Staff Meeting The Secret To Huawni
Tuesday here at Camp has brought much cooler temperatures, a nice breeze, and partly sunny skies. We are so grateful! This morning we had regularly scheduled activities and tonight we will head to the Initiation Pond for some old fashioned cane pole fishing.
Congratulations to Honeysuckle Hollow for winning Skit Night last night. They put together a classic camp skit where patients came to sit in a doctor’s office and increasingly came down with more symptoms.
Staff Meeting
A long-standing tradition at Huawni is Staff Meeting. Staff Meeting is a daily gathering before campers wake up where counselors gather for coffee, prep for the day, and enjoy quality time together. There is so much tradition wrapped up in our 40 minutes together. This meeting has happened at the same time and place for as long as I can remember. Coffee has always been the treat of this morning meeting. The Huawni Schedule, which looks, smells, and feels exactly the same, is still our means of keeping everyone on the same page and making sure camp runs smoothly.
Counselors love this time together. This morning I began to wonder, “Why is this time so meaningful?” I believe over the past two summers I have been able to see the answer behind this question. First of all, Staff Meeting is a time to focus on why we are here. Whether nominating a camper of the day, sharing spots (precious moments with our campers), or preparing something special for night activity, we get to start a fresh thinking about how we can LTK (love the kids). Secondly, this is a time for counselors to be together and enjoy one another’s company. It can get exhausting leading a group of seven year olds for 16 hours a day. Staff Meeting is nice break from the fray of Camp. Maybe most importantly, Staff Meeting is focused just on today— not tomorrow, not the rest of the week, just today. I do not know if this was by design, but the by product of focusing on today really allows our staff to be present, to notice things, to be in tune with campers and what is happening at Camp. The busyness and anxiety wrapped up in tomorrow is not on the agenda. Being present is something I have a hard time doing during the year. I fail at this often, getting caught up in the busyness of life. I want to learn to be more present, and today I am reminded of the value of this simple discipline. It is this discipline that tees up loving the kids well.
Fast forward to archery during period 2 this morning. Billy greets his campers with a smile and immediately brings fun and energy to teaching archery. He begins the activity with learning the girls’ names. Before I know it, he is transitioning into archery 101. The girls are having fun, laughing, and learning how to shoot arrows. Some girls are picking up from where they left off last year. Some girls are learning a brand new skill. As the girls begin to shoot, one camper hits near the bullseye. She goes nuts! Here cabin mates are smiling and celebrating with her. Billy stands in the background with a quiet grin on his face, soaking up a successful activity period.
One of the big secrets to Huawni is hiring and investing in young people who Mandi and I truly want our boys to grow up and be like. I can honestly say that this summer we have that staff. Our motto for hiring staff is: fight for family, invest wholeheartedly, and never settle. We certainly do not do this perfectly (far from it), but it is the mark we aim for. We begin hiring and recruiting staff in September and spend a lot of time, energy, and resources finding the very best young people to put your kiddos around. The best part of course comes when Camp gets here. Not only do we get to enjoy these amazing young people, but we also get to watch them do what they do best, love the kids. They constantly pour out their energy, time, and all that they have. It is a beautiful thing to see campers being loved unconditionally.
