Guy Counselors at GS Camp

[cowboy85]

Well, I am a guy counselor at a girl scout camp. We usually have 1 or 2 guy counselors each summer. This past summer was my first year working there and I was the only guy. I know that a lot of GS camps won't let guys be counselors, becuase I have talked to directors from other Girl Scout camps that were at my university's job fair. The other camps I talked to said guys can only be kitchen staff or maintenance staff. So I was just wondering if anyone else working at a Girl Scout camp has male counselors. And If so, what position were they and where did they stay? I don't stay in the units with the girls, I have my own cabin in main camp. So I'm really not complaining about that...I have electricity, windows, and a roof, and my own private bathroom and shower. So I kind of live in the lap of luxury compared to other counselors. This past summer I was the archery counselor but this year I beleive I'm going to be hired on as the head wrangler. Since I really wasn't assinged to be with a group all day, I also lifeguarded when they needed me and helped out with the climbing wall/ropes course, and helped at the barn with the horses too. So I was certified in and basically did every thing at camp.

[c3divers]

We hire male staff at our camp in California. We have had male staff for ropes and horses. Last year we had a wrangler that lived down the road so he drove in everyday. We house them in lower camp in their own cabins.

[happy_camper]

We have the occasional male program staff and all the older girls usually go crazy over him!! Like you said, it's just one or two and they are housed separately from the girls and female counselors. This past summer was our first year to allow boys to come to our Day Camp (of course no boys at Resident Camp), and it was nice to have a few male counselors to help with them. I think the boy campers felt more comfortable with a male around instead of all the females!!

[cowboy85]

Yeah about the older girls going crazy over male staff, its really not too much of a problem or anything. They at least know that I'm much older and I don't even really notice. The main way I find out that a camper has some kind of crush on me is the other counselors telling me. The really young ones is where it gets kinda wierd. Last summer we had an 8 year old camper who was pretty much obsessed with me. That was an interesting week. She kept drawing me pictures and making me things. And then she would change the words to a camp song to make it about me and her. But one of the funniest times was on the last night she was there. We were having our closing campfire and all the campers and staff sit around it. I sat down and of course she just sat right next to me. And she kept scooting closer to me. I swear, everytime I look over she was closer. So I would move over the other way. And then she would move over again. We literally went in a full circle around the fire. Her counselors were just cracking up. We got to a point in the closing session where all the counselors get up and sing a song for the campers and then we sat back down. But I made sure I sat in between two other counselors this time. Just a little funny story I got reminded of.

[Vibe]

We've had male staff in the past. They have been sailing staff or just regular unit staff, but they live in a separate unit away from the girls.

[laurathistle]

In my Girl Guide unit we don't have male leaders but we often have male contributers, i.e. people who give talks, do demos and help from boy scout leaders.

They often get loads of attention from the girls and sometimes it is unwanted. I think this stems from many of the girls not having a strong male role model at home or elswahere in their lives. They often don't know how to act in an appropriate manner around them and either shy away or do the opposite and crawl all over the poor guy.

I'm all for more involment of males in the Girl Guide movement!

[Possuumm]

we have had males at our resident camp for a while. some were lifeguards, some wranglers, some office staff, and of course the kitchen guys...there's always some sort of male around. They have a seperate living area in the air conditioned area in our "staff house" which is more like a break room.

[prettysocks]

Back in the day when I worked at a Girl Guides of Canada summer camp, it was no boys allowed! GSUSA and GGC are very different, in that GSUSA even sells male uniforms! GGC is quite strict about males, and if a male was to come into camp for the evening (say, for a special astronomy show), he would never be allowed to be alone with any female - leader or camper. Boys don't come to the camp as campers, either.

[Campgirlboo]

We had male staff last summer...a barn assistant, an arts/science specialist (who lived in the same tent in main camp), 2 kitchen assistants and a head cook (who lived in a tent by themselves down by the waterfront.

[Trees]

(BTW, it's GSUSA, not GSA...)

When I was a kid, we occasionally had male counselors who lived in the units with the girls! It really seemed to work out fine, though my sister (who was a counselor) told me later that they sometimes had a big male ego attitude about being the only men among all these women.

Like others, we occasionally have male program staff and we always have male cooks. It's always funny to see a couple of the teenage girls go gaga after a boy they wouldn't even look at back home (we promptly deal with any kind of public behavior related to it, like making excuses to go into the kitchen and see them during meals). We've had some very negative parent reactions to having male staff, particularly the program specialists, but they've all been fine staff.

[Mouse...]

We have had male staff on occasion. It's common to have male cooks and maintanance staff but one year we had a male lifeguard, he didn't live at camp. Male staff who live on site have their own quarters away from the units.

And yeah, the teenage and pre teen girls go nuts after them.

[Fallen]

At the residance camps I've worked at our male staff was either special progams like archery or they worked in the kitchen. The only camp I have ever worked at where there was a male as a unit staff was at a day camp. I think it is possible for guys to be unit staff as long as the guy himself is aware of his actions and how he should behave around the girls. All of the male staff had their own cabins are shared with other male counselors.

[ocean]

No guy counselors, just kitchen staff, maintenance or administrators

[Tootsie]

This summer we have a male lifeguard and a male kitchen staff member. Neither stay on camp grounds at night (they are both locals). They both are great guys & I am sure the girls will love them this summer!

[Flukie]

Oh, I'm sure the girls will LOVE them, Tootsie! Haha. Our girls are pretty funny if we have males on property. Our chef is like, between their dad and grandpa in age, so they leave him alone mostly. But if we have maintence/kitchen help that is male (or in the years they've had males as lifeguards, sailing, etc) the girls think it is fantastic. I've never seen such flirting - I always feel bad for the guys who look so awkward!

[Smudge]

At my last camp we had one or 2 males each year as program staff - they had to be escorted around camp and call before entering any unit. In the evenings when the program staff would go into the units the males had a choice as to whether or not they did - if they choose not to they did their evening duty in the office. But the girls loved 2 of the three we had over the 2 years, and the third they just weren't sure what to make of him. But the counsellor sure loved having guys on camp.