The CampHacker Podcast

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 sta...

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...

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 giv...

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 d...

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’...

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 practi...

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...

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 affec...

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 stor...

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...

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 mom...

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 h...

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. B...

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...

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 ear...

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...

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 r...

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 m...

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 to...

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 pre...

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 fea...

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 ne...

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 d...

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 curre...

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 positiv...