The Mini-Yo-We Mom’s Podcast
Episode #4 – What’s it like to volunteer at Mini-Yo-We when your kids are campers?
Thanks so much for joining in for this episode of the Camp Mini-Yo-We Moms podcast! Today Christine is joined by Becca and Linda, whose kids are also big fans of Camp Mini-Yo-We. In this episode the moms will be talking about what it’s like to volunteer at camp while your kids are campers there. The moms have each volunteered at Camp Mini-Yo-We in different roles, including cleaning hundreds of toilets!
- Relive your own camp experiences // Volunteering gives you a great chance to experience camp for yourself. This may be reliving and remembering your own experiences at camp, or getting to experience the feel of camp for the first time. It can be your own vacation away from the rush of the rest of the world, your job, housework, and the variety of other things that occupy our time. You get the chance to meet new friends among the other volunteer parents and stay up late talking just like your kids do in their own cabins!
- Check in on your kids from afar or close up // An advantage to volunteering at camp is that you’re there with your kids. Sometimes this may not be a good thing in the child’s eyes! Some kids want to see their parents and be assured that they’re nearby, but others are looking for space from their parents. You need to balance this carefully and know which kids may not need to see you up close, so they either have their space or won’t get homesick at the sight of you. If you’re working maintenance, you go all over the camp to clean bathrooms and restock supplies. This will allow space between you and your kids.
- See your kids interact // You may be used to seeing your kids interact with the friends they see every day at school, but volunteering at Camp Mini-Yo-We gives you the chance to see how your kids interact with other kids they’ve just met or only see once a year. You have the chance to see how well your kids fit in and make friends. It gives you the chance to see your kids interact on their own.
- Get a close up view of Camp // Watching your kids is great, but another perk is seeing how the camp actually runs. You can stay on the sidelines and watch these young people work as cabin leaders and program staff to create a camp that is fun and rewarding for the kids. You can essentially watch these young people grow in their own skills and teach the kids everything they need to know to succeed in life as they grow older.
For parents who may be worried about adults wandering around the camp and the possibility of random adults coming in, Camp Mini-Yo-We has volunteer parents wear wristbands to identify them as volunteers. The staff is trained to look for these wristbands in order to keep random adults from freely wandering around the camp premises.
Tips for helping your kids pick their activities:
- Encourage your kids to choose something they may not be able to do at home. This could be kayaking or swimming in a lake to give them new experiences.
- Don’t micromanage. Allow your kids the freedom to pick the activities that interest them without trying to force them into only the activities you want them to do.
- Encourage different types of activities. If your kid is interested in a low physical activity such as photography, encourage them to also choose a more physical activity such as sailing in order to get them moving. You can also encourage your child to do one land and one water activity to gain different experiences.
- Come to the Mini-Yo-We Open House on May 28 to test activities. This allows you and your kids to try out the activities to see what they find fun and what they may want to learn more about.
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