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Camps Kenwood & Evergreen Staff Orientation is an
intensive 8-day experience. Our new and veteran Staff focus on a
variety of topics in in-depth seminars, discussions and role-plays
to help them acquire the knowledge and experience to handle the
many challenges that may arise during the summer.
This includes many topics that are addressed repeatedly throughout the
8-day period, including:
Specialist Week Junior Counselor Weekend
Off-Season Administrative Educational Development
* Emergency Plans and Procedures - prepare for the unexpected!
Leadership Training
* Red Cross Certification - First aid and CPR training
* Coaching Techniques
* Homesickness
* "How To Spot A Bully" - Best Practices for Eliminating Teasing
* Monitoring Your Camper's Health - Spotting Small Issues Before They Become Larger Ones
* A Parent Forum - Parents Addressing Staff about their Thoughts Regarding the Summer
* "Hypothetical" situation discussions - Role-playing through Typical Camp Scenarios
* Emotional, Sexual, and Physical Abuse Prevention
* Child Development Fundamentals
* Child Learning Styles
* Helping New Campers Integrate into the Camp Environment
All Kenwood & Evergreen unit leaders participate in a week-long
pre-Camp management seminar. Our unit leaders spend this week
learning high-level organizational 
and management theory, and
other techniques to help them optimally supervise their staff
and campers. This week of deep discussion and learning helps
our unit leaders foster an atmosphere of professionalism and
accountability in each of our age groups.
Simultaneous to our Leadership Training is our Specialist Week.
Mandatory for all coaches, instructors, lifeguards and
activity-area staff, we use this time to make sure each of our
Specialist Staff understands our goal for each activity period:
real skill building in a supportive environment that encourages
healthy risk taking.
Our newest staff members-our Junior Counselors- spend an action-packed
weekend at Camp during the month of April. This pre-Orientation is designed
especially for them, and like Staff Orientation, focuses on a variety
of topics in in-depth seminars, discussions and role-plays. This intensive
weekend workshop helps these essential staff members-who are already immersed
in Camp tradition and culture-make a smooth transition to their new counselor
roles.
Our administrative team participates in a number of national
camping and child development conferences throughout the year,
as attendees and as conference speakers. Owner/Director
Scott Brody is the Professional Development Chair for the NY
section of the American Camp Association, and is the former
Program Chair for the largest camp industry conference in the
world. Assistant Director Jason Sebell is a frequent speaker
at both American Camp Association and Association of Independent
Camps conferences. Other conferences regularly attended by our
administrative team include the American Camp Association
National Conference, the ACA-NY Child Development Conference,
and the ACA New England Professional Camping Seminar.