SPARC Camp Crawls Foster Connection and Build Regional Networks

^{Auxiliary professionals attend a Camp Crawl at Belmont Day and Chapel Hill - Chauncy Hall}

The idea was born "in the most auxiliary way," says St Mark's School's Kristi Jacobi. She and several other auxiliary professionals were hanging out after the Auxiliary Revenue Summit in Boston last February enjoying the company of colleagues they're rarely able to see. "You're with people who get what it's like to work in this industry," Kristi says. "During a round of margaritas, someone asked, 'Wouldn't it be amazing if we could go visit each other all summer?' Some of us work across the street from each other who've never visited each other's schools. So us being doers, we did it."

SPARC Senior Advisor Karen McCann McClelland was immediately on board with the idea. "Once Kristi told me she was doing this in the Boston area, I got a copy of her sign-up form and and sent it to my network in D.C. asking who wanted to participate."

“It’s scrappy, totally on-brand for auxiliary," says Kristi. "We had some drinks, we came up with a cool idea, and then we threw it together.”

What began as an idea over drinks grew into a summer-long adventure--Camp Crawls--where auxiliary directors in Boston and D.C. visit each other's programs and find inspiration, validation, and connection. In the Boston area, one person hosts up to eight visitors for a full day. In D.C., it's a half day.

“It’s scrappy, totally on-brand for auxiliary. We had some drinks, we came up with a cool idea, and then we threw it together.”

--Kristi Jacobi, St. Mark's School

The key to making it work is staying flexible and building in support. People get pulled into meetings, have to deal with an emergency, or get sick. "We have that understanding that if someone signs up but can't make it, we get it, " Kristi says. They also make time around lunch for visitors to check in with their camps, find a quiet place to make a call, or even take an hour or two to leave to take care of something in their own programs. And visitors can prioritize what they want to see for as long as they can stay. If someone only has a couple hours and they really want to see the car line or a particular program, that's what they do.

Half-day visits in D.C. work, but "it is in practice hard," says Karen. "I think people don't always make it a priority." But once they recognize how powerful it is to build and strengthen their local networks while learning from each other, they love the experience. Karen has encouraged her own team to go because "they're the people who really need it the most, to get out of their own shell and see how other people do things."

As someone who's been an Auxiliary Director for only a few weeks, Jaime Gouin of Wilbraham and Monson has enjoyed the connection and inspiration he's found doing Camp Crawls. "I've been impressed with the attention to detail, as I always tried to do as a science teacher. On this larger scale, the level of detail and organization has to be really good. And folks already have a lot of it figured out."

While visiting other summer camps, Jaimie has found it best to "just take it all in and write notes" as he adjusts to his new role. And he loves the opportunity to meet with and learn from other directors. "Private schools tend not to share a lot, so I was shocked when someone asked if I wanted to do a Camp Crawl. But everyone is so open about sharing. Now I have people I can ask for help, or I can bounce an idea off another auxiliary director, and hopefully someday I can return the favor."

While new directors can gain a lot from Camp Crawls, veterans can get just as much from seeing how other camps operate. One Massachusetts director said she left her summer camp for the first time in 10 years to visit another camp right next door. When she left, she wondered why she didn't do it sooner.

"Everyone is so open about sharing. Now I have people I can ask for help, or I can bounce an idea off another auxiliary director, and hopefully someday I can return the favor."

--Jaimie Gouin, Wilbraham and Monson

Kristi was surprised by one thing she learned from hosting a Camp Crawl. "I realized that we're actually really good at what we're doing. It's really validating and affirming to get that feedback." It's just as valuable, she adds, when someone points out what can be improved. "It's great when someone says you can tweak this or tweak that. And you get to hear your own explanation of how and why you do things and get feedback on that."

While getting feedback, inspiration, and sharing ideas are key reasons to do Camp Crawls, having fun being with colleagues who "get it" is just as important. In D.C. they build hydration stops into their visits during the hot summer days, including happy hours afterward to compare notes and enjoy the company of professionals who are facing similar challenges and joys of managing a summer camp. 

“It’s fun to break down the silos and reconnect with colleagues that are in it with us," Karen says. "It really does help strengthen the community, and then you have other peers, which is great. I love that part. It's the kind of thing we used to do when SPARC didn't exist, but now we have that umbrella of SPARC. We can communicate on SPARC Connect and even work up some competition between camps or regions. It's a way to bring our SPARC circle closer."

Karen and Kristi hope to see the Camp Crawl idea adopted by after school programs so they can gain the same benefits of connecting with peers. In SPARC's After School Jumpstart program, which just wrapped up for this year, people can connect, share, and inspire each other. A Camp Crawl-type initiative would help them keep that connection going. It costs nothing, and all you need to start is a sign-up sheet in Google Forms or Sign-Up Genius.

In the end, Karen says, it's all about breaking down the silos and reaffirming why auxiliary professionals do the work they do. “It’s reminds us that we’re all in this together.”

Camp Crawls are just one of the creative initiatives inspired by the powerful support SPARC members offer each other. Join us today to be a part of our community, build your network, and gain access to a host of valuable professional development tools!