How to Advocate for Yourself at Camp
New Camper Series
This blog is part of our “First-Time Friday” series for new campers. We’re sharing tips and answers to questions that new families might have, especially if this will be your first summer at camp!
Read the Series
Advocating For Yourself: An Important Life Skill
Camp is a great place to build independence and confidence. It might be your first experience being away from home or your parents for an extended period of time. Like with all new experiences, it can be intimidating to navigate a place on your own for the first time.
There are lots of people at camp ready to help you, but it can be hard to know what you need or want if you don’t let people know. Today’s “new camper” blog is about communicating your goals and questions, speaking up, and advocating for yourself so you can have the best possible experience this summer.
What does it mean to advocate for yourself at camp?
Your Support Network
Everyone at Falling Creek wants to help you succeed. This means helping you to have fun, to choose activities you like, to make friends, to get enough to eat, to feel healthy, to have what you need for trips, and more. With over 140 staff and 312 campers per session, there is a better than 1:3 ratio of staff to campers, ensuring that you will always have someone you can talk to.
There are so many people here to support you at camp, starting with your cabin counselors. Your cabin is your home while at camp, and you’ll have one or two counselors who live in the cabin with you like a big brother or parent figure. If you have questions about camp life, they have the answers. But they’re not the only ones!
Cabins are divided into four different groups by age, known as “Lines.”
- In addition to your cabin counselor, Each Cabin Line has a Line Head and an Assistant Line Head who you can go to with questions or concerns.
- You can also talk to any of your activity counselors.
- If you don’t feel well, the camp medical team is here to help. There are nurses and doctors who live at camp during the summer, so they are always nearby. A counselor will be happy to walk with you if you aren’t sure how to get to the Infirmary.
- Finally, we have a big Director team at Falling Creek who you can go to for anything. These are people who live and work at camp year-round to help manage the operation of camp. They are always happy to talk to you about any concerns or questions you might have. You can read more about the full-time team and what each of their roles are here.
- If you don’t feel comfortable talking in person, you can write a note to put in the “Dear Yates and Marisa Box.” This locked box is under the Dining Hall, where anyone can write their concerns or comments for Yates and Marisa to see privately and follow up.
How Do They Help You?
Even if you don’t have a specific question, there are still a few ways that your support network will check in with you while you’re at camp.
We have regular camper surveys throughout the summer, so you’ll be able to give feedback and suggestions for the best possible camp experience. During these surveys, everyone receives an individual survey form, and the responses are analyzed that week to look for trends and areas that we can act on.
Your Line Head will follow up with you after the survey, and your cabin counselors will also check in with you individually each week. This way they can make sure you are on track with your personal goals, enjoying camp, and can help set you up for success. It’s important to give honest feedback and share your goals in these surveys and check-ins so that counselors and directors can know how to follow up with you.
Speaking Up
Even with all of this support, we can’t know what you’re thinking or feeling unless you speak up. Advocating for yourself and communicating your needs are great life skills, and camp is an encouraging place to practice.
It might be intimidating to speak up if you tend to be a more shy or reserved person. It’s a great idea to practice some possible camp scenarios at home. You can anticipate problems, problem solve, and talk through situations with your parents so you know how to say what you need when you get to camp.
Practicing at Home
Here are some situations you could roleplay at home:
- “I want to go on a trip but I don’t know how to sign up.”
Tell your cabin counselor about your interests and goals in activities and trips. They can check in with you during the summer to make sure you’re aware of trips going out, qualified for the trip you are interested in, and show you where to sign up. Listen well during post-meal announcements to find out when/where specific trips are heading. This blog post goes into more detail on the trip signup process. You can also tell the counselor that teaches the activity you’re interested in, since they will help explain the next steps you can do to be ready for the trip.
- “I don’t like my activities.”
The best part about having free choice at camp is that you get to pick what you want to do every day. You’ll choose 6 activities to make up your daily schedule, but you aren’t stuck with those 6 for the whole session. If you find there is an activity that isn’t your favorite, just let your counselor know and they can show you how to change your schedule. During the Free Choice period before dinner, there will be counselors outside the Program Office under the Dining Hall who can tell you what activities have room and will help you change your schedule. Like we mentioned above, you can also sign up for trips off-property in the mornings!
- “I’m not getting along with someone at camp.”
Just like with siblings back home, sometimes living in close quarters with other boys can cause small disagreements to arise. The best thing is to talk with the person directly, since it is most likely just a misunderstanding or miscommunication causing the clash. If you need more support, talk to your cabin counselor so they can give you advice and act as a mediator to help the two of you solve the issue. You can also come to any of the people in your “support network” mentioned at the beginning, and they can help you reach a solution.
- “I can’t find my …?”
If you’ve misplaced something at camp, let your counselors know so they can help you look for the item either around camp or in the cabin. If you don’t find it in the cabin, another good place to look is on the side porch of the Dining Hall, where we put lost and found items. (Don’t forget to put your full name on everything you bring with you to camp!)
- “I don’t know where to go.”
Camp is a big place, and it can be hard to remember where everything is at first! Luckily everyone is happy to point you in the right direction, or walk with you to a specific building or activity. Even if you aren’t sure where the bathroom is, don’t be afraid to ask someone. Everyone was new once!
- “I have a small sore/rash/bug bite/wound that no one can see. Should I just ignore it?”
The medical team is here to help you, even for something that seems small! If you notice anything like this, be sure to stop by the infirmary during clinic times for the nurses to check it out. Even if it’s just a sore throat or “just a scratch,” we don’t want it to get worse! Clinic times are before the 1st activity period in the morning, and again just after shower time at night. The nurses and doctors at camp are very kind and friendly, and they want to make sure you feel healthy while you’re at camp.
- “We’re halfway through camp and I haven’t done what I wanted to try here yet!”
Don’t wait until camp is nearly over to try something new or go on a trip you’ve been thinking about. Before you come to camp, think about the top two or three things you definitely want to try before you go home. Maybe you’ve never ridden a horse before, you want to climb on real rock, or you want to learn how to sail. Make sure to tell your counselors about these goals during your weekly checkins, and look for ways to complete your goals early. If you pick one or two things to prioritize during your session, you’ll be able to reach your goals easier than if you wait until the last minute and risk trips filling up. Your activity counselors and cabin counselors can help you if they know what your goals are!
Finally, if you have any concerns before the summer, please reach out to us so we can talk through your questions together. We’re looking forward to helping you have the best summer possible!
