Time Off

[Flukie]

So in one of the other threads, time off came up. I thought it'd be more helpful (for myself too!) if I could see what people had to say in a different thread. :)

Our staff get two hours off each day - contingent on us being able to cover the unit. However, it is very rare that we need them to give up time. The Ad Staff will cover if necessary so that we can give them at least an hour off. Most people get two hours though. You may leave camp on your two hours off - via car, van, foot or bike. We just ask you sign out.

There are generally four staff in a unit. On Sundays and Thursdays, everyone must be in the unit with the campers (opening and closing nights). The other three nights, the staff can divide up sitting Taps. If you sit Taps, you sit in a central area in the unit on call from 9 pm to 11 pm. The other staff are allowed to be out of the unit - they may be in the staff house, hanging out elsewhere in camp - they cannot leave property though and must go back to the unit if an issue occurs.

During a one week session, staff get 12-hours off as well. They have from evening flag to morning flag off. They may leave camp, sleep in the staff house, sleep off camp, etc. During a two week session, staff get 24-hours off - from evening flag to evening flag. On your night or day off, you do not get 2-hours off.

We give a lot more time off then we are required too - but I think it is better for the staff in the long run!

Edit: I forgot to mention that campers leave between sessions as well - so they leave on a Friday afternoon and staff has from about 5 pm on Friday to 10 am on Sunday off too. We have 3 one-week sessions and 2 two-week sessions.

[code3cadet]

At the camp that I worked at you get 1 1/2 hours evey other night. You have to stay one camp at this time. but some time tha camp will take you to wal-mart or a move. Then every week end you get 24 hours of at this time half the camp works and the other half is of for 24 hours. when that group is dpne then they other group will have there dime off.

[CAMPFRIEND]

I think that time off in an overnight camp setting helps keep the counselors healthy. For our day camp program our counselors only work 8 hour days. I don't have to worrie about as much time off. When I was at overnight camp I would get my staff as much time off as I could. They would get 2 hours a day. Every other weekend of 48 hours and time off between sessions.

[camper]

we have 3 or 4 nights off a week (b/c saturday nights rotate, everyone has 2 saturday nights in and they're out for the rest). nights out go from evening activity until curfew at 1 AM. we're allowed to leave camp, we either go to a bar down the street or into the town of honesdale. groupheads are out every night except for the one night a week they have to sit on head OD and check people in at curfew, clean HQ, and sit in HQ in case anyone around camp needs help.

we have 1 day off a week that goes from inspection in the morning to curfew at 1 AM (so i guess it's really like 16 hours off lol) but we're also allowed to leave camp on those days and if it's nice outside we almost always go to this place called skinners falls.

[camplover86]

Our sessions are 10 days. We get 2 hours off a day except the day we have our night off, day 1, day 10 and the day after we do night owls. We are not allowed to leave camp durning our time off each day. For our night off, we can leave camp, but we have to be back in our units before midnight. We go to walm-mart, out to eat, and just hang out. We have a staff house, where we can check our e-mail, eat, sleep, shower, or watch movies.

[ocean]

you get 1 6 hour night off per week, 1 24 hours off, and 2 hours off 4 days a week.

[speedx5xracer]

1 hour off a day (usually), from 930-1230 off at night 4 days a week (sometimes 5) and one day off of your supervisors choosing every week

[Skater Bubbles]

Our Schedule is like this.... On Sunday we have to be at camp for a Staff meeting at 12:00 and then our new session of kids shows up. In the evenings we get 3 nights off from 10:00-12:00 PM and then when the session of kids leave on Saturday moring, we have from 12:00 Saturday until 12:00 the next day (sunday) off. -I hope that wasn't too confusing!

[CAMPFRIEND]

Our Schedule is like this.... On Sunday we have to be at camp for a Staff meeting at 12:00 and then our new session of kids shows up. In the evenings we get 3 nights off from 10:00-12:00 PM and then when the session of kids leave on Saturday moring, we have from 12:00 Saturday until 12:00 the next day (sunday) off. -I hope that wasn't too confusing!

Your camp is like most YMCA camps. Do you have 2 week sessions?

[CIT386]

I have the same time off as Skater Bubbles.

[Skater Bubbles]

Yup, most Y camps are ran the same way! I love Y camp, and no Campfriend we are a One week sessions Y camp.

[CAMPFRIEND]

Do you have a lot of campers that stay more than one week? I know that at our overnight camp we had kids who would staff for a month.

[audur]

We have to be at camp Sunday at noon for our staff meeting, sometimes an hour earlier, depending on what's happening. Kids arrive between 2-4. On Monday, all staff members get 2 hours off sometime during the day. On Tuesday, half of the counselors get 2 hours off during the day, the other half have their night off (from 6pm to 8am), then we switch on Wednesday. Thursday nights are nights off for program staff - UC's get two hours off during the day. Everyone gets 2 hours off during the day on Friday. The kids leave on Saturday morning, we have a staff meeting around noon, and then we're off until Sunday.

We also get two longer breaks during the summer. Most campers do leave on Saturdays - if they're coming back for a different program the following day they still have to leave. We do have two-week programs, if you're a counselor for one of those you don't get your 24 hour break during the weekend, but you do get a 24 hour break. I did a couple of two-week programs last summer and I loved having my 2-4s at weird times... being able to just randomly walk around camp without having to worry about your kids is fantastic, especially when there are actually other people around. I loved hanging out at the waterfront on my weird 2-4s :) It does suck to not have anyone else have their time off at the same time, though... night time can be a bit lonely.

[Skater Bubbles]

Campfriend- We have anywhere from 5-35 kids who stayover for another week. Some stay for three weeks, and we have a few that stay for four.

[CAMPFRIEND]

You have to love the long stay campers! I know that I do.

[Skater Bubbles]

Ya it can be fun cause you get to know them really well.

[CAMPFRIEND]

When I was a camper, I was at camp for almost the whole summer 6-8 weeks! I wonder what the staff thought about me?

[Skater Bubbles]

Depends if you were an annoying camper, or a fun helpful one! We had two girls who were best freinds and they loved camp and they were there for 4 or 5 weeks and they got to know all of the counselors really well and we all really liked them and gave them camp names and everything!

[code3cadet]

Campfriend what do you kids do when they stay over for another week? At the camp that I work at they take them to disney land, 6 flags, magic moution and and other Places like that.

[rockinsmiles]

We are a one week session camp (sunday-friday) and staff off time works like this. We get an hour off each day. We can not take our hour off during horseback/wall climbing or corn jug/archery because the group spilts in two (so there is a counselor with each group). also we can not take our break during choice or our elective and we have to make sure that when we take our break it is ok with our co-counselor. However we have had exceptions...like there are days we just cant fit in our breaks and other times where there are enough activities that we could take two breaks each. i've had both happen. plus the campers get an hour rest period (sometimes it is longer and sometimes a bit shorter depending on when the group gets to the cabin) so even though we are still with the group it gives us some down time. Then as i have mentioned before we get 30 minute breaks at night. Only one person per cabin can take their break during this time slot unless there is 4 staff memebers in a cabin. During these hour and half hour breaks we can not leave camp.

Then we get a night off each week which last from 6:00 till 9:30. We can leave camp then (most everyone does) and an agent or voulenteer takes over for you. If there arent many agents or voulenteers during week then the head counselor or specialists might take over.

Then we have from our meeting on friday (which normally ends around 3:30) till our meeting on sunday (normally around 10:30) off. We can basically do whatever during this time.

[Indigo]

We get 2 hours off every day (though that isn't always possible, depending on your position and the number of staff working with you), and we have to stay on camp for that time. Once a week we get a night off (6:30-10:30), where we can leave camp. And we get the session break (every other weekend, from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon) off too.

[Dave]

We're given two break passes per week. They're good for one period off. We can earn more throughout the week by doing really well. We can only use one per year. I never go on break though.

[camper]

lol, all of our campers are at camp for 7 weeks, and we form VERY strong opinions on all of them, good or bad! haha!

[code3cadet]

L ove the kids that stay more then one session. I had a kid in my cabin for like 2 mouths that kid rock

[campCardinal]

My camp has one week sessions.

Kids arrive Sunday around 4ish. We have no breaks on Sunday. Then on monday and tuesday we have 2 hour off times. This is basically half of an activity period. We'll either switch with the other counselor in our cabin or a different cabin counselor. On Wednesday we either have the full morning or the full afternoon (from meal to meal) off. And Thursday we have 4 hours off. Friday we get three hours off. And then Saturday we leave camp around 11. So, we have a complete 24 hours off over the weekends. Also, we're off from the time the kids go to bed until curfew each night unless we're on duty.

At our camp you're not allowed to skip breaks. That's not really healthy, at least at our camp. We go for 16 hours a day non stop, so that couple of hours off in there is really helpful. All counselors help with meals, wake up and bedtime. Also, all counselors are on duty during the evening programs.

Maybe my camp just has a larger staff than I realized. We have usually 2-4 counselors with each cabin. We can leave camp anytime we want when we're off as long as we're 18.

[who_stole_my_loofa]

Alright- during staff week we have Thursday evening off. When camp finally starts we have 3 full days off per 4 week session and 1 night off. There are 2 four week sessions. On days we don't have a day off or a night off we get 1 hour off. After our kids go to bed (mine at 9:30) we are free to leave and go into town and do whatever until 12:30 in camp curfew. In cabin curfew is at 1:00. If we miss curfew we get an hour off taken away. We are allowed to go out Monday- Thursday and Saturday night. Sunday nights we have staff meetings when the kids go to bed but after that we are free until 1:00. Friday nights we have regular time off but we're not allowed to leave camp so they have staff programs. We usually have OD 1 night a week so we don't get time off that night. There is 1 OD for each unit of 3-5 cabins. So anywhere from 40 to 65 kids.

Loofa

[countrygal]

Here it goes:
My camp has 6, 2 week sessions. The staff get 1 night off during the two weeks we are at camp although not all nights r spent on night duty, we must however be on camp property. We get 3 days off between sessions...and have to be back by 1pm on the day the kids arrive for staff meetings and cabin assignments.

[EchoLaker]

We get 90 minutes off during the day, and rest hour.

Then (unless you're on OD) you get 10 PM - 1 AM.
You do one OD each week.

And then we either:

Wednesday 7 PM - Thursday night/Friday morning 1 AM

OR

Saturday 7 PM - Sunday night/Monday morning 1 AM.


All staff stay ON site every Friday.

[CAMPFRIEND]

Rest hour was one of the best parts of overnight camp. Oh how I miss it!