During our session, we’ll work together to:

• Understand the overarching principles of the 3 Dimensions of Empathy 
• Engage more empathy with those around us and those within our span of leadership
• Create a resolution detailing how we will bring more empathy to our leadership

Be prepared to connect more deeply with how empathy can improve your leadership, relationships, and interactions with those around you. Oh, and we’ll do this in a fun, engaging, and impactful way!

In this short introduction, Dr. Matt will help us understand what’s going on with the Mental Health of our camp staff. Based on his work with camps and in his practice, Dr. Matt will share some of the most pressing issues affecting our staff and how we can best care for them.

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Dr. Matt, Jenna (Neurodivergent at Camp), and Dave Brown (Fence Post Learning) will explain their work and how it can help your staff at camp. They will also answer questions submitted by attendees ahead of time or from the audience.

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Room 1: Dr. Matt

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‍Mental Health Considerations

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In this session, Dr. Matt will share some of his best practices and lessons learned when working with staff so they can feel empowered and healthy as they care for other people’s children. But don’t expect Dr. Matt just to give a lecture! He is ready, willing, and able to help you! Bring your questions about working with your staff when it seems like they need more and more from you every Summer.

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Room 2: Dr. Kim Howell

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Acting With Empathy: Using Our Learning to Make a Difference

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After we create our empathy resolutions in the opening session, we will gather in a breakout to brainstorm ways to take our learning and turn it into action. We will discover ways to overcome the roadblocks to leading with empathy and connect more deeply with those we lead.

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Room 3: Exec Track with Shoshi - Day 1

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Improving the staff experience from application to arrival

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Over the past few years, there has been a shift in how camp owners and directors approach the staff experience during the summer, emphasizing ensuring the staff feels valued and appreciated to improve staff satisfaction and retention. But what happens after camp ends and all the staff members go home?  How do we continue to engage staff and focus on staff experience from September to June, from application to arrival? This session will discuss ways to engage your staff members, new and returning, international and local, in the “off-season” to ensure that they feel excited, prepared for, and committed to their role at camp next summer…and that they show up at camp on opening day! Participants will leave this session with tangible exercises and processes that can be implemented at their respective camps, from recruitment to onboarding, to improve the staff experience from application to arrival.

a. Ask Dr. Matt

b. General Camp Chat

c. What to Expect at Collab (Dave)

d. Feedback/Eval with Shoshi

e. Ask an Attorney with Rachel

f. Wolfoods Food Service Convo

g. More Empathy! (Kim)

h. Camp Leaders Represents

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Aaron Selkow

If You Try All of These Strategies To Build a Successful Year-Round Team and none of them work, I’ll Buy You Lunch

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Chris Arnold 

Do you think the Camp Industry should win a nobel prize?

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Molly Hott Gallagher

Why our campers need happy staff

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Leaders at camp should focus on instilling four vital attributes into the everyday lives of their staff. These attributes, growth mindset, servant mindset, integrity, and caring, are crucial for effective leadership at camp and achieving the desired outcomes from camp programs. Fritz’s session will dive deep into cultivating these attributes among your staff.

Breakout 1: Rachel Satinsky

Lessons Learned from 2024

This interactive session will dive into real-world case studies to provoke discussion on how camp professionals can proactively address some of the most challenging HR issues faced in the industry today. Through detailed case examples, participants will explore best practices and strategies for affirmative planning to prevent problems before they arise

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Breakout 2: Drew Fidler

“That’s Not Good For My Mental Health:” Setting Staff Up to Support Campers and Manage Their Mental Health

Across the country, counselors are struggling to support the needs of their campers and support themselves. Day camps are seeing counselors not show up for work, overnight camps are seeing counselors leave for “mental health,” and camper care teams stretched thin by the needs of campers are left struggling to support staff. This session will help our staff attend to our camper's mental health and wellness differently and provide a framework to assist your staff with their own mental health and wellness challenges.

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Breakout 3: Dig Deeper with Fritz

Fritz will continue breaking down the four attributes vital to building a team of engaged, effective staff members. He will help us uncover the answer to the question, “How do you identify these attributes in a team member you want to bring on board?” by putting language to these otherwise unmeasurable attributes.

a. Ask an Attorney with Rachel Satinsky

b. Supporting Staff with Drew Fidler 

c. Leadership Essentials with Fritz

d. Dr. Kim Howell

e.General, Debrief Summer 24

f. Technology and Camp trends with Eric Wittenberg  

g. Supporting Staff with Jenna 

h. Staff Well-Being with Dave Brown 

i. Feedback and Evals with Shoshi 

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Breakout 1: Anna Fitzpatrick (Sprintax)

The Nonresident Tax Clinic – A Guide to Paying and Hiring International Camp Counselors

This session will help to provide an educational overview of some of the main principles of nonresident tax for both employers of international camp staff as well as camp staff themselves. The session will cover topics such as identifying a foreign national/potential NRA receiving payment as a camp employer, determining tax residency, understanding FICA taxes and more.

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Breakout 2: Eric Wittenberg & Jordana Grossinger
Modern Staff Recruitment: Strategy, segments, ads, and funnels, not just for camper recruitment

Do you know your numbers? How many leads you'll need to fill all your lifeguarding roles? How many people are ready to book an interview with you but need the perfect nudge?

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Learn how some camps leverage their strategies and technology from camper recruitment to build a funnel that converts staff leads to contracts and staff training from day 1.

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Breakout 3: Exec Track with Shoshi - Day 2

The challenges of modeling self-care at camp

How many hours off do you take in the summer? What time do you generally get to sleep or wake up in the morning? How often do you allow yourself to take time for fun throughout the summer? If we want our staff members to take care of themselves, it has to be modeled by our leadership teams…but we all know how hard a work/life balance at camp can be. Join this session to discuss self-care challenges for senior camp management and learn about the importance of modeling proper self-care so that our camp staff are encouraged to do the same.

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Mental Fortitude Workshop

Sam and Parker believe the key ingredient to elevating is MENTAL FORTITUDE

This workshop will help attendees dive deeper into

1.Who They Are
2.What They Want
3.What Inspires Them Through deep introspection, storytelling, and breakout sessions, each counselor will work towards developing their own...

Mental Motto: A phrase that embodies what you stand for, who you are, and how you want to live your life.

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