Date: July 6-10 

Beginner Camp Week 1

What went well?

Kicking it off with the first week of camp, there were loads of information to gather from the camps as I watched the counsellors and administrators settle into their positions. This included observing how counsellors would lead group activities, reinforce rules, deal with conflict, maintain focus and enforce consequences. At times, I would also jump in and participate in group-led activities and help counsellors as a leader if kids were acting out. I also got to know the instructors and learn about their workshops! 

What could have been done differently?

I think even though there are so many moments to take note of, the day goes by incredibly fast since moments between kids change from one minute to another. For example, there will be a child who starts crying but then is okay within 30 seconds and another child yelling in the corner. The overstimulation and pressure to note all this down is an unrealistic expectation that I set for myself. Instead of trying to transcribe and note down every single little thing that happened, I think I need to change my note-taking system to group themes or bigger ideas together. 

What did I learn about myself when working with others?

That being an admin and being a counsellor is very different. While admin at times have to be involved with the children, the act of constantly monitoring and being part of the day-to-day process of monitoring children is more emotionally taxing than most admin think. There were some days where camp was short-staffed so I spent my day mostly being a counsellor rather than being in the office. I found that the act of being involved with the children over the span of many hours a day made me more irritable, more prone to snapping and also more exhausted.

What did I learn about leadership?

During the beginning of the week, I thought the focus of my contributions should be on observing and not intervening to allow the counsellors to demonstrate their skills. However, this kept my ideas of what the gaps of training quite fixed because I was only able to analyze their performance from one point of view. Towards the end of the week, being in the same role as them allowed me to empathize with them more greatly about what the difficulties of counsellor demands actually are and how it is isn't as easy to just "lead a game" or "get their attention."