Chain of Command
Under the chain of command system, this is the person you should go to if you have a conflict with another counselor or want to flag (non-urgent) a camper’s behavior.
What is your Unit Leader?
This ratio must be followed by all campers and counselors at all times.
What is 3:1 ratio?
Hands wrapped around one’s throat is the universal sign for ____
What is choking?
These are two examples of things you should NOT say or do to comfort a grieving camper
Will accept any of: make promises you can’t keep, push the camper to talk, avoid them out of discomfort, tell them what they should feel/do, tell them you know how they feel, try to find something positive about the loss, etc.
This is a great way to decrease the chance of a red folder
What is having a line leader/line ender? What is having your campers do a count-off before every transition? Or other acceptable answers
Under the chain of command, Unit Leaders report any concerning matters (behavior, counselor conflicts, schedule conflicts,etc.) to these people.
What is admin?
Under this rule, if there are two counselors and one camper, a counselor cannot leave.
What is rule of three?
Hives, shortness of breath, wheezing, and swelling of the lips are all signs of _____
What is an allergic reaction?
These are three examples of things you CAN do to comfort a grieving camper.
Will accept any of: be there for them, be honest with them, encourage the child to elaborate, use active listening, be honest, remind them of their strength, let your genuine concern and caring show, be available, allow them to express whatever they’re feeling, let them know its okay to feel this way, allow them to talk about their loss as much or as little as they want to, encourage them to be patient with themselves, etc.
Having a camper give three put-ups is a good response to this behavioral issue.
What are (non threatening) put downs? / put downs that aren’t identity related
This is the person/staff team you should report issues concerning camper medications/health issues to.
Who are the nurses/admin/CAs?
These are the times where no counselor can take a break
What are pool time and meal time?
This health condition might require the use of an albuterol inhaler.
What is asthma?
These are three examples of how grief can manifest physically in a camper’s behavior as they experience anxiety before/after Roots.
Will accept any of: bed wetting, increased homesickness, irritability, timidness, stomachaches, headaches, anger, lashing out at counselors/other campers, being withdrawn, difficulty sleeping, regression, etc.
These are things you can do when a camper is bored with an activity.
What is give options of other activities within the same area? What is introduce them to other campers who are having a good time participating?
This is the person/staff team you should report issues concerning mental health struggles to
Who are the MHPs/admin/CAs?
This protocol must be followed if a camper goes missing.
What is call a red folder (walkie talkie everyone, look for the camper)?
Holding pressure and maintaining a first layer are appropriate responses to which emergency?
What is significant bleeding?
These are 3 examples of vocabulary + definitions related to cancer that a child with a parent cancer experience might be familiar with
any of: benign, malignant, tumor, stage, grade, CT scan, MRI, PET scan, ultrasound, tumor markers, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapies, first line treatment, second line treatment, etc.
This is a good way to make morning and night transitions easier for the unit.
What is being the first person to start getting ready for the day / for bed? What is set (reasonable) timers for each person to be at the sink/shower?
If you have a serious issue where you are concerned about the safety/wellbeing of a camper or counselor, or have observed a serious violation of camp rules, you should report directly to this team.
Who are admin/CAs?
These three camp rules should be followed by everyone at camp at all times.
What is no physical violence, no mean put downs, no unsupervised activities, and no sticks?
The key aspects of emergency response include ___?
What is 1. Having a plan before camp starts 2. Leader delegates people to walkie admin, walkie to nurses, and distract other campers?
This is an example specific to YOUR unit’s age group [will change depending on who answers the question – elementary/middle school/high school] might understand cancer/death.
Elementary: feel guilty or responsible for the loss/sickness of a loved one, greatly affected by sadness of surviving family, can’t put their feelings into words and instead react through behaviors. Middle school: worry about their own death, have difficulty expressing feelings, react through behaviors such as school phobia, poor school performance, aggression, worry about who will take care of them, experience insecurity, fear of abandonment. High school: may act out in anger, experience a wide range of emotions and not know how to handle them, tension with family, humor as a defense mechanism, explosive reactions.
If you notice a camper struggling with making friends you should ___
What is introduce them to campers you think they might be able to make a connection with? What is talk to them about their interests (you should know them from camper files!)? What is notify other counselors to be extra mindful?