Resources Welcome to The Intentional Camp, a special resources area for the camp profession at michaelbrandwein.com. Items are being added to this part of the website on a frequent basis so please check back here often to see what’s new! [Shortcut to Item 1: Video excerpts from Techniques for Guiding Great Discussions] [Shortcut to Item 2: Campfire Classics Video] [Shortcut to Item 3: Staff Training Handout "A Letter to my Child's Staff Person"] [Shortcut to Item 4: Staff Training Handout "Camp Café"] [Shortcut to Item 5: Staff Training Handout "Brainy Days"] [Shortcut to Item 6: "Abra-CAMP-dabra" Exclusive Magic Trick] [Shortcut to Video Player Links] [Shortcut to NEW Item 7: How to Motivate & Lead Our Leadership Team Checklist] [Shortcut to NEW Item 8: Camp Comps Staff Training Activity Sheet on Presenting Expectations in Positive Ways]

Item One

Free video training excerpts from Techniques for Guiding
Great Discussions

These are from the companion DVD to Michael Brandwein’s best-selling book, Learning Leadership, How to Develop Outstanding Teen Leadership Training Programs at Camp. These excerpts demonstrate skills you can use when

1. training staff during orientation and
2. leading discussions with campers about activities in which they are participating.

The DVD was written and presented by Michael Brandwein and produced by the YMCA of the U.S.A. under the direction of Gary Forster, its national camp consultant. Funding was provided by the AT&T Family Care Development Fund, a joint project of AT&T, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Production for the DVD was provided by Camp-TV Media, Inc., www.camptv.net. The DVD and these excerpts are © 2003 Michael Brandwein, All Rights Reserved, and may not be reproduced, downloaded or uploaded in any manner without written permission.

The excerpts are video streamed below for your free viewing.
[Please click here for links to free video players.]

For more information on the DVD and the book, Learning Leadership, please [click here to go to products].

Item Two

Just for fun:

Item Three

Staff Training Handout: “A Letter to my Child’s Staff Person”

This is a downloadable .pdf you can reproduce and use with staff. Please click on the image at the right. This is one of Michael’s best known pieces. It was part of an article that received the American Camp Association’s national Golden Quill Award and you can find additional ideas for using it in Training Terrific Staff, Chapter 37. [Please click here for Products]

Item Four

Staff Training Handout: “Camp Café”

This activity helps staff actively discover the emotional needs of campers and can be used to stimulate discussion about how to meet those needs. [Please click on the image at the right to download the pdf.]

 

 

Item Five

Staff Training Handout: “Brainy Days”

Michael likes to use this activity to initiate a quick but important discussion with staff to identify some of the most essential elements of excellent leadership. [Please click on the image at the right to download the pdf.]

 

 

Item Six

"Abra-CAMP-dabra" Exclusive Magic Trick!

Magic is a tremendous tool to teach life skills to young people. Please click on this special private YouTube link to see a great trick to use for this purpose. It's presented just for us on michaelbrandwein.com by world-renowned, multiple award-winning magician Mark Wilson (named one of the top ten magicians of the 20th century). He'll teach you in this clip how to do this wonderful magic. It's one of many he offers at his brand new Magic University at www.markwilsonmagicuniversity.com. I highly recommend his video materials and his Mark Wilson Course in Magic,
the number one magic teaching book in the world.

 

 

Item Seven

LEADING THE LEADERS: How to Get Leadership Team Members to Reach Higher Levels of Excellence and Responsibility

Question: What do senior members of a leadership team (team leaders, program directors, lead instructors, assistant directors, and others) need from us to keep growing, be motivated, and feel they are benefitting from their work in our organization? [Please click on this link for a four page PDF document that provides an essential checklist of what we need to provide.]

 

Item Eight

Camp Comps #3 Activity Sheet

One of my favorite and most powerful staff training tools is something I call ‘Camp Comps.’ In this technique, we present two or more ways of doing something and ask staff to think about which one is better and why. In this way, staff, with our guidance, discover the elements of successful teaching and leadership instead of listening to us lecture about them. For a whole chapter on how to use this technique and for more examples, please see Training Terrific Staff, Vol. 2 (Brandwein 2008), Chapter 34.

And please click on the image at the right to download a pdf Comps training worksheet you can use with staff that is about presenting expectations in positive ways at the beginning of an activity or class.

 

Video Players

If you need to download video players, they are available free at: