This document summarizes the benefits of humane summer camp programs run by animal shelters. It describes how Brianna, a young girl who was initially afraid of animals, overcame her fears through interacting with a shelter dog at her local humane society's summer camp. She has since become a volunteer at the shelter. The document discusses how shelter camp programs provide educational and life-changing experiences for children while also connecting whole families to the shelter. Key aspects of running a successful camp include finding qualified counselors, developing engaging activities, and ensuring a safe environment for both animals and children.

1. LIZZYBROWN/BERKSHIREHUMANESOCIETY
When 6-year-old Brianna met Truman,
a collie mix, at the San Diego Humane
Society (SDHS) Animal Adventure Camp,
her first instinct was to stiffen up. She’d
never met a dog and was generally scared
of animals.
But when Brianna’s camp counselor
handed her the leash, her canine partner
stood calmly. As she crossed the room, he
followed politely by her side, frequently
sending her approving glances.
Eight years later, Brianna is an SDHS
volunteer who fundraises with her whole
family for its annual walk. She refers to her
first visit to the shelter as one of the best
days of her life—a life she can’t imagine
without the sweetness of dogs.
“Camps are what summer dreams are
made of—for both kids and adults,” says
Stephanie Itle-Clark, director of learning at
The HSUS’s Humane Society Academy. A
former middle school teacher, Itle-Clark has
seen an increasing number of programs at
animal welfare organizations address kids’
broad educational needs. “Many camp ac-
tivities include guided interactions with an-
imals,” she says, “and are designed around
children’s fascination with animals and to
help them overcome any fears.”
Brianna’s story is a perfect example
of how shelter-based camp programs are
not only a high-impact way to educate
youth; they connect whole families to
organizations.
“You see the kids dragging parents
through the adoption gallery and shop-
ping in our store,” says Stacey Zeitlin, se-
nior director of community engagement at
SDHS, who’s overseen its camp program
Happy Campers
Humane summer camps staffed by qualified counselors create enriching experiences
BY HEIDI P. COLONNA
Shelter dog Pike was
a big hit with kids at
the Berkshire Humane
Society’s summer Camp
Humane program.
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OPPOSITEPAGE:LIZZYBROWN/BERKSHIREHUMANESOCIETY
To get the word out about your camp,
look to media aimed at parents. One large
school district in Helen Woodward’s service
area, for example, has a website managed
by Peachjar that sends school and extracur-
ricular activity information to parents digi-
tally—and it has served as a platform for the
center to spread the word about its camp
and other youth programs. If your local
newspapers run springtime special sections
devoted to summer day camps, advertising
in them is another well-targeted approach.
The people working at your camp are
crucial to its success. Although volunteers
are a tremendous asset to camp programs,
it can be a challenge to find someone to give
full-time hours to leading the camp for an
entire summer, providing consistency and
making necessary adjustments to camp
curriculum over time. And if you have a
humane educator or community outreach
person on staff, it’s ideal to reserve that posi-
tion for managing program logistics (includ-
ing communication with parents) while the
counselors work one-on-one with the chil-
dren, teaching the curriculum.
How do you begin to find temporary
staff for the important role of leading
youth in daily activities tied to your mis-
sion? First, think about qualifications. “You
want educators that parents can trust leav-
ing their kids with for the day, and it’ll be
an educational program,” says Zeitlin. “You
also want a fun, camp-like environment as
opposed to being like school all summer.”
Fun, according to Zeitlin, begins with
a safe environment—safe for the animals,
safe for the children and safe for each
other. “It’s a fun environment when the
classroom isn’t out of control,” she says.
First, seek candidates with classroom
management skills and experience. Your
search can begin as early as the winter before
camp. Parenting or baby-sitting experience
isn’t necessarily enough; you want someone
whose skills include managing large groups
of kids (think camping groups as large as 15).
Teachers on summer break, retired teachers
and college junior or senior education majors
for 13 years. Zeitlin says stories of campers
like Brianna—getting their whole families
involved, growing up through the program
and becoming volunteers or even employ-
ees—are common.
Twenty-six miles up the coast at Helen
Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) in
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., education man-
ager Heather Disher sees it, too. “Our best
camp instructors started as campers or
junior volunteers,” she says.
The center is a firm believer in the
power of humane education; the camp was
its first program 45 years ago, and it has
grown steadily over the years.
Of all the program’s successes, Disher is
proudest of the excitement inspired in her
campers—an enthusiasm that goes home
with them. “I love hearing the parents
come back and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I had no
idea about (blank) that my kids told me,”
she says, “or ‘[My child re-enacted] critter
camp at home and told me to be gentle and
pet with two fingers like we do with small
animals at camp.’”
While camp programs may come with
an initial price tag—mostly associated
with hiring staff—ultimately they have po-
tential to generate significant net income.
SDHS’s camp, for example, grossed nearly
$100,000 last summer. The society had over
500 children participate in its program at
a fee competitive with local YMCA camps
($220 for a week of camp, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
daily). HWAC’s camp, which follows a simi-
lar schedule and fee structure, had a record
1,500 campers in 2015, bringing in close to
$200,000 in net income.
The Power of Good People
What’s the recipe for a great camp?
There’s a lot to organize, including space
in your building, a curriculum of engag-
ing activities and promotion. But perhaps
the most important ingredient is the peo-
ple you choose.
Participants in San Diego Humane Society’s Animal Adventure Camp make friends and get some feline
perspective in group activities.
32 ANIMAL SHELTERING MAY | JUNE 2016 ANIMALSHELTERING.ORG
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3. who’ve done student teaching or camp work
are prime candidates.
Look for candidates who have experi-
ence with your programs’ target ages.
Education-savvy counselors are trained
in the three domains of learning—cogni-
tive (thinking), affective (emotional) and
psychomotor (physical), or head, heart and
body—and know how to meet the differ-
ent learning styles of children. “They’re
well-equipped to lead kids in practicing
empathy and citizenship, activating the
three domains and reducing ‘summer slide’
or the loss in the learning trajectory that
takes place in the summer,” says Itle-Clark.
(Parents will love you for that!)
Post your job announcement in the usual
places, such as your website and job search
engines. Do this early—a few months in
advance of your camp, if possible—to allow
enough time to gather a wide pool of candi-
dates and fully vet potential hires.
If you run school-based programs, also
send your announcement to teachers whose
classrooms you have visited. (Hiring these
teachers is great, because after teaching
camp all summer, there’s a good chance
they’ll use the humane lessons they learned
when they return to their regular students
in the fall.) To reach college candidates, ask
local teaching colleges to post the job an-
nouncement, and ask to share it on their
social media accounts.
To set your pay rate, find out what
other local seasonal camps, such as YMCA
camps, offer. Although nonprofits may be
known for lower salaries, do your best to
match other camps’ pay rates.
According to Disher, “Being competi-
tive with other, related jobs in [the] area
is the only way you’ll get quality people
with experience.” To research your area’s
wages, check online job search engines like
Indeed, or check Craigslist under a search
for “camp counselor” or “camp instructor.”
When you get to the interviewing
phase, consider asking candidates to do
a mock youth presentation. And keep in
mind the personal qualities that counsel-
ors should have. Being with kids for a full
day for several weeks on end can be very
tiring, so look for candidates with high
energy and lots of passion—someone who
grabs you with engaging activities.
Before You Start Camping …
New to the camp world? Start here!
Find appropriate space. Good camp activity spaces are
classrooms or education rooms. Make sure staff meeting and
break needs won’t be sacrificed. If you don’t have an appro-
priate space, look into partnering with your library or Boys &
Girls Club. While you’ll miss out on forging a connection to
your location, these groups often welcome animal-related
themes and can help you set up to deliver your message.
Allow interaction with animals. To ensure safety, involve
animals whose history with children is known firsthand, such as
staff-owned pets. Some organizations involve adoptable ani-
mals who’ve been behavior tested.
Lean on experts. Check out the Association of
Professional Humane Educators (aphe.org), a membership
organization that has an active listserv, a summer camp
resource manual and an annual conference. The American
Camp Association (acacamps.org) also offers tips on getting a
camp program started.
Use ready-made resources. Find lesson plans for your
camp’s curriculum at humanesociety.org/parents_educators.
Pinterest is another great source of creative activity ideas.
Ask for help. To tap into volunteers to assist your counsel-
ors, for example, check with local service organizations such as
National Charity League (nationalcharityleague.org), a nonprofit
volunteer organization of mother-daughter teams serving local
communities in 23 states.
Start small. Consider beginning with one to two groups
of kids in one camp classroom space. You can rotate one
group from the classroom to the kennel area and to an out-
side space. As you grow, you might move to a greater number
of groups and sessions at satellite locations, YMCAs or other
community organizations.
At Berkshire Humane Society in Pittsfield, Mass.,
junior volunteers called “Humane Heroes” lead
small groups of third- through sixth-graders in
summer camp crafts and activities, such as this
“Humane Knot” to show the link between the Earth,
plants and animals.
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4. AMELIACURTIS/SANDIEGOHUMANESOCIETY
state and federal databases. Finally, consider
requiring first aid and CPR certification for
your counselors—some states mandate it for
those running a camp program.
During the screening process, let your
instincts guide you. “Don’t just hire the
first people you meet,” says Disher. “Trust
your gut—if they seem somewhat hesitant
or don’t seem like they’d be the best fit, go
with someone else.”
When you find the right person, get
ready to watch happy campers deepen
their understanding of animals as they
build a lifelong connection to their com-
munity animal shelter. n
Heidi P. Colonna, a certified humane
education specialist, is curriculum
development manager for The HSUS’s
Humane Society Academy and serves
on the board of the Association of
Professional Humane Educators.
Of course, a love of animals is also criti-
cal. While most camp managers agree that
animal handling is not a must-have skill,
counselors have to want to be in the shelter
environment, be excited about animal wel-
fare and want to handle animals, if that’s
what the job calls for. This includes all the
animals in your curriculum, so watch for
those who are put off by the idea of hold-
ing a rat if it’s included in your curriculum.
Be sure to verify your candidates’ back-
grounds and credentials. This is particu-
larly important for those working with
children under 18. Records to consider
checking are local and federal criminal
histories, national identity verification and
driving records.
It’s also good practice to verify past em-
ployment. Both SDHS and HWAC also per-
form Live Scan fingerprinting, an electronic
method that is required in California and
compares candidates’ fingerprints to those in
During camp, Jamison Ehlers enjoys socializing a rat
in the care of San Diego Humane Society.
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