One thing you may not have considered in working with our kids is that a big part of your job actually will be encouraging and developing relationships. Yes, you have been hired to be a professional MATCH MAKER when you come to Summit Camp.
Our kids come to Summit specifically because this is something they are not good at! Summit is the eHarmony of helping kids and teens with social challenges- they submit a profile (its called the participant profile) and the staff work their magic to find those ‘deep and meaningful connections’.
In the beginning of a session, you will review your campers’ participant profiles, and here you will see that many of them have a similar goal: MAKE A FRIEND.
In the same file you will also see a lot of information to “help you help them”. Parents are asked to give a great deal of information about their kids- what are they interested in? what are some great conversation starters? This is much more important information for you than say, their diagnosis! This is USEFUL information for you as a counselor to work with this person. (As you work in this field, learn to keep your eye out for that kind of information.)
There are so many benefits to engaging your campers and creating these peer connections. For one, once your campers enjoy each other’s company it will be FAR less work for you as a counselor. You will be dealing with less behavioral problems and power struggles, because the campers’ attention will be focused on each other. So, take every opportunity you can to be the matchmaker your campers desperately need!
You will also find that there are some kids who are very difficult to find a ‘match’ for. Some kids who really annoy other campers, or whose anxiety is too much to bear, whose energy is too over the top, or who are so very quiet and fall between the cracks. You may think you would not know what to do, or that you will focus on the ones who you can ‘reach’. However I would say when you come across one of these kids you have stumbled upon something really special. A camper who presents you a unique challenge is also the camper who you feel the greatest joy in helping find success, whatever that means. Enlist help! Don’t feel the need to go by the same standards as every other child. It clearly isn’t working for this kid. These kids are the ones we think about for the rest of a lifetime. Whose parents will write you letters and will cry when they meet you, because you cared about their kid that no one else took the time for. Ask any of our former “matchmakers” aka Summit staff and they can tell you for themselves.
VIDEO! Our two most expert ‘matchmakers’, Thea Mullis (Travel Director) and Allie Mack (Travel Counselor), give a run-down on striking up camper conversations.
What are some ways to be a professional matchmaker in your bunk? There are endless small ways to be the third wheel that gets those relationships sparked. Just imagine your bunk is your house and you have invited all these people over that know you but don’t know each other.
-Hold conversation or club groups at rest hour.
-Insert yourself into conversations or start conversations yourself including a couple kids you know have a shared interest.
-Hold activity groups at Horseshoe. Plan a shared game or activity with some of your campers.
-Extend the “getting to know you” activities beyond day one.
-Have an activity before bedtime that includes sharing interests of campers.
-Find team building activities or games that your bunk can do together.
-Include incentive systems for helping each other or sharing tasks.