Prof. Mtro. Yamandu Ploskonka DSLL |
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Please note: The following descriptions mention skills related to camp program areas
detailing only situations on which I have been Instructor, Supervisor, or designer and builder of equipment, even if it were not in a camp setting.
No mention is made of personal, just-for-fun experience, which often covers many years and diverse situations.
Water Activities
Water activities by their very nature are often the most fun and enjoyed area any camp.
Because they are so basic and widespread, water activities require special attention from a safety point of view, since they could easily lead the instructor into routine and lack of the close attention that is so necessary if they are to remain safe. Safe, so water can be all the fun it can be.
Sailing | Sailing Instructor for Optimist Class & Mirror Class, and one-on-one tutoring on several sailboats up to 25'. Organiser of YCB sailing programs for children. YCB Harbor Master | Wood and fiberglass repair. Anti-fouling paint. Marina maintenance. Motor maintenance and repair. Sail repair. Ferrocement construction. Map making. Welding. Carpentry. General attention to Club members and visitors. Organised an international regatta for the YCB Programmed a course on boat parts for Computer-based learning. | |
Swimming | Supervisor, Instructor | preparation of roped, safe areas for swimming activities. Firm staff training in non-negotiable safety and risk-management procedures. | |
Canoeing | Instructor, Trip Leader | Logistics, pre-trip training of campers and accompanying staff, supervision while activity is run. Inventor, designer and builder of the "Canoyak", a light, inexpensive two-camper boat | |
Motorboating | Instructor, Harbor Master | Trainer in safety & operation issues. Minor repairs and maintenance helped organise several cuises for YCB. Organised a Predicted Log Contest | |
Fishing | Instructor | Construction of simple, inexpensive fishing tackle, lures and flies Fish woodfire cooking without utensils (mmm, yummy) |
Ropes & Challenge Activities | Return to the main page or go back to "Resume" |
High ropes | Designer, Builder & Instructor of maybe the only civilian high ropes course in Uruguay | Design, construction, maintenance of High Ropes course, including rappel / climbing wall and Giant's Ladder and some minor low ropes elements | |
Low ropes / Initiative courses | Designer, instructor | Several elements for initiative and adventure activities, mostly using existent buildings, tree stumps, tires and the like Ideas adopted and adapted from Outward Bound books and concepts | |
Rock climbing | Instructor | Training, control of safety of equipment and procedures, supervising activity | |
Adventure / Initiative activities | Organiser, Instructor | Organised and ran diverse group bonding initiative activities, inspired in Outward Bound concepts |
Games & Sports | Return to the main page or go back to "Resume" |
Rugby | Rugby coach, a title I have always felt honored to deserve | Made our first Rugby ball by hand Tackle dummies, rugby shirts and such equipment. Directed PR efforts, organised trips and participation in national events. Wrote press releases, and had 15 minutes of radio every two weeks about Rugby (1994-96) | |
Soccer | Coach "adult in charge" anchor "La Hora del Baby Futbol" radio broadcast | Often what was required was simply a sort of chaperone, but other times it was more a coach position. I am rather more in touch with Rugby than with soccer, but the way things are in Uruguay, I found myself taking care of co-curricular and extra-curricular soccer pretty much all of the time. | |
Roller Hockey | Volunteer Instructor | Amor en Accion is a Christian mission that does outreach with street children and at-risk-youth. I helped train and run Roller Hockey activities | |
Track & Field | Volunteer, Special Olympics Teacher | In the 1997 National Special Olympics I took over the most varied chores, ditto in several interschool High School meets I helped with | |
Archery | Instructor Maker of equipment | As I said above, I consider Archery a necessary program area in camp. Yet the high expense of equipment in Uruguay required I build targets, strings for bows, and even a bow and arrows. | |
Minigolf | Instructor Course designer | Golf is almost unknown in Uruguay due to the expense in equipment. Thus it was definitely an extraordinary (and well liked activity) there | |
Rifle & Air Gun Ranges | Range designer | Actually this activity never got off the ground in CampoAventura, beyond building a safe range for cal .22 and airguns. I also designed the procedures for safe use | |
Biking, Bike Trekking | Instructor Trip Leader | Biking activities let people become active in putting in practice safety principles. Bike trekking expands possibilities for camping and adventure, as it allows greater distances to be covered. |
High Tech | Return to the main page or go back to "Resume" |
Photography | Instructor Exhibition designer | Photography, even from very simple equipment like pinhole cameras, has a lot of "magic" that young people enjoy to discover. As well as teaching basic darkroom procedures, I prepared an exhibition on photography. | |
Video | Instructor Jack of all trades | From what was a Geography project, three of my classes produced a short documentary about our city. For this not only did I give instruction, but had to solve many of the practical problems that arise in such cases. | |
Rocketry | Expert | I helped a Science Fair team to develop their project on rockets. Later on I learned this is a usual activity in many US camps. | |
Computers | Instructor | I started teaching Computers in a formal setting in 1984, in San José Private School, and I keep using them and training others in it use |
Religious Activities | Return to the main page or go back to "Resume" |
Sunday School | S.S. Teacher | Prepare a lesson, Bible on hand. Prepare additional materials to build interest and learning | |
Devotions, Chappel | Senior Counselor | Part of the duties of counselors was to lead in an evening devotion time in each cabin, and once a while, lead the whole camp in morning chappel devotions. |
Woodcraft | Return to the main page or go back to "Resume" |
Camping | Instructor Trip Leader Contingent Leader | My camping skills honed by much practice gave me the satisfaction of having the only campers who were reasonably dry, fed, and with activities during a large camp when it rained almost non-stop for 4 days. | |
Trekking | Instructor Trip Leader | Trekking makes for even closer calls than single-location camping. When you take a group trekking, logistics, weight, careful planing are even more essential for success | |
Cooking without utensils Pioneering | Instructor | Cooking without utensils is a natural part of primitive camping and trekking. In Camp Wewa such activities came under the name of Pioneering | |
Survival Skills | Instructor | Survival Skills training is especially attractive to older teenagers. I do not condone this kind of activities when they include killing animals | |
Orienteering | Instructor Course designer | Map, course, markers design and instalation. Training in the use of compass and maps | |
Hiking | Instructor | Even the most 'modern' camp must have hiking as an activity. It allows for building many processes of self-discovery and teamwork, when there is proper preparation and activities are planned beyond just walking. | |
Scoutcraft Pioneering | Instructor Troop Leader | Scoutcraft adds to traditional woodcraft activities and skills those related to Scouting. Ropework, signaling, camp constructions |
Nature & Environmental study activities | Return to the main page or go back to "Resume" |
Nature Program Area | Instructor | Boy Scouts have many sets of pre-programmed activities as part of the Merit Badge system. The 4-instructor team I was part of in Olmsted dealt with Merit Badges related to nature | |
Geology | Merit Badge Counselor | I learned enough geology by my dad's side (he's a geologist), to be the most prepared to teach and evaluate scout's knowledge in that subject | |
Astronomy | Merit Badge Counselor | Sharing this knowledge with others was putting to use my hobby when a teenager | |
Ecology Activities | Teacher | Part of a grade school's teacher nowadays is being involved in teaching about the environment, and acting on that. Headed several recycling projects, even one at city level. | |
Nature trail | Designer, Instructor | A nature trail lets a camper take nature and knowledge at his own pace. Makes for better, friendlier learning. |
Arts & Crafts | Return to the main page or go back to "Resume" |
Ceramics | Instructor Industrial consultor | Kiln building, primitive firing techniques, engobe, glassing, potter's wheel, plaster molding | |
Tapestry | Instructor Cooperative advisor | All steps of several different tapestry techniques. Loom, carder, spinning machine construction | |
Woodworking | Instructor Carpentry shop manager | msot issues related to use of wood for furniture, windows, doors. Finishing | |
Silk-screen | Instructor | A fascinating activity. Young people crave the power to make their own T-shirt designs | |
Drama | Christmas Pageant producer, writer, etc Teacher | Logistics of drama production pale in front of the effort to provide an environment where young people will be creative without bounds. | |
Campfire | Leader Team member | Campfires are a natural part of any sort of camps. Creativity, initiative, joyousness |