Storytelling
A P O W E R F U L C R A F T
VISUAL
t’s a curious fact about humans — we love to tell and consume stories. We tell stories that make us laugh, make us cry, even baffle us. Often, the content of a story and its emotional effect or moral lesson is what ultimately moves us. However, the craft of storytelling is what truly brings a story to life. As camp professionals, we most often think of
Andrew Belinfante Camp Ramah in the Berkshires Andrew Belinfante has spent a total of fifteen years as a camper and staff member within the Ramah movement. He grew up at Camp Ramah in California, and now works year-round as Program Coordinator with Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. He is also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Education at Bankstreet College in Manhattan. He loves frozen yogurt.
Luckily, I had an incredibly inspiring counselor. He was my right-hand man that summer, my hero, my friend. Within a day of being at camp, he visited the infirmary with me six times and set up meetings with the camp doctors and nurses to find out more about diabetes. He went to the local library in town and found a book about a little boy with diabetes. He read it to our bunk the second night of camp. He explained that we all have things that make us special and “diabetes is one of Andrew’s special things.” He did this so poignantly. He proceeded to ask my bunkmates what made them special, and we took turns discussing everyone’s special qualities. His masterful use of storytelling helped me find pride in my new identity and comfort with my peers. A STORY TO INFLUENCE As inspiring as stories can be, it is also important to note that storytelling often cannot be controlled or censored, and some stories take a wrong turn. For example, Camp Ramah has had experience with campers posting graffiti on our bunks. This type of story can easily be told by a camper as a “totally awesome day where the counselors had no idea we were decorating the bunk.” Why would a twelve year-old not feel this way? We took this problem as an opportunity to discuss graffiti at camp in more appropriate ways, and encourage a dialogue about how to make camp a cleaner place. To do this, we started a campaign called “Ask A Madrich” (madrich is the Hebrew word for counselor). We reached out to some of our top counselors and had them record videos about common camp questions. One video in the series addressed graffiti. In it, a counselor talked about how important it is for campers to feel like they are part of a legacy at camp. Unfortunately, some campers equate graffiti with that. What the counselor suggested, though, is that there are more appropriate ways to “leave a mark.” He shared an example of a young man who used the climbing wall to create his legacy. The counselor reminisced about that young man being able to climb the wall in only thirteen seconds! He illustrated that graffiti is not a respectable lasting impression, but being known for something like the fastest climber sure is. Managing narratives to encourage positive behaviors became central to our campaign.
A STORY TO PROMOTE The skills and resources we use to tell impactful stories can also be applied as tools to market and promote camp. Both verbally and visually, anytime we create a brochure, web page, Facebook post, etc., we are presenting a story. Camp Ramah’s summer program is described in detail on our website as a way for families to discover and understand what we do. Our Facebook Page is replete with pictures, videos, and camp articles to share our culture. We often use Instagram as way to continue the story of camp throughout the year. Everything we do in off-season communications aims to tell a story, keeping our community’s fond emotions for camp engaged. When we do our official “Countdown to Camp” (inclusive of photos, videos, and a bi-weekly newsletter), we always see campers sharing and redistributing the content. We want our community to recount and retell the Ramah story over and over again. As you begin exploring ways your camp can create and tell more stories, call on your natural storytelling inclinations. Consider what gets you excited about camp and what stories you want your community to tell. It’s essential to envision your desired outcomes when storytelling. Having clear objectives will help you effectively develop and deliver stories that engage your audience and foster continuation. Never forget, people want to experience and retell great stories. You hold the power to influence and inspire your camp community for generations to come — it’s all in the stories you craft. Andrew Belinfante www.ramahberkshires.org
TECH TOOLS
to Tell Your Camp’s Story: 1 . A N I M O T O.C O M Upload some photos, pick your music, choose a theme; your content is magically transformed into a modern, professional video. 2 . I N S TA G R A M .C O M Share and explore stories via pictures; it’s simple, and it plays to people’s emotions. 3 . V I N E .C O Broadcast video to share with the world (six second limit keeps things fresh and fast-paced). 4 . D I P I T Y.C O M Build a web-based timeline to showcase your camp’s milestones over the years; incorporate videos, photos, documents, and more. 5 . V I S U A L .LY Create an infographic; blend complex information or data into visuals to create an easily digestible story.
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