Keep Showing Up (Cabin and Activity Leader Version)

  

VERSION 2

Here is a little fable of some Camp folks I have known. They were often leaders who have been around for at least a dozen years or more in Camp Director roles.

A Camp Folk Fable

In a time long before the pandemic I had switched to a new camp and was attending my first Camp of America Organization (CAO - not an actual organization, but you get my drift) meeting with the local CAO folks.

I was new to the area and new to the group as I had been in a different part of the country with a different group of CAO folks.

I met a Camp Director, who we will call, "Jim."

Jim had been at their camp as the Executive Camp Director for 15 years and was one of the first new folks I met as we both drove up and parked at the same time. I was grateful for having a person to meet prior to walking into the building.

Jim's camp was about two hours away and they seemed friendly and welcoming. I had a great meeting and Jim introduced me to several folks including the person who did the CAO Standards visit assignments. We departed that day and I felt like I would fit into this group of leaders.

As luck would have it, Jim's camp was up for a visitation that summer and I was assigned to be one of the visitors. We scheduled the visit and on the day of I drove down early and had a great visit with Jim, theirstaff team, and getting the low down on the camp and program. 

I was accostumed to doing visits for the prior decade (or more) in my previous capacity as a visitor (not my first rodeo, as they say). I asked Jim and several of their staff team who were present to make sure and write down the dates for that fall's OCA get together. 

Jim answered with, "I don't really go to many of those anymore. I have been doing this for over 20-years and I have learned all that they have shared."

I asked Jim if any of their staff and Jim responded, 'I can teach them everything I know, so they don't need to attend."

This is not me, just an astonished looking face.

It was an astonishing set of statements. For the next few years, I would always take the time to call and message Jim whenever there was a gathering of camp folks to make sure that I invited them.

I spoke to Jim on several occasions and was always doing my best to include them and make them feel welcome to attend. I always invited and hoped that they would attend with their staff team.

It never happened!

Also, not me. Just a sad and slightly annoyed look.

When I consider my lesson from Jim, I think about "showing up."

I posted about this a few summers ago on my BLOG titled: Mid Summer Praise Staff Suggestions.

After re-reading that and writing my fable today, I had some thoughts to share.

Perhaps, your leaders are like Jim. Or perhaps they are just overcome with the responsibility of it all.

I'd like you to consider the following:

Keep Showing Up: Leadership for Those Who Lead Camps and Kids

Keep showing up when the coffee hasn’t kicked in and your to-do list is already five deep. Show up with open eyes and a full heart, knowing the impact of your quiet consistency is louder than any speech. Camp doesn’t run on charisma—it runs on commitment, the kind that isn’t Instagrammable but is irreplaceable.

Keep showing up when the staff meeting goes off the rails, the schedule changes again, and one more camper forgets their lunch—or their medication—or their whole sense of self. Leadership is not about control; it’s about calm. Showing up grounded helps others find their footing, too.

Keep showing up with curiosity, not just competence. Ask the questions that matter—“How are you really doing?” “What do you need right now?” “What are we learning together?” Your willingness to be human, to be a student even as you lead, models the kind of servant leadership that folks actually trust and need.

Keep showing up for the tough conversations, the awkward feedback, the tension between what’s easy and what’s right. Camp servant leadership is not about being liked. It’s about being brave enough to tell the truth with love—and to invite others to do the same. That’s how trust is built.

Keep showing up when you're tired of being the one who always notices, always plans, always cleans up. Your consistency is forming a servant leadership legacy in the eyes of young people who are watching more than they’re listening. They may never say it out loud—but you’re becoming part of their servant leadership DNA.

Keep showing up not just for the mission but for the people. The shy camper. The frustrated cabin or activity leader. The rookie director. Each one needs someone who won’t give up on them. You are that someone. And every time you return, you reinforce a culture of belonging.

Keep showing up with your flaws and your faith, with your messiness and your magic. Youth development isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence. It’s about being real in a world full of filters. Your authenticity is the mirror they need.

Keep showing up even when the season ends, the tents come down, and the goodbye tears flow. Leadership is less about the title and more about the ripple. You planted seeds. You lit sparks. And long after campfire embers fade, your showing up will echo in their lives.

Keep showing up because servant leadership isn’t glamorous, but it’s holy work. It demands everything and rewards in moments—a grateful glance, a quiet breakthrough, a camper who comes back as leader. That’s how you know it’s working.

Keep showing up because in the end, that’s what leadership is: not a grand gesture, but a daily choice. To love. To guide. To grow. And to believe—especially when no one else does—that every kid, every leader, and staff member, every moment matters.

Keep Showing Up (Leaders Gotta Lead Version)

 

Here is a little fable of some Camp folks I have known. They were often leaders who have been around for at least a dozen years or more in Camp Director roles.

A Camp Folk Fable

In a time long before the pandemic I had switched to a new camp and was attending my first Camp of America Organization (CAO - not an actual organization, but you get my drift) meeting with the local CAO folks.

I was new to the area and new to the group as I had been in a different part of the country with a different group of CAO folks.

I met a Camp Director, who we will call, "Jim."

Jim had been at their camp as the Executive Camp Director for 15 years and was one of the first new folks I met as we both drove up and parked at the same time. I was grateful for having a person to meet prior to walking into the building.

Jim's camp was about two hours away and they seemed friendly and welcoming. I had a great meeting and Jim introduced me to several folks including the person who did the CAO Standards visit assignments. We departed that day and I felt like I would fit into this group of leaders.

As luck would have it, Jim's camp was up for a visitation that summer and I was assigned to be one of the visitors. We scheduled the visit and on the day of I drove down early and had a great visit with Jim, theirstaff team, and getting the low down on the camp and program. 

I was accostumed to doing visits for the prior decade (or more) in my previous capacity as a visitor (not my first rodeo, as they say). I asked Jim and several of their staff team who were present to make sure and write down the dates for that fall's OCA get together. 

Jim answered with, "I don't really go to many of those anymore. I have been doing this for over 20-years and I have learned all that they have shared."

I asked Jim if any of their staff and Jim responded, 'I can teach them everything I know, so they don't need to attend."

This is not me, just an astonished looking face.

It was an astonishing set of statements. For the next few years, I would always take the time to call and message Jim whenever there was a gathering of camp folks to make sure that I invited them.

I spoke to Jim on several occasions and was always doing my best to include them and make them feel welcome to attend. I always invited and hoped that they would attend with their staff team.

It never happened!

Also, not me. Just a sad and slightly annoyed look.

When I consider my lesson from Jim, I think about "showing up."

I posted about this a few summers ago on my BLOG titled: Mid Summer Praise Staff Suggestions.

After re-reading that and writing my fable today, I had some thoughts to share.

Mid-summer is here. Whether you mark it by the calendar, the number of band-aids in the infirmary, or the pile of unmatched socks in the staff laundry—you're feeling it.

It’s that sticky, stretchy point of the season when routines have settled in, and energy can dip. The magic is still there, and so is the exhaustion. So, I wanted to pause to say:

"Thank you!"

If you're a leader at a summer camp right now, you are doing holy work.

You’re the arms that carry a crying camper to the nurse.
You’re the voice that says “you’ve got this” when a camper doubts.
You’re the eyes that notice the quiet one at the back of the group.
You are the adult someone will remember forever—even if you don’t know it yet.

Here’s what I know after 45 years in youth development: the small, faithful acts of service you’re offering this summer will echo longer than you can imagine.

Mid-Summer Suggestions for Leaders (and Those Who Lead Leaders):

If you lead, supervise, or support camp staff, this is the time to double down on praise and perspective. The team does not need more evaluation right now—they need encouragement, reminders of their impact, and a gentle invitation to reset where needed.

Here are 5 suggestions to do that:

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1. Shout Them Out in Specifics
Skip the generic "great job"—instead, name the moment:

“Hey, I saw you stay calm when the canoe tipped, and your campers stayed calm too—that’s leadership.”

“Thanks for the way you adapted that activity when the rain hit. You saved the day.”

Look for micro-moments that show your staff’s growth, grit, or heart.

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2. Celebrate Small Wins Publicly
Create a ritual of praise: a “staff MVP of the day,” a compliment jar, a wall of post-it affirmations, or a 60-second spotlight at the morning meeting.

Make it fun, frequent, and heartfelt.

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3. Ask “What’s One Thing You Need Right Now?”
This question opens a door.
Let it be about rest, resources, or relationships. Then, if you can, help meet it. Even just listening well matters.

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4. Invite Reflection Without Adding Pressure
Try a simple prompt at the end of the day:

“What was your highlight today?”
“What moment made you feel like you made a difference?”

Reflection reinforces meaning—and meaning fuels motivation.

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5. Remind Them of the Bigger Picture
Tell the story of a camper who came back because of a counselor.
Share a note from a parent.
Speak about your own first summer and how someone saw you.

Let them know:
"This isn’t just a job. This is impact, community, and legacy."

---

If you’re reading this and you’re one of those weary staff members?

"Take a breath.
Drink some water.
Tell someone how you’re really doing.
And remember—what you’re doing matters. More than you know.

Keep showing up.
Keep loving kids.
Keep choosing kindness, even when it’s hard.

Mid-summer is when seeds start to bloom.
Thank you for being a sower of goodness.

See you on the trails at camp..."

Texas Camps Benediction

It has been emotional and staggering at best. I am not sure how to process all of it.

I asked folks to share some camp songs that they use as a closing for their campfire, or closing night, or last morning of camp.

I got all sorts of responses: "Friends, Taps, Go Now In Peace, Pass It On, Linger, Shalom Chaverim, I Need You To Survive, Scout Vespers, Shooting Star, First Day Smile, Lean On Me, On The Loose, and more.

As I looked up each of these, they all invoke and draw on the spirit of tradition, relection, gratitude, and farewell.

I reflected on my own campfires and summers from long ago.

Yours truly and son, Brian/Shmoo

I thought about those camp directors and their work.

Those smiles and the thousands of lives they influenced.

I am inspired to share this benediction based on those closing songs and campfires. It is a compilation of closing songs and hymns.

Day is done, gone the sun, From the lake, from the hills, from the sky— But the warmth of this place, Still lingers in our hearts, and will not die.

It only takes a spark to get a fire going, And once you’ve felt that glow, You carry it in the quiet moments, Even as you go.

Go now in peace, never be afraid— Though the stars begin to rise and the fire starts to fade, This love, once lit, will find its way, And guide your steps beyond today. Shalom, chaverim—peace, dear friends, farewell, In every goodbye, a sacred story to tell. We came as strangers, we leave as kin, Bound by the songs that still echo within. Friends are friends forever, if the Lord’s the Lord of them, And though the trail bends far and wide, The bonds we formed in sacred time Will hold us on the other side.

All is well, safely rest—God is nigh. Even as we pack the memories and sigh, We know this isn’t really “the end,” But the beginning of the light we send. And when the night is quiet, and you feel alone, Recall the campfire’s glow and the laughter you've known. Sing softly to the stars, with voices we've shared— The Spirit of this place still meets you there. So now, go in peace, walk boldly, stay kind— Let grace be the compass, and love not far behind. The fire may be low, but it’s not truly gone— Until we meet again... carry it on.

As a prayerful person and a person of faith, I add in my prayers for all the families impacted by that terrible day.

...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

     I encircle each of you in the white light of God’s love and divine protection throughout each day.