Article 6: The counselor intimate relationships

The rules of Camp Kysoc were clear:

"no relationships between staff are allowed or must remained secret to the campers"

This rule was really important and it is still valid in most of the american camps.

BUT

One morning when I took my campers to watch "Tranformers" in the movie room, as I open the door of the basement, I walked on something, I looked at my foot a camper told me “You walked on a chewing gum Ghislain”, I looked at it closer, it wasn’t a chewing gum at all…

A used condom had been left on the floor… me and my co-worker realized it but decided to hide the fact saying “I hate chewing gum” I left and throw the condom away in the forest by shaking my foot… I know I might have polluted a little bit of the Kentucky forest I apologize.

But here is the fact: counselors had sexual relationships in an activity room for the kids and left it on the floor…

I do repeat! The Camp Kysoc rules were clearly against any relationships between staff! I don’t want any of the reader to think they were not against staff having sexual relationship because they were. But “rules are made to be crossed sometime” as the quote says….

Article 4: lack of camper supervision

This article does concern a small minority of the counselors on camp only. During camp sessions I had noticed that some counselors, a minority were not taking good care of their campers. Their unfriendly feeling was obvious but I DON’T say it was everyone!

It happened many times during two weeks that some of them spent chatting on the fishing bridge while their campers were hunting for worms inside of the forest with their fishing hook on one hand. Going down of steep and of course no counselors, they were by their own or examining the water on their own. They were so far that nobody could have done anything if an accident would have happened…

Counselors spent their time just doing nothing while their campers were walking or running with a sharp hook on their hand and playing with it…

Another example was the tractor ride called the “Hayride” it was an occasion for counselors to sleep… Yes I know sleepin in the tractor is not the best bed Isn’t it? But it did happen a lot of times probably among 80% of the counselors and the worst was that during this time the campers were by their own on the trailer, if a camper would stand up and fall next to the wheel or anything like this, trust me the counselors wouldn’t be able to do anything about it! And I think that no counselors would say to you, “It is not true I never slept during the Hayride.”

An other example, one day while playing american football with my group of kids I realised that one kid from the other group of my village was missing this group was supervised by Graham ( English ) and Steven ( American ). I asked them where the kid was.

" I have no idea " was their answer.

I went to the toilet and found him half an hour after he was missing, he had been left alone in the toilets, the automatic light was off and the worse was that this kid was autistic... When I came he was crying and dirty in fact he had defecated on himself... I had to clean it...

When I reported this to the camp Director the only thing he did was to check the door... But the problem had nothing to see with the doors but the conselors who left this kid alone....

Do you imagine, forgetting during half an hour a kid alone in the toilets when the lights are turned off.... Someone doing that in Camp Anne would have been fired directly for neglect but not in Kysoc....

Once again, does that sound safe to you?

Article 3: The lack of knowledge about special need diseases

On my first day a camper was having a seizure and nobody was able to restrain him, instead they were restraining him dangerously and not at all as they should do, I looked at the scene absolutely scandalized… This was probably the first time I was so impressed by the lack of knowledge counselors have, I came by and asked if I could try something. I picked up the camper using the right behavior described in any “special need care book” and I calmed him down. We walked around without a problem and it was only my first day….

During the rest of the session I clearly noticed the lack of knowledge counselors had about special need kids… When I talked about the seizures on my first meeting with the staff of my village everyone was staring at me like I was teaching them a math lecture. Even a returner of Camp Kysoc was staring at me as if I was teaching him how to go to the moon with a simple match…. And he was a so called “returner”.

Article 2: the alcohol importance on camp.

As the majority of people on camp are British the Binge Drinking culture was clearly important. I am the last one to make cliches but the British team of counselor was clearly fond of it.

In New York anyone who was talking of alcohol or drinking during camp session was fired which was not the case in Camp Kysoc. As many “illegal drinking parties” took place on camp. People were gathering in deserted cabins like ”whuhuhu” or on the boat to drink and get as drunk as they could. When I asked Graham one of my co workers “Why are you drinking on camp? Why are you drunk? Isn’t that forbidden?” he answered “don’t worry the director is on the other side of the bridge!”

I felt sorry for the counselors when I heard this. The campers were still asleep while they were all having their drinks. And bottles of alcohol were left everywhere in the staff Lodge where campers could go as the door was always left open.

Counselors were speaking about how drunk they will be during the next week end off with campers around.

One day I went to the nature lodge to pick up my luggage I left there on the first day, I opened the door, about 5 bottles of spirits were “hidden” on the right corner of the room. I put them away to get my luggage. This cabin was left opened all day, all week. That is to say that if a camper would wish to, he could have access to these 5 bottles of spirits…. And same thing for the cabin “Whuhuhu” where counselors were having their drinking parties, bottles were left, most of them were empty but not all of them….

NB: the bottles on the picture….

Article 1 : The lack of security in Camp Kysoc

In Camp Kysoc you can be lifeguard or zip line counselor without being certified or having the three years orientation required in countries like France, Spain or England where you have to pass a long and hard orientation of 2 years minimum ( In France ). The orientation is changed by a 1 week orientation in Kysoc... It might not be a standard in America and maybe Camp Kysoc never had any trouble in the past which I deeply think but still.

My co worker from France was a French certified lifeguard that is to say he had a military training with theory and practical exercises, perfect knowledge of the water and had been through a 2 years orientation. The lifeguard orientation process in France is known in the whole world to be the hardest one, about 15% of the applicants succeed in having the certificate.

When he saw how lifeguards were working on camp Kysoc he couldn’t believe his own eyes… None of the Lifeguard standards were respected. Our lifeguard was playing soccer with us instead of seating in a chair and supervising; campers were drowning themselves in the pool and playing dangerous game while the lifeguard was playing soccer around the pool. And this happened four times and the first time it was with special need kids in the pool.

Does that sound safe to you?

The boat in Camp Kysoc called the SS Mathilda is not a powerfull one but still the maximum speed was quite fast. When I was in New York or counseling in French Camps the boat could be driven only by certified lifeguard having boat driving license.

Once again this is not the case in Kysoc The boat was driven by a 17 years old high school student unskilled lifeguard who was going as fast as he could on the boat to satisfy the campers…

Did he have (as the rest of the lifeguard) a boat driving license? Did he realize that at full speed the direction of the boat was compromised? That the directions could be blocked? That he was putting the life of the campers in the canoes endanger? Does he have any knowledge of how much deep was the lake for his speed? The answer to all these questions is no….

You can call Camp Kysoc and ask them to see the certificate of their lifeguards and their boat driving license, the answer will still be no.

Lacks of security stroke my eyes, concerning the Zip Line. Jim Ebert the Camp Director is one of the world biggest climbers which is good to know when you send your children to climb trees etc… Unfortunately I saw Jim supervising probably twice or three time in two weeks. The rest of the activity was run by counselors who had maybe one or two weeks of orientation….

Being a climbing instructor even for the basic things requires a certificate in all the other countries in Europe, even in America and still accident occurs.

Following the studies the percentage of risk of accident with someone not certificate is multiplied by 250% per staff, they were 6 or 7 counselors supervising the activity… I let you do the math…

Does that sound safe to you?

Hello Everyone.

My name is Ghislain I come from South of France, you have probably saw this blog adress on the newspapers thanks to my lawyers contacts with some kentuckian press and media organism which shows that it works and I am thankfull for this, please share the adress and let the truth be told.

Before talking about anything in particular I just want you to have an overview of who you are reading the blog of.

I am a sport counselor certified by the FFH and the IHF ( French Handball Federation and International Handball Federation ) I managed 10 teams of more than 20 kids for more than 5 years, which makes a total of 200 kids under my responsability.

I am a Special Need Counselor refered from AHRC Camp Anne in New York which is one of the biggest special need camp in the USA today.

I am studying a degree in English, and rank 1st in my Baccalaureat in economy section ( Baccalaureat is the first diploma students have at the end of High School )

I am running the french Club being a french teacher in a special need school in the Darlington Area ( Near Newcastle ) since the begining of January. But I can't tell the name of the school I work for as I know people would try to get me fired once again.

I am actually studying in Northumbria in Newcastle as an exchange student.

The reason why I make this blog is simple: I want you to know that you have to avoid sending your kids to Camp Kysoc, Kentucky.

Why?

You'll see through out the blog all the reasons to avoid this camp, some people would say to you, I am ruling a vendetta against them, that is false, I do this because there is too much things that need to be said against this camp, their counselors etc...

I am a special need counselor refered from Camp Anne, working as a sport counselor from 5 years I had about 1 000 kid under my supervision since the begining of my career, I teach french to special need children. So I speak to you with more experience than needed to establish a true judgment about Camp Kysoc.

I assure that 100% of the things you will read on this blog has been told and certified by witnesses under the supervision of my international lawyer in Brusells last November who is actually preparing a trial against them.

Throughout the blog I am going to put pictures showing each arguments I have against this camp: alcohol on camp, incidents, errors of counselors not being punished etc... And I only stayed two weeks!

I chose to put pictures to prove what I say.

You can think and act, or think I lie, feeling angry and the red cross is at the bottom of the page on your right, but we all know that truth hurts...

Thank you for your reading.

Ghislain