Zhenyan's Reflection
Now that summer camp is coming to a close, explain 3 key takeaways from the experience? How will you apply it in the future?
Collaborating and coordinating camp activities with my fellow counsellors throughout camp has taught me the importance of clear communication and mutual support. In the future, I hope to be able to also foster a collaborative and supportive environment with my coworkers in order to thrive in the workplace. Throughout camp, I’ve been able to practice my authority and patience with the campers to ensure smooth operations and enforce rules. I’ve also learned to really get to know each camper and understand their preferred methods of learning, communication, and “cooperation style”. Doing this has helped me immensely to settle down rowdy campers and build lasting connections. In future roles, I strongly believe that this strategy and skill will continue to give promising results. Camp always presents unexpected challenges. From campers not wanting to participate to interpersonal conflicts, I have gained more experience in developing quick and creative solutions to ensure regular camp programming. I will apply this experience in the future by approaching problems with a solution-oriented mindset and remaining flexible under pressure.
Describe one of the biggest challenges you faced, how you overcame it, and what you learned from it.
During camp, I worked extensively with several ESL and special needs kids. With more than a third of the class needing extra attention whether it was during academic, gym, or lunch/snack, I had to figure out how to effectively navigate such a class and learn what worked for each camper. For example, due to special needs, one camper had trouble understanding boundaries (ex. engages in vocal/physical violence easily), consequences, and others’ perspectives, which made a majority of the class upset with her. To solve this issue, I often had to separate the campers arguing with her and explain to her in Mandarin that she has to keep her hands to herself and use appropriate language during camp, or else she will be let go of. With understanding that she does enjoy the camp activities and her group of ESL friends, I leveraged that to help her calm down and think rationally of her actions, which led to better behaviour in the long run. Experiences like this teach me the importance of giving extra attention to those who don’t understand boundaries and rules of camp, ensuring that the class is all on the same page at all times.
To close off the term on a high note, what were 3 highlights from your time at U+?
Carnival Day – from face painting to splash games outdoors, carnival day was definitely the biggest highlight of camp. It was amazing to see the campers enjoy the water and a great change of pace from the normal day. We should do more of these camp-wide activities!
Neurosurgeon Workshop – being from a psychology background, I really enjoyed this workshop. Although the content was very kid-friendly, I still found the information interesting. I also liked when we did the reflex tests as an activity near the end.
Talent Show – The talent show was so cute and it was so heartwarming seeing how supportive the campers were of their fellow camp-mates. Not only that, so many campers cheered the counsellors on when we spontaneously decided to perform What makes you beautiful on the spot. It was such a fun show!
What is some advice/tip that you would offer to future staff?
1. Enforce your authority from day one and all throughout camp
2. Reiterate the rules every monday
3. Get the kids involved in “chores” (ex. A camper loved to yell so I put that into good use and often asked her to yell “Everyone clean up and line up for_____!!!!!”)
4. Have backpocket games !!! Super important to keep camp interesting and campers engaged
5. Be patient with the campers, they need some time to adapt to the new environment too (but don’t let them get too comfortable)
6. Take your breaks! Prioritize your health during stressful times like camp
Please nominate someone who deserves the employee of the month award and explain why briefly. You can nominate more than one person.
Christina & Dorothy – for keeping us updated on camp schedules, events, and making sure that we don’t miss a break.
Daphne – for editing amazing recap videos and managing so much videography/photography equipment.
Carson – for driving me home.
