Camp health is not bound by the four walls of the health center. Nor is safety bound by a list of rules at any given camp activity. Today’s camp professional realizes that all camp staff contribute to and have responsibility for a camp’s health and safety profile; indeed, the camp experience can be considerably healthier when camp staff act sensibly (American Camp Association, 2011; Garst, Erceg, Baird, & Thompson, 2010; Garst, Erceg, & Walton, in press; Papageorgiou, Marvomatis, & Kasta, 2006). Granted, some staff have direct responsibility to care for campers. Their ability to handle that responsibility, to maintain — if not improve — the camper’s health, is critical. But all staff share the concept of safety and all contribute to camper wellness. Indeed, by virtue of being a camp staff member, there’s a legal duty to act in a way that promotes camper health and safety. In addition, staff — because they are employees — have a responsibility to maintain their own health so they remain capable of doing the job for which they were hired. Yet, this message is often not communicated clearly to staff. Nor are camp practices set up to value and/or evaluate this dimension of staff performance. So, how might training be provided, how does coaching support the process, and how might the camp’s administration improve the capabilities of staff in the areas of safety and health? More importantly, how might one get camp staff to take responsibility for their own health and the safety practices that impact the health of campers? And how does one get these messages to stick? Communicating the Staff Role in Health and Safety The message to staff about health and safety starts well before their arrival at camp. It begins with staff recruitment and continues throughout the application process. Recruitment information on camp Web sites, position announcements, and other recruiting elements should provide early evidence of the camp’s commitment to health and safety, specifically in relation to staff behavior. Job descriptions must include expectations related to health and safety. Interview questions should probe an applicant’s ability to maintain their health in the fast-paced, changing environment known as camp. Questions should also address an applicant’s ability to effectively respond to the health and safety needs of others (e.g., campers) as well as meet the expectations of both camp supervisors and camper parents. Often the hiring process focuses on a person’s ability to do a specific job or lead a particular activity without assessing the applicant’s values associated with health and safety. Applicants also need a clear, straightforward expression of the camp’s values around these concepts starting with their initial experiences as a prospective camp staff member. This valuing then gets converted to communicating explicit messages about the staff health and safety role. While health center staff provide care when health problems arise, it’s the day-to-day attention by other staff members that really makes a difference. Staff who live with campers and/or direct their activities are often the first to see signs of emerging problems. Maybe it’s a child who continuously scratches her head, the boy who uses his inhaler a lot during the day, or a child who just isn’t eating during meals. Sta f f who prov ide ser v ices — maintenance, mail, housekeeping, food service — see campers intermittently. They might notice changes in a child’s demeanor or note something about the camp program that is challenging. From loose boards on a stairway to noting who doesn’t routinely get mail to cajoling a child to try new foods, service staff are in a unique position to catch signs that may slip through the proverbial cracks. The message to staff about health and safety starts well before their arrival at camp.
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