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Join us Thursday, August 20th at 7pm for Virtual Bunk Night.
Welcome to Leadership with Sophie and Ingrid!
We are best friends who met at camp nine years ago and are so excited for camp this year!
Leadership in a crisis:
Leadership in a crisis:
Showing leadership through response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Showing leadership through response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A worldwide such as COVID-19 strips leadership back to its most fundamental element: making a positive difference in people’s lives. It is imperative for leaders in such times to demonstrate compassionate leadership as the first priority.
We find that four qualities can help leaders find the compassionate voice to manage in crisis. Start by creating space to attain a keener awareness of what is going on within and around you. Be bold in exhibiting vulnerability by lowering your guard and confronting what is unfolding. Demonstrate empathy to better tap the emotions others are feeling, and act with compassion to make individuals and groups feel genuinely cared for. Cultivate these qualities in a balanced way by first tuning inward to understand and integrate your own emotions and fears, and then turning outward to support others.
Every step involves choices that are tough to make even in good times, let alone in uncertain ones, but the same instincts and actions that will see us through this current global crisis will also make us stronger as we face longer-term challenges. The ability to understand who we are and what we value, recognize our responsibilities and our opportunities, and chart a course based on our most fundamental goals while supporting our own emotional resilience —these are skills that will fortify us in the years and decades ahead. As we navigate an uncertain road today, our approach to this moment will inform the way we lead tomorrow.
Happy Week 8 Everyone!
Happy Week 8 Everyone!
Today we have some games that we have used in school to become better leaders and closer with our classmates. These have helped us grow and become more confident throughout our years of high school and would like to pass them to you! In these games you usually need a few participants so they are great games to play with teammates, family, or friends!
1) Survival Leadership Activities
1) Survival Leadership Activities
Divide the participants into two teams and present them with a survival situation: a plane crash, a shipwreck, lost in the desert. Then present them with a list of items that might be useful in that situation.
Challenge the groups to choose five items that will help them survive. After the teams finish picking their items, ask them to justify their selections and how they would use those things to overcome their given circumstance.
This leadership activity stimulates critical, creative, and strategic thinking as well as problem-solving skills that can be useful in your business.
2) Minefield
2) Minefield
For this exercise, you’ll need teams of two, a blindfold, and several “obstacles” (office furniture works well).
Blindfold one member of the duo and task the other member to guide the “blind” person through the minefield of obstacles using only the words right, left, forward, and backward. As an alternative, hold this activity at a park or playground for a nice out-of-office experience.
This leadership activity promotes communication, listening, and trust.
3) Skyscraper
3) Skyscraper
For this leadership activity, you’ll need plenty of everyday items, such as:
Tape
String
Blocks
Newspaper
Toothpicks
Uncooked pasta
Find your own unique items to make this activity more interesting and fun. You’ll also need a bag of marshmallows for the building process and for the end.
Divide everyone into at least two teams (depending on how many supplies you have) and challenge them to build the tallest tower possible using only the items provided in a set amount of time (e.g., 15-20 minutes).
The skyscraper must stand on its own and must support a marshmallow placed at the very top. The team with the tallest skyscraper wins.
This activity rewards group communication, collaboration, problem-solving, innovation, and team/leadership dynamics.
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We both played this last game in school recently and it helped us grow and was a lot of fun! We hope you find a great group of people to play these with!
Happy Week 7 Everyone!!
Happy Week 7 Everyone!!
Today we are going to talk about how to practice leadership without actually being a leader.
Volunteering: Volunteering in your community helps build stronger commitment and trustworthy skills that are a BIG part of being a leader.
Sports: Sports are a great way to practice goal-based mentality, being open to feedback, and responsibility. Gymnastics is a great way to build leadership skills that you can apply inside and outside of the gym.
Internships: Internships are a great way to build your listening and problem solving skills with new and different people.
Passion Projects: Passion projects (like the vision board!) are a great way to exercise your creativity, strategic planning, and authenticity through art and design.
Travel: Although we may not be able to travel now, travelling is a great way to practice your flexibility, communication skills, and adapting to different environments.
Group Activities: Working with a group of people helps build skills on cohesion and taking initiative towards a common goal.
Here is an article from Olympic gymnast Carly Patterson, focusing on how to inspire others which is a huge component to leadership! She was always an inspiration to me!
Woohoo for Week 6:)
Woohoo for Week 6:)
Today Ingrid and I are going to be sharing our CIT and JC experience for any camper who dreams of being a counselor just like we did! Dunkley's has been such an important part of our lives and since our first year at camp we wanted to become a counselor because of how much we looked up to them. Watch these videos to learn about our experience of becoming a counselor and if anyone has any questions feel free to email us:)
Sophie's email: sophiehcohen8@gmail.com
Ingrid's email: ingrid.hoopes@me.com
My CIT Experience
My CIT Experience
My JC Experience
My JC Experience
Happy Week 5 Everyone!
Happy Week 5 Everyone!
We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far! Here are some videos about areas of leadership around camp. These will be important for the many years after this that will be spent at Dunkley's!
At Warmups!
Morning Rotations!
In the Kitchen!
Evening Activity!
This weeks activity is creating a vision board!!
This weeks activity is creating a vision board!!
What is a vision board you may ask?
What is a vision board you may ask?
A vision board is a way to visualize your goals and aspirations. It should include quotes, pictures, or anything else that represents your goals and dreams! A vision board can be decorated however you want, but should always represent your unique personality and aspirations!
What do you need:
What do you need:
-paper
-scissors
-cork board
-decorations of choice
-inspiration quotes
-old magazines/newspapers
-construction paper
-stickers
-photos
Hello Campers!
Hello Campers!
This week I have a quote from Going For It that I carried with me through all of my time as a competitive gymnast.
"The kind of gymnast you are today is the result of how you trained yesterday.
The kind of gymnast you will be tomorrow will be the result of how you trained today."
The reason I chose this reading from Going For It is because it is extremely important for us as gymnasts to persevere and push through the hard times. Training is never easy, especially with the current circumstances, but we must put our all into everything we do. One way to help not only yourself but also your teammates is to create a list of goals to keep leadership in mind!
Goals all leaders should set for themselves:
Goals all leaders should set for themselves:
Set a good example for your teammates and others in the gym!
Think optimistically about your new skills. Negative thinking will not help with developing skills!
Stay in communication with your teammates! If you are not able to get to the gym during this time, try to stay in contact with your coach and friends for motivation and support.
Practice good listening with not only your teammates, but everyone in your life! Listening to others makes good leaders and helps others with teamwork and skills
Be yourself! An important factor to achieving your goals is to be creative and unique. This weeks vision board activity is one way to find confidence in yourself.
Happy 4th of July campers!
Happy 4th of July campers!
Watch today's video to learn about two super fun leadership games:)
Watch today's video to learn about two super fun leadership games:)
Hi campers! Here is an article with 5 stories about athletes who have had major obstacles in their lives and worked so hard to overcome them. Resilience and perseverance are extremely important in leadership and help these athletes to grow physically and mentally through their obstacles. These people leave marks on others' lives and that is why they are remembered as great leaders.
Nastia Liukin, a gymnast we all look up to, has had her own doubts and fears, but she overcame them to be the great leader we know today. Here is an article about her personal experience in the Olympics!
"To make your dreams come true, you must combine dreaming with doing" - Going For It
"To make your dreams come true, you must combine dreaming with doing" - Going For It
What Makes a Great Leader?
What Makes a Great Leader?
Confidence in who you are!
Commitment and Passion
Resilience
Inspire others
Communication
How can I be a leader as a gymnast?
How can I be a leader as a gymnast?
Confidence: I always like to think of the expression, "Fake it till you make it". When I did gymnastics I was constantly thinking positive thoughts about how I am a strong and capable gymnast who could learn any skill no matter how much it scared me. When you radiate confidence in yourself, your teammates will be attracted to your positive and secure outlook on your gymnastics ability.
Commitment and Passion: Being a leader in and out of the gym means that you have a strong passion for the sport of gymnastics. The more time and dedication you have for the sport, will become clear through your flawless technique and strong skills. I always looked up to the elite gymnasts at my gym because I knew how many hours of the day they were putting into making themselves the best gymnast they could be. Being a committed and passionate gymnast inspires others to follow in your footsteps and makes you an even better leader:)
Resilience: A great leader is someone who can fall off the beam at a meet and get right back up like nothing ever happened. Everyone makes mistakes in gymnastics, but what separates a leader from the rest, is someone who can make a mistake and not let that mistake defeat them or determine how the rest of the meet will go. A leader isn't just resilient during competitions, but in practice too. Being able to pick yourself up after a "bad" day on vault or bars shows that you can make mistakes and have a bad day without letting it get to your head and affect your gymnastics on other events.
Inspire others: Although gymnastics can be seen as a solo sport, it is important to support and motivate your teammates, even though some of them may be your competition. A leader is never solely focused on just their gymnastics, but how everyone on the team is doing. When you show love and excitement towards your teammates, you will be seen as a selfless, strong, and reliable person that your teammates can turn to whenever they are feeling discouraged, distracted, or just need a friend to lean on.
Communication: Being able to communicate well is key in every sport. Leaders have the ability to communicate to their coach if they have an injury, need a spot, or don't feel ready for a skill. Being a leader in gymnastics means that you trust yourself to make the right decisions about your body and what it needs to be the best athlete you can be.
Fun Leadership Game!
This is a game that I used to play in gymnastics to practice teamwork and good communication, which are extremely important in athletics. The relationship and bond that teammates have with each other is enough to make or break the team. This game can easily be played with the whole family at home!
What you need:
Several objects to place on the floor and step on (pieces of paper, books, mats, etc.)
A large floor area (or go outside!)
Teammates!
How to play:
Start at one end of the area that you are playing in. The team will have to get across the floor while only stepping on the objects, i.e. start on one object, jump to the next, then pass the object/mat from the back up to the front so the team can continue across. If anyone touches the ground they have to restart!
Ways to spice up the game:
Have one of the players blindfolded
Have an obstacle in the middle of the course
Put a time limit on the game
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This team building activity really helps with communication, especially if one of the players is blindfolded. The objective of playing with obstacles shows the team that both their sport, and life, has obstacles that they have to work together to conquer.
Hi my name is Sophie Cohen and I am from Lawrencville, NJ. This will be my 9th summer at camp and 2nd summer as a counselor. Next year I will be attending Syracuse University with a major in journalism and media. I can not wait to meet you all this summer!!
Hi I am Ingrid Hoopes and I am from Middletown, DE. This is my 9th year at camp and 2nd as a counselor. In the fall I will be attending Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA and I am so excited for camp this summer!
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