How We Take Care of You

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: you are Greystone to these campers, and you are the foundation of their camp experience. You are important to our team, and we want to take care of you so that you can serve and love these girls with all your might! We put a lot of effort into making sure you feel appreciated and well-cared-for throughout your time at camp, and these are just a few things you can look forward to!

Before Camp

Yes, we want to care for you before you even get here so that you can arrive in Tuxedo feeling connected to our community and confident about the summer ahead. These newsletters are the first step, but it doesn’t end there! We’re treating you to free Greystone gear in the Staff Store and giving you a direct avenue to connect with each other through our Staff GroupMe. As the summer gets closer, stay tuned for more ways to learn about Greystone and connect with each other. And in the meantime? Just reach out or send in a question if you need anything or want to chat! YOU are our priority now and in the future.

Orientation

Orientation is a whole week devoted just to you! We have been working for months to make that week of training great, and our biggest goal is for you to feel prepared for the job you’re about to do and connected to what Greystone is and the people here as you go into the summer. We’ll be training you on everything you need to know to be an incredible counselor - all you need to do is to show up!
One of the best parts about Orientation is meeting your fellow staff members and making new friends. Even though we’ll spend a good amount of time learning, we’ll still have fun ways for you to mix and mingle and start those relationships that will last a lifetime. Orientation is jam-packed, and a little crazy, but we hope you’ll feel very well taken care of from the start.
Daily devotions and praise and worship time during Orientation week. We have a minister here just for you during Orientation, and daily devotions kick us off on the right foot each morning. We hope these will help settle your heart and connect you with the Lord before the job even begins.

Great Day Groups and Small Groups

Great Day Groups are small groups aimed at building community and growing in the Four-Fold Way (mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually). They can be anything from a running or fitness group to a Bible study to conversation and coffee on the Dining Hall porch! They are completely optional, but they are a great way to plug in to the camp community and make new friends. Counselors who look for ways to connect with other people and grow are the counselors who have the best summers! We’d encourage you to take ownership of your summer and get involved in a Great Day Group.
Interested in leading a Great Day Group or have a great idea for one? Fill out this form to share your idea or your interest!
All staff will also be placed in a small group for Orientation week. This group will touch base regularly throughout Orientation for connection and support. After Orientation week, how much you participate in your Small Group is up to you, but we’d encourage you to keep in touch throughout the rest of your weeks here.

Mentorship and Support

Your Group Leader is the person on staff whose biggest priority is YOU and your campers. Everyone has a Group Leader, whether you are on Cabin Staff or Program Staff, and you’ll find out who your Group Leader is at the beginning of each session.
Group Leaders are veteran staff members and give the best advice for any camp situation you’re in. Your Group Leader will be checking in with you regularly all throughout your session and will be a listening ear and shoulder to cry on (when needed!) any time you need her. Your Group Leader is never too busy for you, so don’t hesitate to find her any time - that is what she is there for!
If you’re on Program Staff, you will also have a Program Staff cabin mentor. Mentors are some of our “adult women” on staff, and they have so much wisdom and love to give! Your mentor will check in with your cabin throughout the session and will be a listening ear and a helpful hand when you need her.
Our whole team is ready to support you and help you talk through any issue that arises, but there are a few people who will be doing so more proactively. In addition to your Group Leader, Cat will also be checking in with you multiple times throughout the summer to hear how you’re doing and how we can support you better. We also have a trained counselor (Kristi James) who will be here all summer long to serve as an extra support system to you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to her any time this summer that you want to chat!

A culture of feedback

At camp, we believe feedback is a gift you give someone to help them grow, and we’ll all be giving and receiving feedback all summer long! We want to encourage you in the job you’re doing and help you know how to do it even better, so expect to hear a lot about feedback and how we do it at camp during Orientation. We will all be communicating with each other constantly throughout the summer!
That means we also want feedback from you! You are a deeply valued and cared for member of our staff, and we value your opinion in all things. We want to hear what you have to say! If you have an idea, a suggestion, a way we can care for you better, or feedback about how things are going, just find a Group Leader or Director or send us an idea on your weekly staff survey.

The fun stuff

Surprise and delight go a long way at camp, and we want that to extend to our staff too! We won’t give away all of our surprises now, but just know that we want this summer to be fun and full of joy for you.

These two places are going to be some of your favorite spots at camp:

The Gritz, our staff day-off house: Yes, that’s the Greystone Ritz, and it lives up to its name! The Gritz is yours to use during your day off to relax and recharge. Here you can find a tv, wifi, snacks, space to nap, and even a room to talk to your counselor at home.
The Bodega, our staff-only snack hut: We keep this one a secret from the campers, but stop by the Bodega anytime you need a pick-me up. We stock it with iced coffee, drinks, and snacks, all free to you! You can also store your own drinks and snacks here for easy-access during the day.

And so much more!

We could go on and on, but this page is already long enough, and we still want to keep some surprises! We like to go above and beyond for our whole community during the summer, and that includes you. A few more things you can expect:

Weekly surveys for us to check-in with you and see how you’re doing
One-on-one meetings with your Group Leader and with Cat
Daily huddles and Sunday night staff meetings for us to reconnect as a team and prepare for the week ahead (and have a little fun too!)
Continuing education throughout the summer to help with your job at camp and encourage professional growth for the future
Resources to make your time-off as valuable as possible
A team ready to listen to your needs and serve you as you serve our campers. Have an individual need that comes up? Just let us know - we are flexible and always happy to help you figure anything out!