Campers In your area

[speedx5xracer]

I was wondering what is every ones policy of campers in their area/on their bed during the summer. I have the policy unless the camper sleeps above me they are not allowed in my area unless its an emergancy and only allowed on my bed unless they need to talk in private. I set these in the begining but by the end i dont care as much about being my area but normally my policy about the bed is concrete i think there are 5 campers i let sit on my bed and thats because they are the last 5 from my original bunk.

[Flukie]

We have a policy that says campers cannot be in the staff tent - they can sit on the edge, or hang out on the steps (if the tent has steps!), but they are not allowed to be completely in the tent. Part of this is because we want the staff to feel that their space is their space and part of this is because we had campers finding out way more than they should have from some staff.

My CITs were allowed to sit on the spare bed in my tent that was right at the entrance, and only in my tent. They were not allowed in other staff tents, and to be in mine, it had to be okay with the other staff member that lived in the unit. (She had no issues with it.) The biggest difference though between our tent and the other staff tents in camp was that ours was floated non-stop. You could see everything. Lol.

[who_stole_my_loofa]

Counselors have to have top bunks by the door in the cabin. We live in the same cabin. Specialists live in their own bunks and campers are not allowed in those cabins.

In my cabin I let my kids get on my bed as long as I'm in the cabin. As for my stuff they know not to touch it.. but I'm sure they do when I'm not there. I do let them use my CDs/stereo though whenever.

[CAMPFRIEND]

I think it depends on the counselor. I know that when I was a counselor, I did not let the campers by my bed unless I was in the cabin. I know most of the time I was in the cabin when the campers were. When I was there all of the kids liked to hang out by my bed to talk or play cards and I was fine with that!

[rockinsmiles]

The way our cabins are set up there is a counselor "room" with beds and dressers for 2 counselors. The other counselor must sleep upstairs (the privilage there is you get your own sink and if there is less than 17 campers or the whole cabin the whole upstairs for yourself). When we are going over rules with the campers we ask that they dont get on our beds or touch our stuff. This rule also applies to the campers...like if a camper doesn't want other campers on their beds ppl must respect that. We also ask that the campers use the bathroom area to get from one side of the cabin to the other instead of the counselor's room. Of course there are plenty of times we get the campers together in the counselor's room for things like vespers, hanging out, and just fun cabin stuff.

[KiwiCRB]

Most of the time the counselor's have their own cabin/tent and it up to them whether or not they want campers in there. I usually don't have a problem with it as long as i'm there. I've had a lot of good conversations with campers just sitting around in my cabin.

[code3cadet]

If the kid askes me to site on my bed they can we play games a watch move on my bed all the time. I look eveything up.

[Skater Bubbles]

In my cabin I don't allow my girls to sit on my bed becuase I bring up my own air matress, and they think it's fun to run and jump on it, but I don't want them to do that because I am afraid they'll pop it. So I don't let them touch my bed or any of my stuff unless they ask. I have an inflatable chair I let them sit in if they ask first. With everything besides my bed I have an ask first policy.

[Skater Bubbles]

Hey Rockinsmiles, what are Vespers?

[camper]

as long as i'm in the bunk, i don't care if the kids sit on my bed. at night when i'm in, my bed seems like the place to be for everyone to sit and talk, lol. as long as they don't have shoes on it i really don't care. if i'm not there, i really don't want them to be on my bed, but i know they do sit on it. i'm not really strict about it though, b/c the girls tend to be pretty good.

[rockinsmiles]

Hey Rockinsmiles, what are Vespers?

Hmmm I'm not sure the best way to explain them but I'll try. Vespers are normally always done at night (one time we did them right before our rest period) and are a way (I think) to calm the campers down and help them connect as a group. We sometimes do them as a group (boys and girls), sometimes just one gender of a group, and other times as a cabin. We try to make a circle when doing vespers (though if we are doing them in the cabin that is hard to pull off) and will go around the circle with the subject giving each person a time to share. A typical vesper to do is high and lows. If it is the first or second night goals or fears are also good to do. If we are doing a vesper in the cabin we might have the girls bring an iteam that is special to them and share the reason why it is. I remember one vesper where our group walked in the dark down to the ball feild and shared a peaceful place of ours. And another time we shared our ideas on quotes ("an eye for an eye and the whole world would be blind"). I think my favorite vesper was my last year as a camper. There were only 6 of us girls and we did this whole "female enpowerment" thing :laugh3: No no we didn't do any of that "guys are bad" thing but more stuff on how we hold ourselves back. And this thing with rosie the revitor which was probably what made it so good. When ever one of us girls seemed ready to give up we would say "rosie" it drove the guys nuts cuz they had no idea what we were talking about and connected us.

Ok sorry that was long but i just love vespers! Other camps might have a different way of doing them but thats how ours work.

[KiwiCRB]

I like that idea a whole lot.... i'll keep it in mind for next summer. I had a few groups last summer who probably would have benefited a lot from something like that.

[who_stole_my_loofa]

I was always under the impression that vespers included religious prayer?

[CAMPFRIEND]

I think that it depends on the camp Loofa!

[Indigo]

We have separate staff tents, or a staff room if we're in a lodge. It varies with each group, some staff will invite the campers into their tents at times, let them sit on their beds, etc. (usually just for homesickness, problems, etc.) Most times, though, the staff area is sacred. On one of the last nights for my 4-week campers, the AWITs (advanced wranglers in training), they had mentioned that they had some things they wanted to talk about, so I told the regular WITs to go take their showers and study for their test, and invited the AWITs to come in and talk. They sat on my bed and the extra bed, and it made them feel really special. Not something I'd want to have all the time, but it was a nice treat for them.

[collissimon]

Counsellors share a cabin with the campers, so our things are all on display.

The campers know not to go into our cubbies, and usually when we are setting up, we usually choose the ones that are a little more discrete, or move them so they're not so obviously on display.

As for beds, usually in our bunks it's up to the individual counsellors. The main thing is that the kids ask before they go on, and personally I will ask before I go on one of their beds. I don't mind them sitting on my bed, as long as their shoes are off, and they aren't jumping up and down on it! My co-counsellor, however wanted that as his space, and though it was OK for me to sit there to read the story, he didn't want the kids on it. It was fine with the kids though, it wasn't an issue!

[Melk]

Most of the time my campers were siting on the floor when we were in the cabin but with me and most of the other staff I worked with, it was a general rule that you had to ask to sit on anyones bed. This summer I was away from my girls a lot because I was at the waterfront all the time so when I was with the girls it was nice to have them come and visit so I could get to know them better.

[campCardinal]

We have a respect rule in our cabin and part of that is asking before sitting on someone elses bed. This goes for everyone. Campers must ask eachother, counselors must ask campers and so on. It works out well. If a camper asks to sit on my bed I'll usually let them. However, usually my bed is covered in stuff- I throw things on it all day, binders, books, whistles, brushes, everything! So, it's sometimes hard for people to fit on with the other stuff.

Something that really irks me is when kids go through my stuff. It's not like I have nice stuff with me, or I'm hiding things from my kids. It's just that some of my stuff I don't want it to get all over (sun screen and bugspray), or I might have things organized a specific way. For the most part I don't have a problem, but a few kids will always be picking up my things.

Does anyone else who has bunk beds find the person who has the top bunk's stuff falls a lot. I can't tell you how many mornings I've woken up with a campers stuffed animal, book, clothes or something else random in my bed.

[camper]

at my camp most of the time the kids and counselors ask anyway before sitting on beds...but everyone pretty much just is all over everyone else's beds anyway so it doesn't really matter!

[KiwiCRB]

When we stay in units with bunk beds counselors pretty much just claim the whole thing for themselves. It always works out because even a full unit wouldn't use all the bunk beds we have in these areas.

[drink the wild air]

I don't really have a personal space issue so my kids (ok not really cause they were like 15) allowed to be on my bed. And ya know that kids are going to go through your stuff probably whether through sneaking around or for a camp game etc. So any personal stuff I left in my car or in the staff lounge.

One night I was out at staff snack (our time off at night) and as I walked up to my cabin with no flashlight around 12 I could hear slight whispering. So I come in the door and they are quiet and I noticed that my bed was a bit lumpy. Sure enough two of my girls were underneath my covers thinking for some reason that I would never notice two teenage girls trying to hide in my bed. Needless to say they were not very sneaky but we all got a real good laugh out of it.

But its definitely up to the counselors preferences. And it should really go the same way too with the campers. Making sure you know peoples feelings about personal space before you go sitting on beds, touching their things, playing with their hair---who knows? its camp. However at the same time most camp people know that privacy is a luxury and not always something to be expecting.

[AshleyJane]

We have a separeate building where the staff sleep, one counsellor sleep in each cabin at night, bu they just crash on the floor or in an empty bunk. The kids are not allowed in the counsellor's quarter's ever.

[collissimon]

I don't think I'd like sleeping on the floor! Do you have to a lot?

[runrachrunn]

I haven't worked at rez camp yet, so I'm not quite sure How i'm going to tackle the issue of "personal space". I am definetly planning to take a lockbox (tacklebox) so that I can lock up my wallet, keys, etc, etc.

I am pretty ok with people sharing my space, so long as they don't invade it. I have a feeling that this is going to happen, particularly because I'm going to be with the little kids (most likely).

R

[collissimon]

Hey rach,

Does your camp offer a place to put your 'precious things'? I keep my passport, money et al. in an envelope in a locked safe.

I think the key with the little kids is to set the standard from the beginning and stick to it. I ask them to ask me to whether they can go on my bed, and I usually say yes, unless I have a good reason. At the same time though, I ask them whether I can sit on their bed too, which I think helps remind them to not go on my bed willy-nilly!

[runrachrunn]

Simon, good question about the safe. I don't know. Although, I wouldn't be concerned about keeping my stuff in a lockbox if only I had the combination to the lock.

I'm a pretty trusting person. I keep my wallet in the car all the time.

[KiwiCRB]

We all keep our stuff like that either in the staff lounge or the office. If you have a car at camp you HAVE to give the directors the key to keep in a special place in the office in case of emergencies. Last year about the middle of summer we had to start keeping our cell phones in the office unless we were on break because staff members were taking them into the units which is a HUGE no no at our camp. Basically if the campers can't have something we can't have it in front of them.

[runrachrunn]

[QUOTE=KiwiCRB]We all keep our stuff like that either in the staff lounge or the office. If you have a car at camp you HAVE to give the directors the key to keep in a special place in the office in case of emergencies. QUOTE]

I have a major issue with handing over my car keys - for one thing, what type of emergency would require the director to move your car? Also, I don't trust people with my car, nor with my keys. Considering I pay my own insurance, I refuse to pay to insure anyone else to drive my car.

If camp asks me for my keys, I will put up a major fight.

[Melk]

Last year about the middle of summer we had to start keeping our cell phones in the office unless we were on break because staff members were taking them into the units which is a HUGE no no at our camp. Basically if the campers can't have something we can't have it in front of them.
Our staff is pretty good about keeping their cell phones out of sight. we do have one or two people who dont get the picture. I only have my cell visible to campers when we have big stoms just in case the power goes out or when we are at outpost (camp out) so we can make it to breakfast on time.

[KiwiCRB]

They've never actually had to drive someone's car it's just one of the just in case things. And they're locked up in the office with your name on them so they aren't just readily accesible to anyone. The kind of emergency that would require it would be something like a big fire that would require getting all the campers off the property quickly. We don't have buses so staff cars would be the only way. It really isn't a big deal the way it is handled.

[collissimon]

I had my US cell phone in the bunk last year, and it wasn't a problem. I kept it hidden, and we don't get any signal anyway! I suppose it would be more of an issue with the older campers, who probably have their own mobiles, and would want to bring them to camp.

[Sparkes]

We were allowed to have out cells on us during pre-camp, until one of the staff was seen walking around the camp with it glued to her ear at all times, even when she was supposed to be working (there were other issues to - needless to say, she didn't work out), but by and large, cell phones stay out of sight.

I, and other internationals, keep our passports and visa info locked up in the camp safe as well. It's not a matter of trust, its just if something were to ever happen to my passport it could be disasterous (I do want to return to Canada and all).

As for my bed area, I'm rather adament about it being mine. Now, if we're all hanging out in the bunk, thats fine, but my girls have to ask me first before they can go on my bed/borrow my stuff. Being that there is no privacy at all, ever, at camp, my bed area has to be mine, otherwise I'd go insane.

[Flukie]

We also turn in a set of keys to all our cars at the beginning of the summer. We have to move our cars out of the main lot for In and Out days. They get parked on the fire road. Without fail, the first car in is always the staff in the furthest unit that has no keys on her currently and it needs to be moved ASAP for safety. On a few occasions cars have been moved for that. Also, we like keys so if people are OFF camp for any reason and we have to move things, we can. Otherwise, no one would ever be driving someone else's car without permission.

We also have camp safe for staff to keep valuables like passports in. In addition, we have lockers that staff can bring locks for and keep things in.

[Thumbelina1988]

I probably won't mind campers on my bed, but I'd prefer if they asked me first.

One thing I hate and happens so much while I'm babysitting is when the kids riffle through my bag. I hate it when they discover my chewing gum and want some. (Sorry I'm a chewing gum addict.A few pieces gone is something.) I also hate it when they discover my expensive makeup and want to use it. (No.No.No.)

[laurathistle]

It is worse when they find Tampons and want to play space rockets with them........

[collissimon]

I have no problem with kids on my bed, but am pretty insistent that they ask me first, so I can get anything off the bed (as I use it as a dumping ground during the day!) and make sure it's made. I've never had to ask them not to go into my cubby though... maybe that's because they're younger kids, and are more interested in their toys rather than my boring books/CDs!

[happy_camper]

Our counselors have a separate cabin and campers do NOT come in. Likewise, we do NOT go in camber cabins unless there is a problem or they want us in there. If there is someone else in our cabin, my bed is MY space. I'm kind of OCD about it. No shoes on the bed, and preferably no other people except me (please do not interpret that the wrong way :) ). My bed is the ONE clean thing at camp, and after a long day I crash. It's like my security blanket. :) I'm usually in a cabin with a certain 2 or 3 counselors who are basically like my sisters, so i don't have a problem with them on my bed.

Sorry that's so long..

:)

[collissimon]

Wow! Your own space at camp! That would be nice!

I think because I'm a guy, and my camp is 2/3 boys, I'm always put in a cabin with the kids rather than a staff trailer, but they're usually tidier than the trailers!

[Belay06]

I don't think there is an all camp rule about the campers in your area, but each counselor usually has there own set rules. I don't care if campers sit on my bed as long as they're not disgusting with dirt and grime and as long as I am in the cabin with them. I ask them not to touch my stuff because there shouldn't be a reason why they should ever have to. I usually bring my iPod and iHome (brave, I know) and if i'm in the cabin they are more than welcome to pick some songs for the cabin to listen to.
I worked with a counselor though that had a strict policy about campers on their bed. They could sit on her trunk in front of her bed but they were not to be on her bed at any point even if she was on it. They girls did a really good job respecting that.

[tigerfan]

I don't mind if campers get on my bed as long as they don't have shoes on and ask first. As far as my stuff, they know to ask if they need anything that I have. I'm more than happy to get it for them, I just don't want them digging through my stuff to find it...mostly because it bothers me when my things get un-organized and I can't find anything.

[runrachrunn]

I was staff in the youngest girls' cabin last summer, so they don't quite understand the concept of personal space and boundaries. When I had the top bunk in the corner of the cabin, it was good - no one came near my bed. 2nd month, I moved to the middle bed (a single) and the kids seemed to gravitate to it. I had no problems with it, but we constantly had to remind the girls to ask first before they flopped on the bed.