Dear Students,

I am so excited to be able to lead a camp administration course at UGA! My first exposure to professional development as a camp counselor was attending a basic camp director course at UGA back in the 80’s….I know most of you were not even thinking about college and some of you were not even born J! But I was a senior in college and had just come to the decision that I wanted to go into camping full-time….now after being a camp professional for 11 years, I am excited to be able to help you explore the content area and gain some new skills. I also look forward to learning more about the camps you are associated with and how they do things. I look forward to sharing some “great ah-ha” moments and some “blinding flashes of the obvious” as we dig deeper into the world of summer camp.

I have several goals for us this semester…. It is hard for me to think of calling myself the “teacher” because the point of all of this effort is about your “learning”….I can’t do that for you, but I hope to provide you with challenging opportunities, and I hope that you will take advantage of these opportunities by risking yourself throughout the semester so that you can grow and test out your ideas….and thereby your learning is your own.

My goals for you as a learner are to provide you with opportunities to:

• Think like a camp director and get a handle on the issues faced in the current climate of professional youth development;
• Investigate the variety of ways that camp directors handle administrative functions related to budgeting, finance, personnel management, facility management, public relations, and legislative issues;
• Connect national and international governmental issues with their impact on summer camp administration;
• Identify, examine, and build links between management competencies specific to a summer camp context.

My goals for you in your life and profession are that you will participate fully so that:

• So that when you are asked to present your ideas and talk to colleagues, participants, funders and lawmakers, you will feel confident and prepared.

• So that when you approach decisions, you will be able to look for the connections between your experience, existing information, and new information you can generate in order to make better decisions.

• So that when you are leading organizations, you will be able to recognize the interconnectedness of recreation, research and society and consider it.

• So that when you are applying for internships and jobs, you will have tangible skills to discuss in your interviews and the confidence to use them effectively.

I look forward to the journey!

RLST 5430/7430 Camp Administration

Spring 2003

Instructor: Dr. Gwynn Powell Office: 353 Ramsey Center

Telephone: 542-4332 Class hours: Wednesday 5:45-8:45pm

Classroom: 205 Ramsey Center Office hours: Wed 5-5:30; Thurs 11-12:00

E-mail: gpowell@coe.uga.edu Other times by appt. (60% of my time is research)

COURSE DESCRIPTION (from Undergraduate Bulletin): Camps with particular emphasis on program planning, selection and training of staff, campsite selection and development, health and safety, accessibility, and program evaluation. Pre or co-requisite: RLST 4870.

COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Course Materials:

Ball, A. B. & Ball, B. (2000). Basic Camp Management. American Camping Association: Martinsville, IN. (ISBN: 0-87603-165-3) Available: www.acacamps.org (not available at the bookstore)

Course packet available downtown at Bel-Jean (across from the Arch).

ACA. (1998). Accreditation Standards for Camp Programs and Services. American Camping Association: Martinsville, IN. (ISBN: 0-87603-159-9) It will be available on reserve.

Attendance and Due Dates: Attendance will be taken on a regular basis and rewarded by in-class quizzes, activities, discussion and skill development. There is a strong connection between class attendance and comprehension of material and grade performance. Make-up and acceptance of late work will be allowed for excused absences only. Excused absences must be cleared with the instructor in advance (e-mail/phone message acceptable), unless documentation is provided after an unexpected illness/emergency. Make-ups for any assignment that is collected or occurs during the class meeting will not be allowed for an unexcused absence. In the case of an excused absence, the paper or a make-up written assignment for in-class activities is due the next class week. All papers must be turned in at the beginning of class; otherwise, they will be considered late. Late assignments will result in automatic lowering of the grade with a penalty of 10% reduction per day. Students participating in university-sponsored extracurricular activities (including intercollegiate athletics, conferences, field trips) must bring notification of class days to be missed in advance of the event in order for the absence to be excused.

Quizzes: Due to the nature of the class and the integration of content and application to work-place scenarios, it will be important to gain an understanding of the content quickly and at a steady pace. For this reason, quizzes will be used at each class meeting that has a reading assignment to help you stay accountable for the reading and as a springboard for discussion and activities in class. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped (if a quiz is missed, a score of zero will be entered). If the absence is excused, the make-up quiz will be a detailed summary of the reading material assigned for that day. It must be submitted within one week of the date missed or it will be considered late.

Written assignments: All assignments are to be TYPED, 1-inch margins, 12-point font, follow APA formatting guidelines (double-spaced, in-text references, reference list). Spelling, grammar and formatting mistakes will count against the overall grade of the assignment. Please take advantage of the computer services and writing center on campus (in your career, you will be expected to be able to accomplish these tasks).

Academic Integrity: “Academic honesty is vital to the very fabric and integrity of UGA. All students must comply with an appropriate and sound academic honesty policy and code of honest behavior (p37-38 Undergraduate Bulletin).” “All students are responsible for maintaining the highest standards of honesty and integrity in every phase of their academic careers. The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe and ignorance is not an acceptable defense (A Culture of Honesty).” All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty."  Each student is responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. See: www.uga.edu/ovpi

Please be aware, the most common mistake made by writers is that of paraphrasing without giving credit. Make sure when you use information from another source that you give appropriate credit…either direct quotes with reference, or reference the idea.

Special Needs: Any student with special needs should speak to the instructor the first week of class. Every effort will be made to effectively accommodate disabilities and special needs.

Out-of Class Activities: If you will be unable to attend one of the out of class activities, you must see me before the end of January to discuss and alternate assignment. Otherwise only documented medical emergencies will be considered excused and be allowed to make-up…all others will receive a zero for that assignment. Each of these activities are worth 10 percent of the overall grade, so it is very possible to receive a B in this course and not do one of the activities. If you are having a busy semester and would like to opt out of one of the assignments, please see me by the end of January so that you can sign a course contract and your classmates do not count on you.

The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary. This syllabus is as accurate as possible at this time; any changes will be announced in class and communicated through e-mail. It is your responsibility to check the email address often.

Course Assignments (5430)

Assignment	Weight	Course Objectives
Content Quizzes and Activities Chapter quizzes (usually 10-25 points each) Peer Feedbacks (9 points each) Idea assignments (10 points each) Assignment Drafts/Progress Reports (10 points each)	15%	L1-4, P1, P3
Outdoor Education Program for Intersession Day Camp	10%	all objectives
Publicity & Write-up for Summer Camp Job Fair	10%	L1, L4, P1-4
Experiential Field Trip and Reflection Paper	10%	L1-2, L4, P1-4
Service Learning (SL) Agency Partnership Project Interviews with professionals (minimum of 3) 10% Research review (minimum 3 research articles) 2% Best practices review (minimum 3 professional articles) 2% Summary document or position paper 16% Class presentation of your work 5% Reflection Paper 5%	40%	all objectives
Comprehensive Reflective and Objective Final exam	15%	all objectives

Course Assignments (7430)

Assignment	Weight	Course Objectives
Content Quizzes and Activities	15%	L1-4, P1, P3
Outdoor Education Program for Intersession Day Camp	10%	all objectives
Publicity & Write-up for Summer Camp Job Fair	10%	L1, L4, P1-4
Experiential Field Trip and Reflection Paper	10%	L1-2, L4, P1-4
Service Learning (SL) Agency Partnership Project Research review (minimum 3 research articles) 2% Best practices review (minimum 3 professional articles) 2% Policy Manual 20% Staff Training Modules 10% Class reports and presentations 6% Reflection Paper 5%	40%	all objectives
Comprehensive Reflective and Objective Final exam	15%	all objectives

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS:

More details will be discussed in class and information will be provided as a guide.

Content Quizzes: Each week that a reading assignment is due there will be a quiz or in-class assignment based upon the assigned readings in order to reward you for studying, increase the quality of class, and aid you in studying for the final exam.

Publicity & Write-up for Summer Camp Job Fair: The on-campus job fair will be held Tuesday February 11^th at the Tate Center. The project will be to develop publicity and critique for this event, as well as, foster interaction with the camp professionals in attendance by investigating the program philosophy and design of camps in attendance.

Outdoor Education Program for Intersession Day Camp: As a class, we are responsible for designing and implementing an outdoor program for the children in attendance at the intersession day camp on Friday March 28^th at Sandy Creek Park. Outdoor skills are becoming “lost arts” both in society and in many camps. The goals of this project are to develop your skills for leading age-appropriate outdoor activities and to help the children feel more comfortable in the outdoors. You will be divided into “units” with graduate students guiding each unit.

Service Learning (SL) Agency Partnership Project: Undergraduates: To strengthen your ability to apply the course content to real-world settings, each student will identify either: 1) a summer camp or agency with a camping/youth development program that could have your “dream job” waiting for you, 2) a project area, such as public policy, inclusion, criminal background checks, etc. that is of interest to you. This link will be an integral part of your learning opportunity and could be a springboard to your career. Regardless of your choice, the following elements need to be included in your learning: interview(s) with professionals, research literature (3 research articles) and best practices review (3 professional articles), summary document or position paper, class presentation of your work. You may do this project alone or in groups of no more than three. Please see WebCT for a list of agencies with projects for which they would like help.

Graduates: In two project groups, you will be developing a comprehensive policy manual and training modules for two area agencies in need of such manuals: Partnership for Community Learning Centers and Touching Tallifero With Love. You are responsible for arranging a meeting with the day camp coordinator, developing 2 staff training modules, and a final product.

Experiential Field Trip and Reflection Paper: As a beginning step toward professional involvement, attendance of at least one day of a conference is a course assignment. The best conference will be one that emphasizes environmental education or other camp specific focus. Ones that I am aware of include: GRPA Day Camp Workshop: January 23; Statesboro GA, PEAK (Preparing Educators for Adventure with Kids) Conference: Feb 7-9; Cedar Mountain, NC, $50; GRPA Legislative Forum, Feb 17-18, Atlanta; Edith Upchurch Innovative Programming Forum: March 5-7: - Rock Eagle 4-H Center, Eatonton, GA; GRPA Outdoor Section Workshop: March 28-29; Athens. Other conferences need approval by the instructor. Within one week following the field trip, a three-page reflection paper is due highlighting your observations, learning in connection with this course, and how you plan to apply your learning; in addition, turn in notes from an individual interview with a professional, and handouts from the workshop.

Tentative Schedule

DAY	DATE	IN-CLASS TOPIC	ASSIGNMENTS DUE Undergraduate Students	ASSIGNMENTS DUE Graduate Students
W	Jan 15	Background & Standards Overview
W	Jan 22	Philosophy and Program	Chapters 1, 2, 3, 16 Written marketing ideas	Chapters 1, 2, 3, 16
W	Jan 29	Personnel Organization and Recruitment Marketing	Chapter 6, 12, 14 SL Project Proposal Conf. Notification	Chapter 6, 12, 14 Division of Labor Plan Conf. Notification
W	Feb 5	Staff Supervision and Training	Chapter 7, 8	Chapter 7, 8 5 copies of Policy Manual Outline
TUES	Feb 11	Summer Camp Job Fair Tate Center 10-2 Attend for 1 ½ hours and observe
W	Feb 12	Participants & Program Design	Chapter 4, 5 Best practices review	Chapter 4, 5 5 copies of Training module story board
W	Feb 19	Intersession (in-class)	2 copies Individual ideas for Intersession	Draft of policy manual
W	Feb 26	Risk Management	Chapter 10 Research review	Chapter 10 5 copies of Draft program plan for Intersession
W	Mar 5	Staff Training Modules	Project progress report	Training Module
Fri	Mar 7	Withdrawal Deadline
M	Mar 12	Intersession (in-class)	Interview write-up	2 copies of Final program plan for Intersession
W	Mar 19	Spring Break	Relaxation and Catch-up
W	Mar 25	(no meeting during class time)
FRI	Mar 28	Intersession 8am-Noon At Sandy Creek Park
W	Apr 2	Site and Facility	Chapter 9 2 copies of SL Project Report Draft	Chapter 9
W	Apr 9	Operation and Supervision: Central Administration Services	Chapter 11 SL Project Presentations	Chapter 11 Final Policy Manual Due
W	Apr 16	Business and Finance	Chapter 13 SL Project Presentations	Chapter 13
W	Apr 23	Evaluation and Reporting Course Evaluation	Chapter 15 Reflection papers	Chapter 15 Reflection papers
Thur	Apr 24	RLST End of the Year Picnic; Lake Herrick 6:30; Hope to see you there
W	Apr 30	Wrap-up and Catch-up	Final SL Project Reports
Thurs	May 2	Final Exam 7-10pm

Each time a chapter is indicated as due, that assignment includes the ACA standards listed in the text after the “checkpoints” section.