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The problem happens when you have an attention seeking camper who "comes out" to the counselors after camp as a means of seeking more attention. I'm not saying that everyone is a faker, but... you know it when you hear it.

But right on with positive female (and male) role models at camp; we're trustworthy and there to teach them right and wrong and how to be comfortable with themselves and with expressing themselves.

I never had it happen to me.... I saw it happen on the movie Happy Campers at the end of the session a 12 year old told the gay coubnselor " Guess what I am gay" which seemed kinda fakeish

We have had campers come out at camp but never to me - for which I am glad as I really dont know how I would react!

She was definitely a problem camper to begin with, to say the least.

I have had a student (in a school, so not camp at all) come out to me; it was hard, and sometimes you don't know why or what to do, but all and all they just really wanted to be able to tell someone so it was off their chest and they could feel better. Sometimes, just being a pair of ears is all people need.

Yea it's just enough to tell someone. In fact it's better that you don't say anything. I've been the first person to say that they are gay to someone but never been the first person that someone has come out to. (If you know what I'm saying)

I was actually in a situation where someone came out to me, and told me about her relationship with my fried all in one night. It was a really weird night, but not because of the whole coming out thing, but a whole bunch of other stuff that had to do with her talking to me and with her relationship. Both of the girls in the relationship were together at camp (I didn't even know it, how naive am I, plus they probably avoided showing togetherness when I was there, which is a whole other story).

Anyway, I've never had a camper come out, though I work with the ones who haven't gotten to puberty yet so they probably don't know if they are gay yet.

Just telling someone is enough for the most part I bet. It probably isn't the best thing to say a lot, though confirmation that you don't hate them for it and still value them as the same person they have been all session is good, even if you don't really say anything but treat them as you did before they came out and say that you are glad they can talk to you or something like that.

some of my clsoet friends are gay and the all laugh cus i never new tilll they told me now i know its really obvious and ill be walking down the strret and ill be like his hot and they have to but in with 'his so gay you cna tell'
dammmiitt

so im ok with gayness but if a camper told me i think i would be like whhattttt.. yeh think i would struggle for the first few minuets with stuff to say

I would be in the same position of not knowing what to say because I dont want the CD to be pissed at me for discussing sexuality with a camper.

Like we get told in Guiding... if the child brings it up then it becomes as safe as you feel about it.

Which means don't bring it up yourself!

I feel safe talking about it as long as the camp doesnt tell us to ignore what the camper tells us

Oh now that is totally dangerous ground. I could never ignore a camper.

At my last camp, we were told if the camper brought up anything sexual like sexually inappropiate things or coming out to send him/her to the head counselor or the camp nurse. The camp perfered the camp nurse

Well I guess (depending on the nurse) that could be a good thing. Maybe that's my training kicking in.

It's good to tell the camp nurse because they may already be sexually active or considering it, and as campers are under 18, They could probably use "the talk" from someone they may take more seriously than their parents (who may or may not have had a really serious conversation about it - mine wasn't).
Also, they may have been sexually abused, and that's something the nurse has to consider.


Other than those, I think it's also good to listen before taking them to see the nurse, and letting them know that you're there to help them, and that they can trust you, and then tell them WHY you have to take them o the nurse (the whole confidentiality contract thing that we're all probably well aware of).

A thought that scares me more and more every single day!

Confidentiality has to be ensured or you could lose the camper's trust forever.

We had on of my campers disclose that they had been abused to my supervisor last summer - obviously she didnt tell me all the details just that - and it really saddened me - but it totally explained about her behaivour!

We had some sisters that... you knew something was wrong at home, but you couldn't put your finger on it. Truns out they were with their mother and her boyfriend, and it wasn't a very good situation. Obviously, the staff wasn't informed about much, but I can only hope things are OK now.


Previous to GS camps I worked at leadership camps for high schoolers, co-ed, and sponsored by MADD. We had all kinds of kids there, but mostly they all ended up fine. Our staff came from all kinds of backgrounds (divorce, drugs, alcoholism, etc); and it helped the kids get back onto the right track, so to speak.
Confidentiality was always touchy there, but it seemed to work out well; I keep in touch with a lot of my kids and still mentor them.

what is MADD (over here we have MAD - mothers against drugs!)?

When I was at the main idea we had lots of poor kids from that kind of back ground but cos we only had 2 days staff training the extent of the abuse training we got was talk to the nurese or camp leadership!

Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Very similar.

OK I get you now!

I had 2 brothers who were living with Grandma and the reason why they were not living with the biological mother was because the biological mother had physcially and sexually abused her young male children-- the campers were 8 and 6. The campers were also negleted because they looked small for their age and it was due to the biological mother not feeding them the right foods so they could grow. I dont want to give the details of the abuse here as it would proberly gross out most of the people on the board

abuse is a touchy subject...It goes straight to the CD after telling the camper that I have to report it so that they can go through the proper channels.

Well the abuse went through the channels before camp... the grandmother got custody of the boys

that's good. I hope I never have to be invovled with someone losing custody of their kids.

I know. I avoided the details on here because it was so gross. I just cant believe what the grandmother was saying. It explained both brothers behavior issues. One was shy and introverted and the other one told on everyone for breaking a small rule like stepping out of line