Counselor Training

As a Head Counselor at IDEAS Camp Education, I successfully recruited and interviewed over 300 college-aged counselors in the past three years. A key aspect of my responsibilities involved developing and executing more than 10 counselor training sessions.

Goals:

1. Job Training & Professionalism

2. Community Building

3. Personal Growth

* Video edited by Sally Yao

10+

Training Sessions Designed & Implemented

300+

Camp Counselors Recruited & Interviewed

100+

Camp Counselors Trained & Collaborated With

Program At a Glance

This is a showcase of 2021 Summer School Counselor Training Session! The program was tailored for counselors gearing up to engage with students aged 7-12.

Audiences: Teaching Assistants & Camp Counselors

Modality: Online Group | Online Individual | Face-to-face

ALL SESSIONS

Camp Counselor Training * 3 sessions | 4-7 days/session

Teaching Assistants Mentorship * 9 people | over 2 months

Onboarding & Community Building

MY ROLE

Designed & led training sessions
Evaluated counselors during training sessions
Mentored assistants in carrying out parts of the training
Set budget and booked venues

STATISTICS

40 Camp counselors & 9 teaching assistants trained

20+ Returned or worked in other camps

95% rated the training to be highly valuable

Timeline

Teaching Assistant Mentorship

Camp Counsellor Training

Modality: Online & Offline

Training: Online - 5 hours ; Offline - 4-7 days

Mentorship: 6-10 weeks

Outcomes:

1. Each TA designed and led 1 extracurricular class, 6-9 sessions, 50 minutes per session

2. 4 lead teaching assistants were trained to lead parts of camp counselor training

3. 4 lead TA each successfully assisted 1-2 teachers during summer school

Modality: Online & Offline

Training: Online - 5 hours ; Offline - 4-7 days

Mentorship: 4-8 weeks

Outcomes:

1. Each pair of camp counselors successfully led groups of 6-12 children aged 7-12

2. Each counselor led at least one group activity during summer school

3. Each counselor assist in leading at least 1 extracurricular class

Onboarding

Modality: Online & Offline

Featured Activities:

Zoom Call: warm welcome & introduction

Group Chat: themed message chains

Camp Treasure Hunt: treasure hunt in teams on campsite

Outcomes:

1. All counselors & TAs felt welcomed

2. All counselors & TAs got to know staff members and who to ask for help

3. All counselors & TAs got to know the layout of campsite

Community Building

Modality: Online & Offline

Featured Activities:

Group Chat: themed prompts

Snack Auctions: use gems collected during training and camp sessions to buy snacks

Night-outs: movie night in-between camp sessions

Outcomes:

1. Counselors and TAs felt connected and stayed friends ever since

2. Counselors & TAs felt safe and comfortable sharing personal stories and experiences

3. Counselors & TAs felt supported at work