Well, I have just about no idea what to expect this summer. I've never been to Unistar and I've never before worked at a camp. I've never really even spent much time in Minnesota.
I'm excited for this new adventure, but I'm get periodically worried about being a sort of leader in an unfamiliar context. I do think it'll be great, though.
My largest fear is not being able to motivate youth into doing big activities like camping and canoing trips. Sometimes there is resistance to these things and I really don't want to have a lot of weeks where the youth just don't want to do things.
I'm also afraid that the youth week kids have wised up to scythe-scarings. This could devastate my ego.
Ben, I'm right there with you; very little frustrated me more (last summer) than the lethargic apathy and gripping indecisiveness that befell our youth - even during some weeks that seemed to be abundant with funpotential. Maybe we could present each week with a schedule right off the bat, and they can make changes if they want? Most importantly, I think we should push the camping trip as a key component of the weeks activities - and make it sound like it's already an established tradition.
And speaking of authority/manipulation, I don't think you need to be worried about being able to scare the hell out of the kids. Most people get at least somewhat scared at haunted houses, which they willingly enter with full knowledge that it's supposed to be scary and that it's fake. I think we just need more people involved next time - with more choreography and better costumes (and of course, some very dedicated individuals on the inside).
The youth camping trips I was on did go well, but I urge you both not to get too fixated on the youth having a busy schedule. Lots of the time, people just want to hang out, maybe swim a little, and talk, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the youth doing just that.
My biggest fear is that the letter saying I was being offered a job is an elaborate cruel hoax. I have literally had a nightmare about that. My second-largest fear is a zombie apocalypse, since I do not believe our protocols for dealing with such an event are sufficient.
My third largest fear is that my desire to avoid contact with children will come back to bite me. I might be able to avoid CP shifts, but they're always around the camp, and it's irresponsible to not take good care of them - they're kids. I just have no idea how to deal with them.
That's a great point about the busy schedule The Ben, which also brings up the issue of the time commitment on the part of the staff. In the weeks that include an overnight or otherwise large-scale youth activity, there should be less planned activities on other days. We could take them on a bond-building camping trip early in the week (maybe even tuesday after lunch?) and then give them a fair amount of space for the rest of the week. This might motivate them to spend more time together outside of our care, and the week would have structured activities at each end with free time in the middle (camping/canoe trip - free time - dance, talent show).
Another plus to doing this early in the week is that the social cliques won't be firmly established yet (in most cases) and they won't have made other plans, so we can just tell them really quick at the sunday night meeting: "we have planned a camping trip; we'll leave tuesday after lunch and get back on wednesday in time for lunch. [spend 30 seconds selling the idea]... and we're definitely going to go as long as there's a decent forecast and at least 3 people sign up, and the more the merrier so sign up!!" Then, we could pass around a sign-up sheet during our spiel, stick around and talk to kids during popcorn/cider, and solicit them once more during the monday meeting in the mattzebo.
And if it's basically the same plan every week it'll be easier to work with MEM on the food concerns (what we need to bring, and how much less she needs to cook while we're gone), and we can have something worked out for all of the shifts that need to be filled while two members of our staff are camping with the youths. Feedback, please!
I agree Cory, doing a camping trip earlier in the week is a swell idea, though given weather constraints it probably isn't possible to specify one day each week. We will have to have some flexibility according to weather predictions, which unfortunately haven't proven to be terribly accurate up there.
I would even go as far as suggesting we leave Monday after lunch if it is possible.
Best of all though, I like the idea of selling the camping trip as something planned and definite, not something that they could do if they wanted to (cause they don't know what they want). I feel like if we hype it up we could really make a lot of people interested in it.
Hopefully we aren't only doing camping trips this summer but also the occasional canoe float down the Mississippi.
Really enjoy the ideas Cory and Ben have proposed for the youth. The float trip down the mississippi will definitely be offered. I know there is a campsite b/w knutson dam and lake winnibigoshish, so this could even be a overnight possibility. Especially enjoy the idea of having a more "set" schedule at the beginning of the week. Excited to see you guys in action this summer. I hope I can get in on one of the float trips myself. Keep the ideas flowing!
First off, I want everyone to know that while my name might have been claimed by those who go before me, I believe that I have an equal right to the title and intend to keep it. There have been many a week when Jefferies, The Ben and I have all been in attendance and we all survived.
As far as fears go the fact that I am showing up late and will miss training is unsettling. I am not coming in blind, but I don't want to be a weak link.
I would love to take part in the camping trips and I think that early in the week will do wonders for the group. My family week experience is fairly limited but from what I've seen the youth have a tendency to form subgroups and limit their social circle. I think a early camping trip would be great for cohesion in the weeks youth.
As I recall, Sonja objected to our unanimity of nomenclature in those previous weeks, as well (an effort was made to brand us 'Ben Jeff', 'The Ben', and 'Ben Pat', respectively)... I see no reason to expect different reactions, now. Of course, I also see no reason to expect the effort to more successful this time...
Having the youth camping trip close to the beginning of the week (those I've seen tended towards middle-end) intrigues me - it's an easy activity to suggest, and could give the youth a taste of what kind of experience they're liable to have hanging out together, which informs their later decisions on co-ordinated to be. Cory and Ben(jamin Jeffries) have the most experience here: do you two think such a rearrangement possible/plausible/not a stupid idea?
I have, now, firmly settled on Jeff and Jos ('Jaws') for your nominal doppelgangers.
I don't suppose I have any grand, looming fears for the season, just the usual prep fridges out of order/late meals type of a thing.
I think I always come into the season with a worry that I might burn out before the season is over. I love arriing with all the fervor of spring and I definitely do not want to fall into apathy and just sit up in the loft all day.
That you would address your commentary on the names applied to my fellow-bens to me is flattering, but assumes a tighness of coordination which the Benarchy currently lacks.
I have never interfered in your attempts to brand them in the past, and will watch this latest effort with great amusement - in particular, the association of the good Mr. Joselyn with a horror icon.
P.S. Perhaps you *should* be afraid, Little Pete... very afraid.
Well, I was tempted to spell it 'sanja,' but I restrained myself from that extreme... to go so far as actually spelling it right would have been too radical a shift in my agenda!
I guess my biggest fear is that Sapperton will run off into the woods and never come back.
Besides that I feel really confident that it will be a great summer. And since I don't know what I will be doing, I don't even know what to worry about! ;) In that context, I guess my fear(s) might be unknown situations, not knowing how I will handle them - including language problems - and not being able to stand up to expectations. Oh, and of course: breaking stuff!
When I was little I viewed Unistar Staff as the happiest, most cultured and all-knowing group of people to roam this Earth (or at least Northern Minnesota...) That being said, I think one of my biggest fears is that I won't acheive this same level of greatness that I so admiringly placed on staffers at the age of 5. What if I can't answer every question asked of me? What if I'm so grumpy and sleep deprived one day I just burst into tears with no notice at all? I'm pretty positive I already know the answers to these questions but my lack of super-human powers is still what scares me the most.
17 comments:
Well, I have just about no idea what to expect this summer. I've never been to Unistar and I've never before worked at a camp. I've never really even spent much time in Minnesota.
I'm excited for this new adventure, but I'm get periodically worried about being a sort of leader in an unfamiliar context. I do think it'll be great, though.
you'll love it, promise.
My largest fear is not being able to motivate youth into doing big activities like camping and canoing trips. Sometimes there is resistance to these things and I really don't want to have a lot of weeks where the youth just don't want to do things.
I'm also afraid that the youth week kids have wised up to scythe-scarings. This could devastate my ego.
Ben,
I'm right there with you; very little frustrated me more (last summer) than the lethargic apathy and gripping indecisiveness that befell our youth - even during some weeks that seemed to be abundant with funpotential. Maybe we could present each week with a schedule right off the bat, and they can make changes if they want? Most importantly, I think we should push the camping trip as a key component of the weeks activities - and make it sound like it's already an established tradition.
And speaking of authority/manipulation, I don't think you need to be worried about being able to scare the hell out of the kids. Most people get at least somewhat scared at haunted houses, which they willingly enter with full knowledge that it's supposed to be scary and that it's fake. I think we just need more people involved next time - with more choreography and better costumes (and of course, some very dedicated individuals on the inside).
The youth camping trips I was on did go well, but I urge you both not to get too fixated on the youth having a busy schedule. Lots of the time, people just want to hang out, maybe swim a little, and talk, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the youth doing just that.
My biggest fear is that the letter saying I was being offered a job is an elaborate cruel hoax. I have literally had a nightmare about that. My second-largest fear is a zombie apocalypse, since I do not believe our protocols for dealing with such an event are sufficient.
My third largest fear is that my desire to avoid contact with children will come back to bite me. I might be able to avoid CP shifts, but they're always around the camp, and it's irresponsible to not take good care of them - they're kids. I just have no idea how to deal with them.
That's a great point about the busy schedule The Ben, which also brings up the issue of the time commitment on the part of the staff. In the weeks that include an overnight or otherwise large-scale youth activity, there should be less planned activities on other days. We could take them on a bond-building camping trip early in the week (maybe even tuesday after lunch?) and then give them a fair amount of space for the rest of the week. This might motivate them to spend more time together outside of our care, and the week would have structured activities at each end with free time in the middle (camping/canoe trip - free time - dance, talent show).
Another plus to doing this early in the week is that the social cliques won't be firmly established yet (in most cases) and they won't have made other plans, so we can just tell them really quick at the sunday night meeting: "we have planned a camping trip; we'll leave tuesday after lunch and get back on wednesday in time for lunch. [spend 30 seconds selling the idea]... and we're definitely going to go as long as there's a decent forecast and at least 3 people sign up, and the more the merrier so sign up!!" Then, we could pass around a sign-up sheet during our spiel, stick around and talk to kids during popcorn/cider, and solicit them once more during the monday meeting in the mattzebo.
And if it's basically the same plan every week it'll be easier to work with MEM on the food concerns (what we need to bring, and how much less she needs to cook while we're gone), and we can have something worked out for all of the shifts that need to be filled while two members of our staff are camping with the youths. Feedback, please!
I agree Cory, doing a camping trip earlier in the week is a swell idea, though given weather constraints it probably isn't possible to specify one day each week. We will have to have some flexibility according to weather predictions, which unfortunately haven't proven to be terribly accurate up there.
I would even go as far as suggesting we leave Monday after lunch if it is possible.
Best of all though, I like the idea of selling the camping trip as something planned and definite, not something that they could do if they wanted to (cause they don't know what they want). I feel like if we hype it up we could really make a lot of people interested in it.
Hopefully we aren't only doing camping trips this summer but also the occasional canoe float down the Mississippi.
Really enjoy the ideas Cory and Ben have proposed for the youth. The float trip down the mississippi will definitely be offered. I know there is a campsite b/w knutson dam and lake winnibigoshish, so this could even be a overnight possibility. Especially enjoy the idea of having a more "set" schedule at the beginning of the week. Excited to see you guys in action this summer. I hope I can get in on one of the float trips myself. Keep the ideas flowing!
First off, I want everyone to know that while my name might have been claimed by those who go before me, I believe that I have an equal right to the title and intend to keep it. There have been many a week when Jefferies, The Ben and I have all been in attendance and we all survived.
As far as fears go the fact that I am showing up late and will miss training is unsettling. I am not coming in blind, but I don't want to be a weak link.
I would love to take part in the camping trips and I think that early in the week will do wonders for the group. My family week experience is fairly limited but from what I've seen the youth have a tendency to form subgroups and limit their social circle. I think a early camping trip would be great for cohesion in the weeks youth.
As I recall, Sonja objected to our unanimity of nomenclature in those previous weeks, as well (an effort was made to brand us 'Ben Jeff', 'The Ben', and 'Ben Pat', respectively)... I see no reason to expect different reactions, now. Of course, I also see no reason to expect the effort to more successful this time...
Having the youth camping trip close to the beginning of the week (those I've seen tended towards middle-end) intrigues me - it's an easy activity to suggest, and could give the youth a taste of what kind of experience they're liable to have hanging out together, which informs their later decisions on co-ordinated to be. Cory and Ben(jamin Jeffries) have the most experience here: do you two think such a rearrangement possible/plausible/not a stupid idea?
The Ben Freeman,
I have, now, firmly settled on Jeff and Jos ('Jaws') for your nominal doppelgangers.
I don't suppose I have any grand, looming fears for the season, just the usual prep fridges out of order/late meals type of a thing.
I think I always come into the season with a worry that I might burn out before the season is over. I love arriing with all the fervor of spring and I definitely do not want to fall into apathy and just sit up in the loft all day.
I am terribly afraid of all of you... just kidding. I guess just really want a tight efficient safe waterfront.
Sonia,
That you would address your commentary on the names applied to my fellow-bens to me is flattering, but assumes a tighness of coordination which the Benarchy currently lacks.
I have never interfered in your attempts to brand them in the past, and will watch this latest effort with great amusement - in particular, the association of the good Mr. Joselyn with a horror icon.
P.S. Perhaps you *should* be afraid, Little Pete... very afraid.
TBF,
Really? My name is right there...Right There.
sonJa
S,
Well, I was tempted to spell it 'sanja,' but I restrained myself from that extreme... to go so far as actually spelling it right would have been too radical a shift in my agenda!
The Ben Freeman
I guess my biggest fear is that Sapperton will run off into the woods and never come back.
Besides that I feel really confident that it will be a great summer. And since I don't know what I will be doing, I don't even know what to worry about! ;)
In that context, I guess my fear(s) might be unknown situations, not knowing how I will handle them - including language problems - and not being able to stand up to expectations.
Oh, and of course: breaking stuff!
When I was little I viewed Unistar Staff as the happiest, most cultured and all-knowing group of people to roam this Earth (or at least Northern Minnesota...) That being said, I think one of my biggest fears is that I won't acheive this same level of greatness that I so admiringly placed on staffers at the age of 5. What if I can't answer every question asked of me? What if I'm so grumpy and sleep deprived one day I just burst into tears with no notice at all? I'm pretty positive I already know the answers to these questions but my lack of super-human powers is still what scares me the most.
Ah, Sylvana. Good... one more person accounted for - glad to see you!
Have you ever considered devloping superhuman powers? I find that helps with any number of mundane ills.
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