Annabel's reflection
Now that summer camp is coming to a close, explain 3 key takeaways from the experience? How will you apply it in the future?
A main takeaway I had from camp was trusting my judgement when it comes to decisions and how to manage a class. In a fast paced environment like camp, there was a lot of decisions me and my other counsellors had to make on how to run a class. Sometimes these decisions would mean having to deviate from the schedule if it doesn’t suit the class needs or having to make a call to talk to a camper about their behavior. Some of these choices were harder than others but being at camp has taught me that as a counsellor, you have to trust the decisions you make for your campers as you know them best. The next thing takeaway was how good it is to have a supportive team of people to work with. The people I’ve worked with contributed a lot to my camp experience and made it a much easier experience and I’m so glad to have been able to work with them this summer. Finally, my last takeaway is communication. This is the biggest issue I’ve run into, which is communication issues which cause most of the bigger issues. Camp has taught me to prioritize efficient communication and that its essential to having anything work
Describe one of the biggest challenges you faced, how you overcame it, and what you learned from it.
One of the biggest challenges for me during my coop was definitely managing the volunteer appreciation event. As this was my first time planning an event on that scale, it was an extremely intimidating process for me when first starting off. There were a lot of things to complete for the event that I was learning about for the first time. This was especially difficult come the time that the event came when we had to make several last minute changes to both the script, slides, and content of the overall event. I think what helped the event go well was the planning that was done beforehand and the incredible support from my coworkers and volunteers. While a lot of the heavy lifting had been done in terms of decorations, sponsors, endorsements, and advertisements from previous months of planning, my team really helped me during the event. I owe it to them that the event went so well and I’m so glad I was able to lean on them for support during one of the first big events I’ve planned. What I’ve learned from this is to having a meticulous plan for events and to communicate throughout it to keep things in the clear, as well as that having an amazing team for support is essential to events such as this.
To close off the term on a high note, what were 3 highlights from your time at YRES?
My top 3 highlights at YRES were GPS camp, St Justin staff dinner and the volunteer appreciation event. My time at GPS was much shorter than both camp and the planning of volunteer appreciation events, but I enjoyed my time there and getting to know all of the kids there. My favorite memory with them would be seeing them play at the gym or showing me their coding activities (when they weren’t playing roblox). Working with kids at GPS helped me rethink how ASD is different from every person and has helped me broaden my perspective. I’m so glad to have met these kids because they’re all brilliant in their own way and it’s inspiring to see the things they come up with. My second highlight is the team dinner I had with all the counselors at St Justin. It was so fun getting to know everyone outside of a work context and being able to relax. It was a really nice send off as I’ve worked with them for ~2 months now. My last highlight was the volunteer appreciation event. I had a lot of nerves going into the event but I’m so glad it came together well. I really liked working on the project and it was nice being able to give back to those who’ve volunteered and seeing the smiles on their faces. It was a fun night and it definitely paid off after 4 months of work!
What is some advice/tip that you would offer to future staff?
1. Communicate everything, and early is possible. A lot of the things you do will need approval or a second opinion so it’s best to get this out the way early
2. Take initiative. If you need a task done, assume it hasn’t been done yet and do it yourself or ask someone to help.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
4. Take breaks!!!!!!!!
Please nominate someone who deserves the employee of the month award and explain why briefly. You can nominate more than one person.
Tanya was amazing with helping me throughout my coop. She always offered me feedback and a second opinion. She was also reliable and solid as a rock during the volunteer appreciation event. I’m really glad to have worked with Tanya for my coop and think she deserves the award.
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