Location: Taylor 1&2
Our opening keynote speaker is Dave Boyle.
Like so many before him Dave’s first summer at camp put his whole career on a new trajectory. After a brief tenure as a Policy Officer for the Scottish Minister of Education, Dave decided that he wanted to work in a role that had a more direct impact on those he was serving. Eventually moving to the US to pursue work with a direct impact on youth. Working at several camps and youth focused organizations before moving to Florida. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Camp Cristina, a regional day camp. Dave’s none traditional career path to summer camp director has given him unique insights into program culture and staff development, the importance of a trauma informed approach to childcare and youth development and has become a strong advocate for a better understanding of our camper and staffs mental health needs.
Opening Keynote: Rethinking staff recruitment, engagement and retention: A mental health centered approach.
As we emerge from the pandemic one of Camping’s most common and reoccurring concerns has been the “availability” and “quality” of summer staff, with camps having to reduce enrollment, as they are unable to fill their payrolls. In his Keynote Dave will argue that this may not be a staffing issue but a more universal problem with the way camp staff (both year round and seasonal) identify with their roles at camp and how this conflicts with the way that they have learned to navigate the world. Dave will identify a new way to talk about our camp programs that transforms how staff view their relationship with campers and each other.
"When our staff stop seeing themselves as ‘babysitters’ and start identifying with the deep and lasting impact they are having on youth mental health you will see a profound shift in who applies for work, who stays through the summer, and who comes back year after year."