We weren't trained. We weren't ready, but we were responsible anyway.
We sat down for the debrief meeting at the end of the day. It was only the second day of day camp, but we were already wishing the week was over.
Two staff had been bitten.
One child went to the hospital for stitches after walking into an open window while leaving with their mom.
We were just a bunch of teenagers. The camp director was barely in her twenties. The children’s pastor—our backup—was away dealing with a family emergency.
20 years later, I sat in another camp office, this time at an overnight camp. A child had been dropped off without their medication—meds essential to their abilities to regulate. It looked like they wouldn’t arrive for at least a day.
I was pulled from my other volunteer duties to be part of the discussion. As a team, we calmly made a plan and made sure the right staff and volunteers knew what to do.
The medication arrived later, but too late for that day. We had to shift to Plan B, and then improvised a Plan C as the day unfolded. At the end of the day, we debriefed again. I couldn't help notice the difference from that day years before - made more obvious as one of the staff had been with me during that chaotic day camp years ago.
The biggest difference? Everyone was smiling.
Sure, we were tired. But the general consensus was, “Today went really well.”
The staff had responded and prevented with confidence. They had noticed the early signs of dysregulation. They knew where to go, what to do, and who had their back. They felt ready for tomorrow.
All they needed now was a good night’s sleep.
Want the same for your team? Let’s make it happen—with training that actually prepares them for the hard moments.