Burn a hole in their camp memory
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It’s all about kids today
Two weeks ago, the great Dan Weir (Read his camp newsletter!) and I were in Raleigh training the camp directors at YMCA of the Triangle. Awesome group who all love camp.
About 200 camp pros were in the room, in the middle of February, still months away from summer. But you bet we were trying to create the kinds of moments these staff would need to create all summer long.
One main idea here was fairly simple: "Moments make memories, memories build confidence."
So we ran some activities.
Oh a Milkshake → Super loud repeat after me song. I might be getting too old for this… um never.
Beast Master → Simple game I learned in 2012 from Colin at Camp Scully, but ends with a moo-off. Yes, a moo-off
The point wasn’t to break any new activity ground here, but was more a reminder that our energy matters. Just smile a lot, because kids like it. You get to pick if this job is fun or not.
Also, the point was to have silly + memorable moments so they'd know what moments feel like. Even in February. Even in a conference room in Raleigh.
When staff rock memorable moments in training, they start “seeing” what they're trying to create all summer. And then they get a little closer to understanding what kids will take away from a summer at camp.
Staff Training Sprint Cohort - Interested in more details?
Yes! I want to level up my staff training this year
No. Staff training isn't for me
Staff training that sticks
When we’re working on getting a bunch of teens and early-20s staff up to camp speed before the summer, it’s super easy to default to policies, procedures, what not to do.
What if most of staff training was about creating magical moments so they knew exactly what it looked and felt like? It’s impossible to teach moment-creation in a PowerPoint or slide deck.
Create moments for staff first, and there’s a good chance they’ll get what they’re supposed to do for the kids
This narrative superpower (yes, it’s a camp superpower) comes straight from Made to Stick. We don’t remember experiences in a straight line. We remember peak emotional moments and endings. Peak-end theory.
So staff need to learn how to intentionally create and amplify these peaks.
And then you amplify it even more when staff know to narrate the moment.
Simply saying to everyone, “Yo, this is the kind of moment we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives” actually increases the likelihood it does just that.
Sometimes we all need someone to remind us “this is special.” Without narration, it might be another sunrise or another hike or another activity. With narration, it burns into memory.
The cheap versions work
You don’t need BMX bikers or dinosaurs eating cars (Remember this one?) to do this. The free versions work just as well.
At K&E, Adventure Dave and Lynne do pancakes on the beach at sunrise. They wake kids up early. They cook on the sand. Dave narrates it: “How many people get to do this?”
I know camps that do trampolines under the stars. Or Kitchen raids where you sneak into the dining hall to steal a cake. Or hiking to a mountain top at sunrise.
There are hundreds of these just basically laying around every camp, waiting for a little intentionality.
What makes these work isn’t the activity itself. It’s the narration + maybe some slight rule-bending feeling + the surprise.
Staff who understand this can turn ordinary moments into peak moments.
Spring training for July memories
Look, we’re not going to create endless timeless peak-end moments in a conference room in Raleigh in February. That’s not the point.
But doing something whacky, out of the box, weird, energetic (yes, your energy matters) is a precursor for a summer that can be all kinds of different moments. Because that’s what camp is.
Staff who’ve felt one peak moment know how to create a hundred more.
You got this,
Jack
🎤 CAMP IDOL - Tuesday Night of Tri-State
Presented by CampMinder
Camp Idol is a live-band karaoke competition and camp social for camp professionals. Camp pros take the stage with a professional backing band, competing for prizes - including a $500 grand prize - while the rest of the room hangs out, bowls, plays bar games, and cheers them on.
The night also features a 50/50 raffle benefiting SCOPE, supporting access to camp for more kids.
👉 RSVP for drink specials & info: HERE
🎶 Want to perform? Apply here - performer applications close February 17: PERFORMER APPLICATION LINK
🪩 CAMPCHELLA - Wednesday Night of Tri-State
Presented by IENA
Campchella takes over Kiss Kiss Night Club for a late-night camp pro dance party. Think camp songs in a club setting, a packed dance floor, and a room full of camp people letting loose — the way only camp people can.
👉 RSVP for drink specials & Info: RSVP
Both events are free to attend, open to camp professionals 21+, and produced by The Summer Camp Society.
Can’t wait to see you there - on the dance floor, in the crowd, or on stage 🎶
See you at Tri-State!
Get my newsletter every week.
It’s all about kids today
Jack Schott
Summer Camp Evangelist