This week I am attending the ACA New England Annual Conference. I’ve been working as a member of the Conference Planning Committee since September, alongside other Camp Directors and camp enthusiasts, to help plan this important event. The Conference is a great mix of fun, collaboration, and education around just about everything related to the camping industry. I look forward to it as the best way to meet new acquaintances, check-in with old friends, and get updated with current trends and best practices.
This year, appropriately, much of the tone amongst the numerous camps gathered is safety. This is admittedly a broad term that covers everything from cuts and bruises to disaster preparedness, with all of it being equally important. Fortunately, the majority of camps, like Brown Ledge, have been proactive in creating Emergency Action Plans, developing multitudes of policies and protocols, and running scenario training with their staff. Yet, we continue to all explore the best ways to share with our families what safety looks like at camp and to ensure them, specifically, that we take their child’s well-being seriously.
At Brown Ledge we’ve decided the best way to do that is to focus on the adults that make up our community. Because while we have well outlined policies, protocols, and plans it’s the people that will enact them that make the difference. It is here that experience matters.
Of our nearly 90 adults at camp, 78% have been on staff for at least one previous summer. We have 8 senior staff members that have been at camp for over a quarter century, four of whom whose time exceeds 40 years. In fact, the average number of years at camp across the entire staff is 8. This is important because they know children, they know the place, they know what to anticipate, they know what works and what doesn’t.
More important, though, than their time at camp, is the age of our staff. We don’t hire anyone under 19, because we know that experience and maturity are key in maintaining a safe and nurturing environment. Being a counselor at Brown Ledge isn’t just a quick summer job. It’s an opportunity to be an educator, to be a leader, to teach and build skills, and to implement a profound and unique educational philosophy. All set in a beautiful, safe, inclusive, and supportive community. Perhaps most impressive, then, is that the average age of our staff is 33. These roles aren’t something just to pad resumes, our staff make summers at BLC a part of their career.
The Brown Ledge Senior Staff are adults, they are educators, they are youth development professionals, they are activity specialists. Their collective experiences, with over 550 combined seasons at BLC, are what keep our campers safe.
Brooks Johnson