Cabin Chats

The use of ‘Cabin Chats’ to Establish a Culture of Safety

When talking to campers about safety – you do not want to teach from a place of fear. Rather, your goal is to teach campers Personal Safety, to empower them with knowledge and skills they can use to keep themselves safe.

The teaching begins on day one, at camper orientation, your first opportunity to set a positive tone with campers and to establish clear expectations. The teaching continues during the first few days at camp. This is the time period when campers learn what is and isn’t acceptable behavior toward others, which helps ensure they will have an awesome and safe camp experience – socially, emotionally, and physically.

It is important during the initial camp days to introduce campers to safety skills and a language of safety, to let them know that personal safety goes hand-in-hand with other safety skills more commonly emphasized at camps such as swimming, health, and fire safety.

One way to do this is during ‘Cabin Chats’. Amongst the fun of name games and getting to know each child’s interests, you could add personal safety questions to a discussion about a day in the life of camp.

For example:

What happens if you get separated from your group and don’t know where to go? Rather than just reading rules, empower campers, of all ages, to problem solve this question through give and take with you and each other. Doing so will confirm that camp is a setting where they have a voice and people will listen.

Other questions for problem solving discussion might include: Where should I keep my personal belongings? What is my personal space within the cabin? These discussions should, of course, be guided by the camp’s expectations and polices.

And, What if I have a stomach ache and can’t leave the bathroom? This type of question can lead to a discussion about how to access help, and how to be helpful and kind to each other in many types of situations. Campers can be asked to consider what other ways they can be helpful and kind to each other, such as: encouraging a friend to try something new (ropes course, new sport or activity, new food); being there for a homesick cabin mate; etc.

At the same time, let your group know there is ZERO tolerance for bullying. Help them discuss: What does bullying mean? How might it occur at camp? What to do if it occurs? And explain the important role of an Upstander – a camper who sees something happening and either tries to stop it or seeks help from a staff member.

This leads directly to a discussion of the difference between tattling and reporting. At camp, kids tattle on each other often. Tattling is simply trying to get another camper in trouble. Reporting is different. Reporting is when a camper goes to an adult for safety help, either for themselves or for someone else.

Let campers know up front that they will not get in trouble for reporting, that the act of reporting is key to assisting you in keeping campers safe from bullying or any other type of abuse.

You can then transition from the discussion about bullying to the topic of body boundaries. Body boundaries need to be respected. This means, each camper’s private parts are just that – private. You don’t touch another person’s private parts, they don’t touch your private parts. Period. No exceptions. No one, campers or staff members, looks at another person’s private parts and vice versa. When campers see this can be discussed it creates a ‘safe space’.

The point to be made is this: Campers (and staff) have the right to PRIVACY and BODY BOUNDARIES. When saying this to campers, do so in the same matter-of-fact way you share other information with your campers. At first, you may find this difficult or uncomfortable to do. If so, practice with another staff member before speaking with your campers. Keep in mind that you are modeling for your campers, communicating a message that body boundaries are important and okay to talk about. If you present this message while looking uncomfortable, your campers will realize this and be likely to conclude that they shouldn’t approach you about sensitive issues that may arise.

Next, it is important to help campers consider what to do if someone else (camper or staff) asks them to do something they don’t want to do (go to the lake unsupervised, play a “secret” game, play a trick on someone, etc.). Open this up for consideration in the same way you led discussion of the other issues. What are my options? What are some ways to say “I don’t want to do that”? Sometimes a simple “No, let’s do something else” is enough. In other situations, that may not work. Let your campers know that if they ever feel unable to manage a situation, they can come to you and talk about what to do.

All of the “cabin chats” just discussed help create a Culture of Safety in your camp. Kids who understand that boundaries and structure exist at camp and that they have access to a staff member who is approachable, willing to talk about anything, and who is there to keep them safe will have a firm foundation for a fun and safe camp experience.

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