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So what does it mean to be cool leader on
camp and what does it involve doing?
Well, different people will say many different
things, and they will be right, as it may work for them,
but of all the ways and reasons, some of the main ideas
are outlined here.
Attitude is probably one of or if not the
biggest thing. If you go along to camp thinking, I'm going
to be cool and the best leader there is then, you may go
okay, provided you don't make this your mission. Camps always
need cool leaders of course, to deal with those kids that
think themselves 'cool' too, generally the noisy and rowdy
ones with confidence coming out of their confidence. But,
you also need to balance yourself, where you can sit down
and have a chat to those kids who seem to lacking in social
skills and those who may be lacking a little self confidence.
Being a great leader isn't someone who can influence every
kid around the place, but someone who can connect with the
kids. Having kids jump on you and seeing them having and
awesome time is really rewarding, but as much as they may
love doing that sort of thing, quite often, deep down they
just may need to sit down with you and chat. It's often
those times where you connect and make the camper/leader
relationship more special.
This table is a great way to describe leaders
and it shows which types of leaders are better.
Where Are You As A Leader?
Looking at the image, we can see four numbers
and two circles. The red circle represents where you want
most of your leaders fitting into. The blue ring is the
worst place of all. A leader falling into this category
wouldn't be considered as one of the more stronger leaders.
The placement of the numbers on the chart
are placed in the extreme positions only to show with a
little more understanding, not meaning you'll get leaders
like these.
| 1 |
Leaders falling in to the first category are your
best. These are the people that are great friends with
the campers, but also have full control. A leader like
this, that all of the campers respect and acknowledge
are an asset to a team. |
| 2 |
Two and three are a little difficult to decide, but
if you can understand my reasoning you'll see why I've
split it up this way. Is it better to have control and
be mean, or be friends with no control? Well, to make
a camp run properly, you need people who can take control.
If you don't have control, then you may as well buy
tickets to a circus, as that is how the camp may end
up like. People like number two are good because they
can keep things going. |
| 3 |
Number three is a person who may lack confidence and
not know how to take control. They are however very
important to the welfare of the campers. These ones
are the back bone of a camp. The silent leaders who
can look after the kids when they can't continue. |
| 4 |
The forth type is a leader which would probably not
want to be on camp, or they are really exhausted and
need time out. Be careful of leaders like this, and
if you aren't able to take control, make sure you are
a friend to a child. |
On the issue of control and discipline, it
is VERY important that these things are sorted out on the
first day of camp. To make a camp great you must remember
that:
It is on the first night of camp that
will set
the scene for the rest of the week.
I have found that in order to ensure an awesome
week, you need to sit down with the kids and lay down some
rules. Have the kids tell you what they think should be
the rules rather than a dictatorship. On the first night,
come down reasonably hard but not excessive like a drill
sergeant is, but do it as a friend. This will set the boundaries
and the kids will know not to step over them.
With discipline, make sure that your are not
contradicted. If you make a threat, make sure it is one
you can carry through with, not just a threat. On the terms
of contradiction, make the other leaders aware of rules
which you have set with a particular child or even in terms
of your own lodge/cabin. It's vital to have one set of rules
for everyone.
Quite often kids will try and go out of their
way to try and annoy you, to get a rise out of you. This
can often be very frustrating. What ever you do, don't crack
in front of them. Where possible, get someone else to take
over for you and so you can have some time out by yourself.
You can't be a strong leadership team without
looking out for each other.
Pulling together as a leadership team is vital
for any camp to run successfully. I know of where a leadership
team became too way close. Although they had a great time
with each other, they weren't there for the kids. For the
next camp, one camper signed up.
I also know of a church group coming to a
camp who brought their leaders creating an 'us' and 'them'
type of scenario. This method almost split a camp with the
ways of 'back at home we do it this way...'
These two ways are not how we should be as
a leadership team, it's all about working together with
unity and a common mission with like-minded people. This
is one of the keys to a successful team.
If you have any other thoughts on this, please
comment.
Constructive critisism is the best, as we all learn from
our mistakes.
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