could your teen be a
camp counsellor?
w
By Vanessa Marcotte
hether a young person has grown up attending summer camps or not, most of them can point to an individual who has had a tremendous impact in their lives. Camp encourages the “paying it forward” philosophy when it comes to this positive influence, and being a camp counsellor provides an amazing opportunity to do exactly that – to “be the change” in a younger child’s life. This job requires an individual with a strong sense of self and passion, and of course, a keen interest in working with children. Camp counsellors are in the driver’s seat; influencing and positively impacting the lives of all the children they come into contact with over the summer, and sometimes even beyond. A camp counsellor wears many hats. At any given time they may find themselves being a doctor in the case of an emergency; a social worker through emotional times; a judge and philosopher when mediating a camper disagreement. They must lay down the law with a smile on their face, and in the next breath recite a campfire song (or ten), captivating an audience before a blazing fire. They are teachers of all things outdoors, self-esteem builders, and on that arrival day at camp, they become the most important person in a parent’s life as they entrust this camp counsellor with their most prized possession. Being “on their toes” is mandatory to ensure that campers are supervised at all times. They plan, lead and evaluate all group-based activities, onsite and off, and provide opportunities within the group experience that allows for the success and growth of all campers, regardless of their camping experience.
Counsellors also eat with campers, stress table manners and educate around healthy eating and living. Desired qualifications of a camp counsellor differ from camp to camp however, some main things a director looks for are: • Current Standard First Aid/CPR • Proven ability to care for and supervise youth • Experience as a summer camp cabin counsellor or working with youth in a recreational or educational setting Many camps have outstanding leadership programs to help develop great leaders. Regardless of their prior level of experience, participating in a leadership program provides a tremendous opportunity for education and growth for a young leader. Through workshops, active participation in the planning and executing of programs, and stepping in as a ‘co-counsellor’ in a cabin, an Leader In Training (LIT) gets a strong sense of what it takes to be a camp counsellor. While participation in a leadership program is not always a must, it sets the young leader up for a higher level of success with such experiential training under their belt. Being a camp counsellor provides so many great benefits! Why? • Leadership is one of the most important skills a future employer will look for. • The job focuses on healthy living, and you get paid to play. • Many say “camp friends are life friends”, and this couldn’t be more true. • You become a child’s hero for the summer, and sometimes even for life! I return back to the quote at the beginning of this article – “A leader effects eternity; they never know where their influence stops”. As associate director & leadership director, I know that I’m where I am today because of a number of standout camp leaders in my life. While I have been sure to thank them for the time and effort they put into developing my leadership skills, little did they know at the time that the little 12 year old girl, would become an LIT, then counsellor, then leadership director, then social worker, now associate camp director and so on and so on. As leaders, we just “do good because good is good to do”. For more information on Camp Summit’s Summer Camp programs visit www.campsummit.ca.
22 WestCoastFamilies.com