DrThurber
Camp Psychologist
/ Moderator
Nov 10, 2006, 7:29 AM
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Do Ask, Do Tell — Summer Camp Directors’ Internet Questions for Staff
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Christopher A. Thurber, PhD, ABPP
If it hasn’t actually happened to you, then you’ve at least had the nightmare.
There you are, in front of your computer, late at night. You Google your camp’s name, just as many of your campers and their families will do. Instead of your professionally designed site leading the list of top hits, your search reveals a seamy litany of FaceBook and MySpace pages, replete with unauthorized photos of campers in their pajamas, cliquish chat rooms designed to cyberbully unpopular kids, and—of course—your star unit leader doing a sloppy keg stand while wearing—you guessed it—your camp’s trademarked sweatshirt. As you stare helplessly into this sea of appalling publicity, you can almost hear your college-age counselors wryly noting that you never said anything in the interview or on their contract about what they could or couldn’t post online. You plead, “But what were you thinking?” Cue the wide-eyed blank stare.
Suddenly, you’re awake; relieved it was only a dream. Doubly relieved it’s only November and you still have time to retool your interview protocol and rewrite the staff contracts.
Here’s what to do:
DO ASK. When re-interviewing returning staff or interviewing prospective new staff: - Emphasize that the Internet is public space. Sure, it’s prudent to restrict access to lurid content, but the truly professional thing to do is remove it. Yes, even from the so-called “password-protected” or “restricted” areas of your site. It’s all accessible by someone.
- Emphasize that the Internet is public space. (Yes, even in this article.) Your emphasis is especially important for a group of young adults whose frontal lobes are still developing. (Did I mention that the frontal lobes of the brain are involved in judgment and impulse control?)
- Remind them that they are being hired as youth development professionals. Their behavior—both online and offline—shapes the reputation of the camp.
- Ask, “What is your current online presence?” and “Describe the content you’ve posted in your lifetime.” Tell them that next week, along with checking their three references and performing any required criminal background check, you’ll be Googling their name and visiting their web pages.
- Suggest that in the coming week they review all content—photos, blogs, links—for wholesomeness, keeping in mind that campers, their parents, and future employers could potentially view that content.
- Explain the details of the camp’s policy regarding contact—both online and offline—with campers in the off season. Quiz them on the key points to be sure they understand it and are willing to comply.
DO TELL. When mailing contracts and providing staff training: - Include a copy of your Internet Use Policy to read, sign, and return along with the staff contract. Include another copy in everyone’s staff training manual and post one on the wall of the staff lounge for reference.
- Conduct a workshop during staff training week where you review the rationale for your camp’s Internet Use Policy and likely violations. Discuss case studies that involve inappropriate content postings or inappropriate camper-counselor contact.
- Repeat the mantra that only by working together can the camp’s staff intentionally create healthy online and offline communities. Ask for feedback on the camp’s policies and procedures.
- Reinforce the notion that the Internet is public space and that behavior is behavior. Staff behavior should always set a sterling model for campers to follow before, during, and after the camp season.
Why ask and why tell? First of all, without informing new and returning staff about this season’s policies, you’ll have no fair grounds for dismissing them for violations. Second, without explicit training on your policy, you’ll have no good reason to expect compliance. And third, without reinforcing the importance of leadership by example, your staff may continue believing that what they do online doesn’t matter. The Internet may represent a new social venue, but there is nothing new about the social values that camp directors have always wanted staff to embrace.
To view a sample Internet Use Policy, case studies for staff training, and other Internet use training materials, visit Chris’s new website, www.CampSpirit.com, designed by the team at MySummerCamps.com. Go to www.CampSpirit.com > Camp Directors > Purchase Handouts. All proceeds from handout sales go to camper scholarships that help send low income children to camp.
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Dr. Christopher Thurber is a board-certified clinical psychologist on the faculty at Phillips Exeter Academy. His premium library of online video staff training modules, entitled Leadership Essentials, will debut in January, 2008. Chris also produced The Secret Ingredients of Summer Camp Success, a DVD-CD set that lowers the intensity of first-year campers' homesickness by half, and co-authored the best-selling Summer Camp Handbook, Chris can be reached at: chris@campspirit.com.
(This post was edited by DrThurber on Nov 13, 2006, 11:35 AM)
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