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Under the influence: respect, responsibility, and the conduct of camp counselors.

Article Excerpt
Among the many challenges camp directors face at staff training time is effectively addressing the personal conduct of those charged with caring for the campers--a task made increasingly difficult by high rates of underage drinking, other drug use, and early intimate sexual behavior among high school and college students. Tackling this challenge strictly from a command-and-control, behavior "management" perspective bypasses important opportunities to both protect children and teach valuable, lifelong lessons to new generations of leaders and role models.

Chief among those lessons is that the campers are under their influence at camp ... and throughout the year.

Communication with Counselors

Too often, dialogue between administrators and staff is one way, highlighting policies, procedures, and disciplinary steps rather than the finely textured reasons for them in the first place.

Replacing ultimatums with informed discussion helps build important connections between rules and rationale, addressing expectations for personal conduct based on the principles of respect and responsibility. And those reinforce the incredibly powerful role that counselors play in influencing the choices of youth.

This approach works best as part of an overall strategy that encourages safe, healthy, and legal decision-making by staff members. Anything less leaves camps susceptible to the modeling of inappropriate and unacceptable behavior, examples that easily transcend time and place, indelibly marking young minds already struggling to reconcile many competing messages about personal conduct and responsibility.

Respect for Community

A critical component of any well-functioning summer camp is respect: respect for oneself, respect for others, and respect for the community. Bundled...

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