Where’d everyone go?

Feb 6th, 2025

The two biggest days at any summer camp are as follows:

The day the staff arrive for training.

The day the campers arrive to start a session.

There are so many reasons these days act as the tone-setting moments for everything coming next. The culture, the excitement, the tradition, yeah yeah yeah, you already know all this.

But I’ll tell you one thing both of these days have in common, and I’m sure you’ve seen it time and time again from your staff.

Or maybe you’ve seen it time and time again from yourself.

When those first waves of staff, kids, parents, everyone come in you start seeing leadership folks disappear. Yes, disappear.

Off to the office to answer emails.

Off to the nurse’s station to check on health forms.

Off to the dining hall to make sure tables are numbered.

Off to do VERY important work.

It’s wild. The most important moments at a summer camp are happening, and now, all of a sudden, people are nowhere to be found.

Make it make sense!

The Dream vs. Reality: Staff Arrival

Picture this: New staff member pulls up in their beat-up Honda Civic (or at least that’s how I pulled up to camp), and before even grabbing their gear, they see bunches of smiling faces, get a hilarious name tag, the correct-size camp shirt, where to pee, and clear instructions on what to do next. Instant belonging.

That’s the dream.

Instead, watch as some of the leadership team suddenly remembers very important things they need to do… anywhere else.

The wild part? The people disappearing are often your most experienced staff. How do I know? Because I used to do it. All. The. Time.

The ones who should be front and center, showing everyone how it’s done, are now back of milk carton material. It’s not because they’re bad at their jobs - quite the opposite. They didn’t get these gigs by accident.

Instead, they care so much about getting everything perfect that they retreat to what feels safe: checking lists, organizing supplies, basically anything that lets them look busy without risking looking awkward.

Same Story, Different Day: Camper Arrival

Fast forward to Session 1, Day 1, Minute zero.

You’ve trained your staff on the perfect welcome. You’ve practiced the very specific welcoming techniques like getting on their level, sunglasses off, greeting the kid first, then the parent, you know, the drill. You’ve got the system down. And then… poof.

Parents are walking in, dragging 100 pounds of camper gear, holding a map upside down, and that rockstar counselor who led all your training sessions? They’re suddenly very concerned about the height of the volleyball nets.

Your most experienced staff member? Organizing craft supplies that definitely could wait.

Meanwhile, new campers (who are certainly at least a little/ a lot nervous) are standing around like they showed up to a party where everyone else already knows each other.

Why We Pull The Disappearing Act

Let’s get real for a second. We disappear because being the welcoming face of camp is actually pretty scary.

Even for veterans.

It’s waaaay easier to check on those health forms than to walk up to a car full of strangers and make them feel like family.

It’s so much easier to answer emails than start a conversation with someone you don’t know.

There’s this weird moment when you realize that “looking cool while doing your job” actually means being fully present for some potentially awkward interactions.

And our natural response? Default to busy work over brave work.

In a lot of ways, most camp people kind of want camp to just start on Day 2.

That’s when everyone is settled in, understands the routine, has met a new friend and has at least a couple of songs under their belt.

Making People Stay (Without Actually Chaining Them Down)

The best way to make sure everyone sticks around is to keep it as clear as possible.

Think about airports for a second. Everyone knows exactly where to go because there’s literally no other option.

Saunter onto the plane.

There’s nothing else you can do besides go in this exact order. Camps should work the same way (minus the annoying TSA part).

Clear stations, obvious next steps, someone pointing the way at every turn. And unlike airports, each next step has some energy to it.

But here’s the real secret: Give everyone a job that requires talking. When you’re in charge of the name tag station, you can’t disappear - you’re literally the person everyone needs to see.

When you’re part of the welcome wagon, those conversations aren’t awkward. They’re literally your job.

And if it’s part of the job, then the part where someone gets too nervous about looking cool starts fading away real quick.

And my favorite trick I’m doing this summer? The quest system. Give every new arrival (staff or camper) a simple mission.

Meet three people who’ve never been to camp before. Find someone from another state. Oh, you love soccer. Did you know James played semi-pro in Europe? Find him and ask about it.

Suddenly, everyone has a reason to talk to strangers, and it doesn’t feel awkward. Or it does feel awkward but who cares because everyone is doing it.

And if everyone is doing it, not doing it now stands out even more (but in the best possible way).

Day 1. Minute Zero

Look, I’m writing this as much for myself as for anyone else.

I need the reminder, too.

I love camp as much as anyone, and I know there will be times this summer on those first days when disappearing is the easiest thing in the whole world.

They’ll meet me later. I’ll catch up with them on Minute two.

Nah, can’t do it.

The office has to be floor is lava territory. Nothing is more important than those first few moments of camp.

They’re everything.

You got this,

Jack