ASAP has an admirable mission: to reduce the risk of sexual misconduct, harassment, and in camps. Its Director’s Guide (and its online, video-based Camp Safety Program) helps hundreds of camps across North America achieve this goal. The guide helps camps limit inappropriate sexual behaviour, and properly address it if it does occur. This promotes an environment that’s physically and emotionally safe, one in which kids can participate in stimulating activities, have fun, and build memories that will last a lifetime.
The Director’s Guide provides a list of best practices camps should follow when they recruit, screen, and train potential staff. The guide also outlines clear standards of conduct for and educates camp officials about proper boundaries for behaviour. It’s an essential tool for helping camps hire staff who are educated about sexual misconduct, and who know how to deal with inappropriate behaviour.
“The Director’s Guide is amazing,” says Joe Goldfarb, director of Yachad Camps. “It offers a comprehensive set of guidelines for recruiting, training, and screening camp staff, all in one place. It helps us ensure our hiring process is diligent.”
Other benefits of the guide include
Since staff are a huge part of what makes camp such a wonderful experience, camps need to hire the right people. This goal cannot be underemphasized.
Most camps recognize the importance of carefully screening staff. This includes temporary, permanent, and volunteer staff, as well as both new and returning staff. Counsellors must be screened, but so must kitchen staff, administrators, drivers, medical workers, lecturers, and any other person who may interact with campers.
The Director’s Guide provides the foundation for a successful screening process. Though it's not foolproof (no screening process is), it offers strict guidelines regarding what questions to ask candidates, how to conduct a proper reference check, and how to conduct an interview. This helps to reduce the likelihood of hiring someone who’s unsuitable for camp.
Have you thought of all the ways to assess whether your staff are suitable for your camp?
The Director’s Guide shows how to identify candidates who may be a risk to campers. “This streamlines the screening process,” says Gila Ashkenazy, program director of ASAP. “Since it can be hard to hire staff en masse, camps need easy-to-understand and concrete guidance to ensure the process goes smoothly and efficiently.”
Also, by using the guide’s rigorous screening process, camps send a powerful message to staff, campers, and their families—that they’re doing everything they can to help camps provide a safe environment. “It really shows parents that you’re going the extra mile to watch out for their kids,” says Ashkenazy. “And it lets staff know that there’s zero tolerance for abuse.”
Camp staff must have proper training. They must know everything there is to know about physical boundaries and how to navigate them. They must clearly and thoroughly grasp what inappropriate behaviour is, how to prevent it, how to deal with difficult situations, and how to help victims of sexual misconduct.
“While there is no one way to hire staff,” says Ashkenazy, “the Director’s Guide has information and tips that will help reduce the chances of hiring someone not suitable for camp.” The guide provides a list of essential facts that camp staff should know and be informed of before starting their tenure at a camp. It also discusses and distinguishes appropriate vs. inappropriate behaviour, and it explains how to deal with a variety of uncomfortable situations.
What’s more, the Director’s Guide stresses the importance of properly educating, training, and screening both new and returning staff. “They both need to go through the entire hiring and recruitment process, which includes taking ASAP’s Camp Safety Program and passing its certification test,” says Ashkenazy. “While there are no guarantees, this helps camps hire the right people—staff who can promote a safe environment and help make camp an unforgettable experience.”
The ASAP Director’s Guide is an essential resource for camp and program directors. It helps them recruit and screen staff using proven and time-tested guidelines and strategies. This helps camps prevent inappropriate behaviour, including sexual misconduct, and address uncomfortable issues should they arise.
So, in short, this is a resource your camp can’t and won’t want to do without.
Register for ASAP Director’s Guide and Camp Safety Program here
Learn more about ASAP here
To speak with camps that are currently working with ASAP, here is a list of camp directors you can reach out to:
Joe Goldfarb, Director of Yachad Camps: [email protected]
Owen Hann, Director of Steamoji Camps: [email protected]
Avi Pollack, Program Director of Camp HASC: [email protected]
