First Class Counselors
74 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -Camp counselors have the most important job at summer camp. Period. A great camp staff will have kids wanting to come back to camp year after year. First Class Counsellors is here to make great camp staff. Each week, we’ll cover practical and accessible tips that will level up your camp counselor skills. Our two hosts, Oliver Gregan, Summer and Families Camp Director at YMCA Camp Jewell and Matt Honsberger from Go Camp Pro are excited to be able to provide this resource to camp counselors.
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Episodes
Creating Wonder and Magic for Campers - First Class Counselors #23
October 08, 2020 06:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBFind full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/first-class-counsellors/wonder-and-magic With this skill, First Class Counselors create an extraordinary world to welcome campers into! Let’s make it magical! Do you ever wonder why some counselors are next level, you could almost say first class? How do they create wondrous moments and stories that campers remember for years to come? How do they make star gazing incredible? Cabin cleaning an event to look forward to? Or themed ...
Camp and Back to School (during a pandemic) - First Class Counselors #22
September 24, 2020 06:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBFind links and show notes at https://gocamp.pro/fcc You’re back to school and we’re back to Podcasting. Welcome to First Class Counselors Season 3! It’s so great to be back. Now we’re excited to be back to the podcast…but you may not be so excited about being back to school. We get it and we hear you. So in our mission to keep talking about the things that matter most to camp counselors, we’re here to talk about how the skills that camp teaches can help during tough transitions like back...
Setting Goals for Summer 2020 and 2021 - First Class Counselors #21
May 21, 2020 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBThanks for the season, friends! Let’s recap and set some goals for whenever your next summer at camp will be. Welcome to the season finale of season 2 of First Class Counsellors! At the end of every summer, it’s important that you, as a counselor take some time to reflect on the many lessons that you learned from the summer. It’s equally important to think about those lessons in the context of whatever is next. That was the plan for this episode. We wanted to reflect on our entire seas...
How to Receive (and Give!) Feedback - First Class Counselors #20
May 07, 2020 10:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBFirst Class Counsellors show their maturity when they are able to receive and follow through on feedback. Here’s how to do it. Welcome to episode 20 of First Class Counsellors! Feedback. As a counselor you get a lot of feedback. Most of it is typically tough to hear or difficult to adapt to. You are ultimately responsible for your behaviour and there are some things you may need to change. How you receive that feedback and interpret it is important. We are mostly going to talk about...
Be the Best Co - First Class Counselors #19
April 23, 2020 10:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBLearning how to be a great co-counselor will be one of the most important life skills you take away from camp. Here’s how to do it. Welcome to episode 19 of First Class Counsellors! One of the best parts about camp is that we get to live and work with people that can become our nearest and dearest friends. However, to get to that point, you have to understand that it takes work, and it’s not always easy. The camp job can be hard. Working and living with the same people is sometimes HAR...
Super Supervision - First Class Counselors #18
April 09, 2020 10:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBBeing a great, active, engaged supervisor is what really sets a First Class Counselor apart. Here’s how to do it. Welcome to episode 18 of First Class Counselors! When you hear the word “supervise” it may conjure up a picture of a parent sitting on a park bench watching their kid play on a jungle gym. Let’s get this straight. That is NOT what we’re talking about here. When a “First Class” camp counselor is “supervising” campers, it’s almost like they are using a superpower. They can spo...
Health and Hygiene at Camp - First Class Counsellors #17
March 26, 2020 10:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBBe the cleanest (and the coolest!) counsellor this summer! Welcome to episode 17 of First Class Counsellors! This episode was recorded in mid-March, 2020. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought that it would be the right time to address something that will definitely be useful this coming summer and every summer after it. Camp is a dirty place - and sometimes that’s part of the fun! Who doesn’t love jumping in mud puddles, rolling in the grass and blowing off that questionable...
How to Make Friends at Camp - First Class Counsellors #16
March 12, 2020 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MB*Please note: First Class Counsellors is moving to it's own Podcast feed. The next episode, releasing on March 26th will not be in this feed. Look for First Class counsellors is your favourite Podcast App and subscribe there!* How to make the type of friends that will be in your wedding party - at camp! Welcome to episode 16 of First Class Counsellors! Matt here. I usually write these posts in the 3rd person, but this episode really hits home for me. 99% of my closest friends are camp f...
Inspirational Initiative-Taking - First Class Counsellors #15
February 27, 2020 11:00 - 54 minutes - 37.1 MBEvery all-star camp staff we know is an excellent initiative-taker. Here’s how to learn it, and do it. Welcome to episode 15 of First Class Counsellors! A raised hand. Someone picking up garbage. A voice, calling out in the darkness, “what else can I do?”. A Camp Director’s dream! How have we not talked about this yet!? There may not be any studies to back this up, but it definitely wouldn’t be outlandish to say that any camp staff that would be called “great”, is likely great at takin...
Working Well with Teens - First Class Counsellors #14
February 13, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBBeing the “cool” counsellor really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be… Welcome to episode 14 of First Class Counsellors! One of the best things about producing a podcast is when you get to hear from your listeners. Even if it’s just a “hey, thanks!”, it really is appreciated to hear someone “talk” back after hours of us talking into our unresponsive microphones! What’s even more appreciate is when our listeners reach out with a show suggestion! That’s where the inspiration for this episode ...
Cleanest Cabins - First Class Counsellors #13
January 30, 2020 11:00 - 38 minutes - 26.4 MBCleaning your cabin with campers. It doesn’t need to be as painful and boring as it usually is! Welcome to episode 13 of First Class Counsellors! Don’t you hate it when you watch people litter? Or how about when people leave their shopping cart in the middle of the lot? It probably makes you think, “dang, I bet that person didn’t go to summer camp!”. One of the biggest lessons that we can teach our campers is the value of serving their community. We have the incredible opportunity to help...
Magical Meals - First Class Counsellors #12
January 16, 2020 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBWelcome to episode 12 of First Class Counsellors! The best counsellors are the ones that take every opportunity to be intentional about the time they spend with their campers. A meal can often be one of the most overlooked chances to make connections with kids, and that sort of makes sense. At meals, there are so many things to pay attention to: are the kids eating? Did they get enough food? Are they all at the table? It’s not easy! Once you’ve got the basics down though, then it’s time for ...
Interlude - Stories About Missing Home - First Class Counsellors Podcast
January 02, 2020 11:00 - 11 minutes - 7.95 MBHappy New Year! We’re taking some time off to be with friends and family over the holidays. That means no new episode this week. AWWW. We know, we know. But don’t worry, we’ve still got something for you. The last episode, we talked about how to help campers who are missing home. As we do, we went long in that episode and didn’t have time to include everything that we talked about. One piece of content that was cut was Oliver and Matt’s personal stories about missing home in their firs...
Helping Campers Who Are Missing Home - First Class Counsellors #11
December 19, 2019 11:00 - 59 minutes - 40.8 MBWhat to do when campers are missing home. Welcome to episode 11 of First Class Counsellors! Campers who are missing home, homesick, whatever you want to call it - it’s something that camp counsellors will face in their camp careers. It’s inevitable and understandable. Our campers love their families, they are nervous about being away and they’re uncomfortable. When they are reacting to those feelings, it’s important that camp counsellors are equipped to both effectively and compassionately...
Camp Sick - First Class Counsellors #10
December 05, 2019 11:00 - 37 minutes - 25.5 MBWhat to do when you’re missing camp Welcome to episode 10 of First Class Counsellors! Camp is over and you miss it. You want more of it but you have to wait FOREVER ‘till staff training. It can be hard, we get it, and we’re here to help! To keep the fires of camp love glowing deep in your heart, First Class Counsellors is on the case. In this episode, Matt and Oliver cover some practical ideas on overcoming those missing camp blues and get those camp vibes rolling again. Tune in to hear ...
Professionalism for Counsellors - First Class Counsellors #9
November 21, 2019 11:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBWelcome to episode 9 of First Class Counsellors! As we work give Counsellors the skills they need to be the best they can be, we thought it would be important to talk about what separates the counsellors who may stick around for a summer or two and the ones who may have a long camp career ahead of them. It can be hard to understand what it means to be professional in the camp setting. After all, our dress code is far from formal, we are encouraged to be loud and crazy, and mentions of quar...
Terrific Transitions - First Class Counsellors #8
November 07, 2019 11:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBGet your campers from A to B in style! Welcome to episode 8 of First Class Counsellors! In our quest to give Counsellors the skills they need to be all-stars, we bring you one show entirely dedicated to transitions. Seriously, 45 minutes on making sure campers are where they need to be at point A, getting them to point B and what to do if you have trouble getting to point B. It’s one of those parts of camp that you can do poorly, easily, or well, fairly easily, you just need some ideas an...
Camp IS a Real Job! With Kim Aycock - First Class Counsellors #7
October 24, 2019 10:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBWelcome to episode 7 of First Class Counsellors! This episode is dedicated to all you humble counsellors out there. To the ones who put their heads down and work without asking for anything in return. You don’t want the credit, a camper’s smile is enough. It’s dedicated to you, because you suck at selling yourself. Okay. That was harsh but for a lot of young camp staff, we’re not THAT wrong. Whether your are looking for an off-season job or looking to move on after your time at camp, it’...
The Best Bedtimes - First Class Counsellors #6
October 10, 2019 10:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBBecause bedtime is still program time. Welcome to episode 6 of First Class Counsellors! We’re back with more First Class Counsellors! We’re borrowing some rent from the CampHacker Podcast for the start of this season, but we’ll be in our own space soon, so hang tight! This is a Podcast by young Camp Pros for even younger Camp Pros. Camp Directors, these podcasts are meant for you to train your staff on the little things; the bits of common knowledge that you don’t have time to stuff into ...
Mental Health, Breaks and Self Care at Camp - First Class Counsellors #5
April 25, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MBEasy ways to practice mental health and self care as a staff member at summer camp. Welcome to episode 5 of First Class Counsellors! Camp Directors, this may be our best episode yet. If you’ve been waiting to send one to your staff, this is it. Here’s why: We are talking about PRACTICAL, EASY ways for your staff to stay mentally healthy this summer. Dr. Deborah Gilboa (Dr. G) is our guest. If you don’t know her, Dr. G is a youth development and parenting expert who ALSO happens to be a ...
Camp Relationships - First Class Counsellors #4
April 10, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 53.8 MBWelcome to episode 4 of First Class Counsellors! We’d like to think that you know First Class Counsellors by now. You know that this is a Podcast by young Camp Pros for even younger Camp Pros. Camp Directors, you know that these podcasts are meant for you to train your staff on the little things; the bits of common knowledge that you don’t have time to stuff into staff training, but wish you could. If you don’t know us and we’re just navel-gazing here, then HEY! You can find our first epis...
First Time Leaders - First Class Counsellors #3
March 07, 2019 11:00 - 1 hour - 54.1 MBSupervising for the first time at camp? This one’s for you! Welcome to episode 3 of First Class Counsellors! If you’re new to First Class Counsellors, and wondering why it’s in your CampHacker feed, welcome! We’re trying this mini-series out this Spring and mixing it in with your usual CampHacker goodness. You can find our first episode and more about why we’re on the CampHacker feed here. On our third episode, we are joined by Grace Tierney from YMCA Camp Mason to give your new senior sta...
Camp Skills for Generation Z - First Class Counsellors #2
February 07, 2019 11:00 - 55 minutes - 37.8 MBIf this is your first time seeing First Class Counsellors in your CampHacker feed, welcome! You can find our first episode here. On our second episode, we are joined by Isabelle “Zukes” Paradis to discuss how we can best serve our Generation Z staff and campers. Oliver, Matt and Isabelle cover a ton of practical, ready-to-implement ideas that camp counsellors can use to benefit this exciting generation of campers and camp staff. In this short, episode, we cover How to capture and retain c...
*Something Different* - Planning Perfect Programs - First Class Counsellors #1
December 18, 2018 04:01 - 38 minutes - 26.5 MBWait…isn’t this the CampHacker Podcast? Yes!, well, no! This is a preview of something new to come on the CampHacker and Go Camp Pro podcast network. This is free professional development for your Counsellors. Camp Directors, this Podcast won’t be for you. It’s time to delegate! First Class Counsellors will be for your counselling staff, or, the staff who are on the ground, playing with kids and changing lives. Each week, we will hear from young camp directors and leaders to draw out pra...