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Camp is a confidence thing
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I get a certain kind of phone call this time of year. Camp season is close. Staff training is around the corner. Enrollment numbers are what they are (and can be increased!). But the calls from camp pros spike without fail. The presenting problems look different each time. There are staffing gaps, marketing that isn’t converting, or a gut feeling that something is off, but without a crystal-clear way to fix it. All of these camp themes show up, but the subtext is almost always the same. What the Calls Are Really AboutConfidence. That’s really about it. Confidence. A problem they can’t see their way out of. Something they haven’t experienced before. Or something they can’t solve alone without an outside voice. Unless you’ve been in these roles, it’s hard to conceptualize what running a camp actually feels like. The sheer weight of a full summer program. So many different things that can go sideways at once, and above it the loneliness (yes, loneliness) of being the person everyone else looks to for answers. These calls aren’t from someone in freefall or anything close to it. No, this is just the natural camp cycle. A director or exec has something a bit stuck. And they need to talk it through with someone who’s worked with and seen the nitty-gritty of 80 camps, watched the same patterns play out everywhere. What Happens When We TalkMostly, I’ve found that camp people (at every level) just need to air it out. Sure, there’s always a straight read on what I’m hearing and a few ways they could approach it. Are any of these things catastrophic? Not really, no. People in this work just need to talk it through with someone who’s seen all levels of a camp operation before. I take these calls constantly. People sit on stuff for weeks, thinking they should figure it out themselves. Then we talk for 30 minutes, and something becomes clearer, and that confidence kicks back in. Because so much of the time, that’s what’s needed most. Book a CallIf you want to talk through what you’re sitting on, book a call with me, David, or Hunter at Immersive1st. Thirty minutes. No pressure. We’ll figure out if there’s a path forward together. Sincerely, Sincerely, Senior Consultant at Immersive1st Learn more about Immersive1st's Approach |
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You wouldn’t think of summer camping as lonely work. After all, camp is where kids and staff are running around all summer with constant energy, smiles, laughter, all of it. But leaders in the big chair often don’t have anyone to talk to. At least about the things that actually matter for your camp. Executive directors, program heads, owners, board presidents. The higher you sit at your camp or program, the fewer honest conversations you might get. Sure, camp is generally a happy place, but...
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