|
|
WHAT YOU WILL GAIN - AT SNC Today in class I had a student who was having a tough day behaviorally. So in an attempt to try and cheer him up, I asked him to smile a little bit more, frustratingly he asked why and I told him because when he smiles the whole world will smile back. He half smirked at me and said, "I don't know what would make me smile today."For some reason, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "Well what can make a hippopotamus smile?" He then looked at me like I was absolutely insane. At that very moment, I broke out in full camp mode and sang the entire hippopotamus song to not only him but my entire middle school behavior class. At the end of the song not only was he was smiling and so were the rest of my students, but so was the whole class. 
Later in the day, that very student came up to me and thanked me for always being there even when he doesn't want me to be. While I may be trained and well versed in non-violent crisis intervention and prevention, I still believe that there is nothing that a good camp song cannot fix. It has been many years since I have spent a summer at Swift, but my memories will last a lifetime. If any of my former campers read this, please don't forget your summers at Swift. Please don't forget what I always told each of you, you are amazing in your own way. You all have the potential and the ability to do great things, just stay focused and continue the hard work. But don't forget however to stop and have fun along the way, because what's life without a little fun and adventure. With SNC Pride, SteveO |
Swift Nature Camp -Qualities of Great Counselors
Being Intentional- We have all heard of the "magic" of summer camp. But that is only a part of the story, more importantly, there is the intentionality of camp. It is more than just letting our camp days happen. It is knowing and imagining what we want from our campers, fellow staff, and ourselves. Camp provides a safe haven for working through real-life situations: resolving conflict, team building, critical thinking, making choices, and interacting with others all with a positive outcome. These are real-life skills that you get to develop and use every day.
Life is a choice-We must realize that everything we do is intentional and each and every one of our decisions has a consequence. All of our life is a choice. We can choose to ignore a camper's unacceptable behavior and chances are it will persist or we can choose to counsel the child in an effort to guide them down a more fertile path.
Generosity- Being an SNC Counselor is all about giving. Giving of yourself, your time, your energy. These are all gifts that you must be willing to freely give 24/7 to your children.
Dedicated- When things get tough do you give up? Do you take the easy route? Camp is a place where we need to go back to the drawing board and figure out why it's not working. What we need to do to mold our campers into a positively motivated team, that respects and listens to each other.
Fun- Fun, and smiles are what make the world a happier place. No matter how difficult a day might be a smile seems to make it better. Share a smile and brighten someone's day. FUN begins as an attitude and becomes a way of life. There is nothing more rewarding than a happy child.
Caring- When you look into a child's face can you remember your days as a youth? Can you remember how that special someone listened to what you had to say, how they made you feel important? Can you do the same? Can you do it every day for all of camp?
Counseling- That's more than just a title for your job, it's really what your position is at camp. It's not yelling, ordering, demanding, or punishing.
It's taking time to listen to a child than helping them look at the options and pick the best option open to him or her. This takes time and energy and is much harder than just saying do this, but that's what counseling is all about.
Servitude- Being a staff member at Camp is all about doing things for others. It requires losing yourself and becoming part of the camp team. When we think of our needs and wants we lose sight of our purpose "the children". When all campers and staff alike say "how can I help" it makes everyone's load a little easier. Many committed hands make for light work.
Age appropriateness- As we grow and develop we learn new things, some of which do not necessarily make us better people ( swearing, sex, meanness, sarcasm, etc.). It is important that we as staff and role models work with children and have good clean fun.
Respect- As we give respect to other staff and the campers it will be returned 10 fold.
Grace- We are dedicated to each camper and staff for their individual abilities and contributions to camp. We all have talents that we can share. Can you see the positives in others? Can you reward them for making a good choice? Is it easier for you to say good things rather than bad? There is no room at camp for keeping score.
Responsibility- The awesome responsibility is not just the 10 or so children that you will need to keep safe. Responsibility is for yourself and doing the right thing. It is being responsible to your supervisors and respecting their authority.
Growth- We are all on our own personal journey. For campers, camp is a place where we support others, where we help others up rather than tear them down to make ourselves look better. The physical, mental, and spiritual growth of every person is very important at SNC. We want everyone to leave Swift with more esteem for others and themselves, to feel more confident in their abilities to be accepted and understood as part of humanity and to feel positively challenged to work and plan for a successful life. Our program and facilities have been designed with the positive growth of people in mind.
Reflection- We encourage physical activity and new challenges throughout our daily schedule, allowing time to rest and reflect on the day's events. Are you willing to help a child process their day? Do you feel comfortable sitting on each child's bed at night and asking every child in your cabin, What made you happy, What made you sad and what would you like to see happen tomorrow.
If this sounds like you, please continue on...this journey
