What camp do you work at? [Archive] - Page 2

CAMPFRIEND

02-07-2006, 09:34 AM

... I haven't put my camp in here yet? Hmm..

Easter Seals Camp Woodeden, London Ontario Canada - it's a camp for kids with physical/mental disabilities and it's FABULOUS!

This is the type camp that I wanted to work at for so long. I give you props for working at this type of camp.. I thought my job was hard!

prettysocks

02-07-2006, 06:26 PM

This is the type camp that I wanted to work at for so long. I give you props for working at this type of camp.. I thought my job was hard!

Aww, thank you! It's never too late! ;)

CAMPFRIEND

02-07-2006, 08:42 PM

I am a Director now. It would be hard. I might try to work one at the end of my summer for a week! What a way to spend a few days off..

KiwiCRB

02-07-2006, 10:42 PM

It takes a special kind of person to work at a camp like that. I respect those people a lot but i don't know if I could do it to be honest.

runrachrunn

02-08-2006, 12:58 AM

I just realised I hadn't posted, LOL.

I just accepted a contract at URJ- Camp George to work on the swim docks... I was at C.G. for it's inaugural year, and haven't been back since. I can't wait! Only 136 days left until pre-camp starts :) :) :D

collissimon

02-08-2006, 04:49 AM

Hey Kiwi,

I haven't worked at an Easter Seals camp, but I worked at a school for kids with severe mental/physical impairments. When someone says 'I'm not sure I could do it', I always say that if you had a child who relied on you for something or other, and for them not to have it would be uncomfortable for them.

You don't really think about what you're doing at the time, you just do it!

prettysocks

02-08-2006, 08:35 AM

When someone says 'I'm not sure I could do it', I always say that if you had a child who relied on you for something or other, and for them not to have it would be uncomfortable for them.

You don't really think about what you're doing at the time, you just do it!

Correct!!
It's not labourous or disgusting or hard work when you're doing it.. it's summer camp. You joke with the kids, the smiles pay off, and you just don't think about the bad parts. It doesn't take a special person, so much as a willing-to-try-it person, and a fun person!

Saintly15

02-10-2006, 09:57 PM

Yep- I work with prettysocks.. and it's just so much fun, you totally dont even think about the personal care.. and the kids are prettty much the same as at any other camp :) I love my camp!

sarahdee

03-11-2006, 10:22 PM

I work at Camp Amy Molson, Grenville, QC, Canada....a camp for underpriviledged kids from inner city montreal...its a great place that will do what ever it can do gives these kids two weeks of happiness.

CAMPFRIEND

03-11-2006, 11:02 PM

CD87

03-12-2006, 02:36 PM

I'm a wrangler at Camp Cedarledge in Pevely, MO. It's a residential GS camp.

CD

Fallen

03-13-2006, 08:40 PM

right now I work at the Phoenix Zoo and this summer for their camp zoo program which is a day camp.

CAMPFRIEND

09-07-2006, 04:11 PM

OK for all the new folks to this site.. What camp do you work for?

Marzz

09-08-2006, 12:36 PM

I too have only worked at Girl Scout camps:

I grew up going to Camp Cloud Rim and did my CIT program there 1988-1989
Camp Cloud Rim near Park City, Ut 1990 Unit Counselor
Camp Potomac Woods near Leesburg, VA 1991 Unit Counselor
Camp May Flather near Bridgewater, VA 1992-1993 Program Director
Skipped 1994 (what was i thinking???)
Camp Trefoil Ranch near Provo, UT 1995-1996 Program Director
10 years come and gone....(sigh)
Camp Trefoil Ranch 2006! Unit Counselor for 1 week at the end of the season.

C3Divers: I've never been to Camp Scherman, but it's legendary among old timers from Cloud Rim. Back in the day, I think we were "sister" camps although I don't know why that came to be. I learned "Scherman's Song" when I was a little camper-head at Cloud Rim, I still love it. Later, when I was a Mariner Girl Scout, I met a bunch of staff from there when our Mariner troop competed at GAM in Newport Beach.

Mouse...

09-10-2006, 02:39 PM

I work at a girl scout camp in southwestern michigan.

c3divers

09-11-2006, 12:04 AM

I
C3Divers: I've never been to Camp Scherman, but it's legendary among old timers from Cloud Rim. Back in the day, I think we were "sister" camps although I don't know why that came to be. I learned "Scherman's Song" when I was a little camper-head at Cloud Rim, I still love it. Later, when I was a Mariner Girl Scout, I met a bunch of staff from there when our Mariner troop competed at GAM in Newport Beach.

We had staff from Cloud Rim come to Scherman to work a couple of summers, back in the day. I think it was 1979 - 1980. I keep in touch with one of them still to this day.

Peace Fire

12-28-2006, 12:41 AM

Let's see...

1993-2000: YMCA Camp Miller in Sturgeon Lake, MN (camper, CILT, counselor)
2002: Mercy Playground (day camp)
2003: Brookwood Camps in Glen Spey, NY
2005: Coppercreek Camp in Greenville, CA
2007: Only Time Will Tell! I just dropped my applications in the mail an hour ago!

In 2003-2005 I was a nanny for an autistic toddler. I really admire anyone who works at a special needs camp. I'm not sure I could do it. Not because it's difficult (which it is! But I like difficult...), but because I was with my little guy for three months before I FINALLY made a connection with him. I think I would find it frusterating to work so hard with anyone for a week or two, then have them leave when you're still working on that connection. I would someday LOVE to work with children with autism again, though! If it's full time!

ArtisticEric

12-29-2006, 11:39 PM

Well as staff...
Island Lake Sports an Arts Center in starucca, pa....Cabin couselor/art specialist
2006, 2007- Med-o-lark camp in Washington Maine, cabin counselor/art specialist.....I could be teaching alot thing ..last summer i did candles, sets for the shows an odds an ends.....who knows what this summer may bring:)

code3cadet

01-04-2007, 09:37 PM

I work at camp E-Toh-Kalu it is a year round camp for at-risk youth

Pooka

01-07-2007, 05:09 PM

Wow, I've never posted in this thread before?

I work at Camp Timbercrest in western New York. I just realized that this summer I'll have been going there for ten years out of the forty it's been around, if you count camping and working. Wow!

techgirl

01-10-2007, 11:30 PM

I'll be working at Brookwood Camps in NY!

code3cadet

02-23-2007, 07:51 AM

I'll be working at Brookwood Camps in NY!

I was going to work there this summer. But I have a year round camp job now. I worked at lokonda last summer. If anyone is thinking of working there do not do it.

Possuumm

02-23-2007, 06:50 PM

I work at Camp Cedarledge (with Indigo and CD) in Pevely, MO. I also worked @ Camp Tuckaho (overnight), Whispering Pines (day), and Hickory Hill (camp)

kjm

03-07-2007, 07:42 PM

i'm working at alford lake camp in maine this year. its my first year as a counselor so i have no idea what to expect but i'm really excited

Toenails

03-28-2007, 11:52 PM

Kingsley Pines Camp

Co-ed, Residential. Raymond ME

Angel_Jenny

03-29-2007, 12:05 PM

Pathfinder Lodge - baptist overnight camp in NY and I loved it last year and returning this year as it was great :D

nicki_xx

05-12-2007, 10:06 PM

i will be at camp mataponi in maine 4 my 1st year. any1 else there? xx

camper

05-12-2007, 11:40 PM

i'm not nicki, but it has a great reputation, i'm sure you'll have a great summer!

nicki_xx

05-13-2007, 05:40 AM

aww i hpe so. thanks :D

Smudge

05-13-2007, 07:09 AM

I am going to Camp Chenoa which is GS camp in New Hampshire

Previously: 2001 - Camp Wabasso, NH - GS
2002 - Camp Arrowhead, DE - Christian
2003 - 2004 Camp Hoffman, RI - GS

2005 I started to work at a private summer camp in England but didn't like it so left after a week.

these.city.lights

05-13-2007, 09:32 AM

2005 I started to work at a private summer camp in England but didn't like it so left after a week.

Smudge, I hope you dont mind, but can you tell me a little bit about what working at a summer camp in England is like? You didnt like it? Why was that?

I went to camp as a camper for one week back when I was 11 or so and didnt enjoy it too much cos lake activities when its 9degrees just isnt fun.

What were your experiences?

Smudge

05-13-2007, 09:46 AM

I have been guide camps and loved them but this camp was very differnt.

It was based in a private school in sussex and took rich kids from all around the world. It was more like they were at school than at camp. They had loads of free time which meant that there was loads of home sickness which wasn't helped by the fact that many of them barely spoke English (that is why they were at camp to learn) and they access to their mobile phones when ever they had free time.

Another reason I didn't like it was the staff I had in my unit. I was a unit leader in an all male house (and I was the only female) and the males were all new to camping and were not very supportive - I had to everything so ended up exhausted before the campers even arrived - they also didn't give me a chance to resolve situations before they are moaning at me that they were resolved. The final straw was when the ad staff said that I was relying on them too much that they weren't there to support the counsellors (but the other way round - in all my previous camp experiences that ad staff were there to support the counsellors as much as to run the camp)

It could just have been that my previous experience of camp was mainly girl scout camps - i dont know - it may just have been me.

these.city.lights

05-13-2007, 09:51 AM

So it was becuase the staff were bad?

So what happened when you left? Did you just tell them you werent enjoying it and wanted to leave?

I hate when staff are totally ignorant and oblivious to stuff like that.

Smudge

05-13-2007, 11:25 AM

I think it was alot of things but the staff didn't help - when you asked them to do something like run evening program for 40 mins while I had shower and they didn't seem able to - I got out the shower and half of the campers were missing having wandered all over the campus.

When I left it was a joint decission - they asked if I just wanted to be a unit counsellor rather than the leader and I said no I would rather leave. The only prob was that it meant I had to move home cos I was planning to save my pay from the summer to pay the rental deposit on a place of my own and I only got 1 weeks wages cos u didn't get paid for pre-camp.

I don't know what your experience would b like if you had a worked at private camp before - cos the camps that I was the campers were lucky if they got a full hour of free time and even then it tended to be limited to doing quiet things in there tents/cabins or were ever we were.

these.city.lights

05-13-2007, 11:51 AM

Pretty different to the american camps then?
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience, I guess some people you work with make it so bad you dont want to work there. And it would have seemed more like work rather than fun. Ah well. Just stick with the american ones eh? hehe.

The british havent quite mastered the whole Camp thing just yet.

Smudge

05-13-2007, 12:48 PM

I couldn't say that it wasn't like american camp cos I have never worked at a Private camp in the USA (and this one was started by an american camp director but I think he had run private camps- but would def stick with the USA ones cos you get to travel after camp)

Camp is always hard work but when you are working with good staff it seems like it is as much fun as it is work. Also if you go to an american camp through an agency like CA you have a certain level of protection cos the camps have to meet CA standards of how they treat their staff and how the staff are supported and stuff and I didn't have that support.

Well I look back at that week and think of it as a learning experience.

gabor85_hungary

05-13-2007, 01:24 PM

In 2007 I'll work in co-ed Camp Fire camp 20 miles from Kansas City, Missouri, but I was asked not to tell the name on forums:) By the way, it would be nice to talk to somebody who lives/works in Missouri, becasue for example I don't even know what the weather is like there in June-August:)

Back in Hungary I've worked in a camp for coeliac kids (who are allergic to gluten).

Possuumm

05-13-2007, 04:40 PM

I live and work in missouri!!! The weather is... well... you get used to it? The weather in MO is unpredicatable, but usually HOT, so bring shorts and t-shirts but also sweatshirts, jeans, etc. Tennis shoes and socks are a must, but you definitely want flip flops for the shower.

annknee

05-13-2007, 09:42 PM

I love MO, and, being a complete Wizard of Oz maniac would love to go to Kansas City!

I spent a couple of weeks after camp in a place very near St. Louis and would have to say that when i visited there it was the nicest place I have been to in the US