Program Staff will be assigned to set up activities beforehand according to the descriptions in the Camp Games Guide.
Explain rules quickly and effectively.
Campers cannot sit through five straight minutes of rules.
Explain the basics of the game - how to play, how to win, boundaries, teams, no-nos.
Add more explanation and correction as the game goes on - "Remember you can't run outside the white lines," "Everyone who gets tagged must sit down and stay seated until getting tagged back in."
Keep everything simple and repetitive.
Don't answer a million questions. Take a few questions and then begin the game, reminding them you can always create clarity as they play.
Make sure the rules are continually enforced. It isn't fun for anyone if campers are allowed to cheat.
Aim for maximum participation. Campers don't have to be good at every activity but we still want them to have fun.
Setting Expectations
Setting Expectations
The most important measure for ensuring a successful day with your campers is setting your expectations for them at the start of the day, at the start of each activity, and before every transition.
You cannot expect them to do something you have not asked of them, so it is important that you clearly (and repeatedly) communicate exactly what you want them to do and expect of them during the day and for each activity.
Be sure the entire group is listening and participating well and take time to stop and regroup as a huddle before moving on if they are not.
Always enter a room first - if you can’t, be where you can see the kids as they go in.
Before entering the space, be sure to communicate expectations for campers.
Where are you going?
Do they need to sit? If so, where should they sit?
What do they do when they sit down?
What will you be doing in the space (craft, game, etc.)?
What are the general rules you have for them in that space?
Before every activity:
Get everyone listening.
Explain what they are going to be doing.
Explain how they are going to get there.
Explain when they are to start.
Repeat expectations.
Give signal to start.
Hold them to standards and be spread out to see everyone.
Start the activity.
Once you set an expectation, everyone must be held to it.
You also need to lay out the consequences for not meeting expectations at the start.
If you tell them to do something and they don’t, you need to follow through with the course of action you told them you would.
This is where expectation meets discipline. When campers fail to meet the standards we set for them, for their safety and to help them have a good day, there has to be consequences.
Supervision
Supervision
The main responsibility of a counselor is to care for the safety and well-being of all campers under their charge. This starts with appropriate supervision.
All counselors should maintain a 1:9 ratio to campers at all times.
Counselors should never be alone 1 on 1 with a camper for any reason. This ensures accountability is maintained for both our staff and our participants.
Campers should NEVER by by themselves in any area other than the bathroom. In the case of bathroom breaks, a counselor should be posted in the hallway directly outside the bathroom.
Staff should never be alone 1 on 1 with any LEAD participant.
Staff should always seek to maintain the rule of three:
1 staff member and 2 campers/LEAD
2 staff members and 1 camper/LEAD
3 staff members
5. Proper supervision also includes completing headcounts.
At least one counselor should complete a headcount before and after every transition.
You should complete periodic headcounts while at large activities or on the playground.
Headcounts will need to be adjusted as campers arrive late, go home early, or transition into day camp from sports camp.
6. Supervision is maintained by your commitment to the following:
Avoiding distractions - keep your eyes off your phone and on your huddle.
Proximity - stay amongst the campers, not isolated in the corner.
Awareness - position yourself in such a way to see all your campers at once.
Alertness - listen for what campers are saying and be aware of potential negative conversations that could erupt into something more.
Action - step in to situations that are progressing towards negative behavior; be quick to shut down bullying and negative talk.
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