Camp America: a worthy Investment?

Ever wondered what Camp America is all about? Having hopped onto the growing trend band-wagon that is CA, I spent my 2k13 summer in the redwood forests of NorCal.

Amazing views – but walking in 90 degree heat is not bloody easy

When the CA crew came to QUB to recruit their next load of counsellors, they told us somewhat inaccurately the figure we would be looking at to fund our adventures. It probably cost me around £1300 in the end; getting there, eating at weekends, the occasional souvenir but nowhere near my usual standard, plus 3 weeks in LA (free accommodation) and a flight to NYC (on the cheap – it’s who you know, not what you know). So that £1300 is probably still not quite enough.

Nestled among the redwood trees…

So, is CA worth limiting your nights out at university and months of saving?

If you don’t have the time, inclination or mental capacity to read on, I’ll answer right now – YES.

If you do have the time, inclination and mental capacity to read on, I’ll explain.

You go into this job with an image of yourself that will be chewed up, swallowed down, digested, filtered out and reproduced. You have a far clearer more realistic view of your own abilities, limits, coping mechanisms and needs of others. This all sounds somewhat dramatic, and without sounding patronising, it may only be understandable for a fellow ex-counsellor.

Us… when we were happy, pre-kids

I spent my summer with a YMCA camp. Counsellors had programmes they had to plan and run themselves, making sure these values were always at the forefront of the curriculum. My Radio programme was no different, and on development, was easy enough to manipulate to fit these underlying lessons. Responsibility Number One; your ‘progressive programme’, – does it fit the bill? Is it suitable for all age groups? Do you have realistic expectations of how it will run?

There were units based on age groups, and within units were cabin groups: who slept with whom. Usually with two counsellors to a cabin, you and one other would be responsible for perhaps 12 campers overnight and at allotted times in between activities during the day. Of course, all camps will be different, this was simply how mine operated. You eat, sleep, drink, dream these campers. You are there for the wet beds, nightmares, homesickness, bullying, sexual-maturing, occasionally self-harming, confiding, first aid, teeth losing, tantrums, foreign languages, moaning… Responsibility Number Two; campers – are they happy? are they safe? are they enjoying their experience at camp? Are they making friends?

Me learning to love nature…

Every week you have campfires. Sometimes silly, welcoming ones on Sundays or Mondays (which were my favourite thing about camp). You cheer, then come skits and songs which counsellors are asked to lead on the spot. I adored these times, nestled into the forest around the campfire, we’d all laugh and sing and wave away the mosquitoes; with the intermittent s’more thrown in every now and again. Responsibility Number Three; creating skits, songs and dances suitable for the kids –  are they camp appropriate? are they fun and easy to learn? are they relevant to this week’s campers?

From my favourite thing about camp to my least favourite; overnights. These sound far more romantic than in reality. I shall first describe the idealistic versions (now imagine the M&S ad voice… ready?); Take a leisurely stroll by night into the rustling redwood forest. Wander up the natural paths and steps to your camp spot, only sleeping bags in tow. Set up camp at the foot of the mighty redwoods, among the gentle stir of the leaves in the calm, warm breeze. Lie back and look up through the gaps between the branches and view the sparkling night sky. Fall asleep under the stars.

Nicest cabins for the littlest ones

Real-life, stripped back version; With 12 sleeping bags and pillows on your back, tied round your neck and to your ankles because the kids were moaning about their weight, trip and stumble in the complete darkness up a huge hill to a large clearing. Calm down the crying ones scared of the noises and wanting ‘mom’, tell them to all sit in one place and not talk while you sort all the make-shift beds out, feeling out rocks and branches on the ground to find suitable spots.

Then move them all around again because Sophie wanted to be next to Summer, and Olivia brought Danielle’s pillow and not her own. Give away your hoody because one of them is freezing and didn’t bring a coat. Tell them to go to bed and confiscate torches that they won’t turn off because it’s too dark. Lay down yourself in your sleeping bag straight onto the hard, rocky ground surrounded by the aroma of skunk, threat of raccoons and smelly deposits left by wild deer. Have a terrible nights’ sleep and feel like death in the freezing cold morning.

Ta-dah! Responsibility Number Four; get campers through the weekly overnight with minimal injury, suffering and freak-outs. And none from them either.

Organising 6yr olds… easy right?

Have I put you off yet? No? Keep reading.

For the first 5 weeks I was in the youngest unit, the 6-8 year olds. For the remainder of camp, I was moved to the teen unit, 13-14 year olds. Trying to apply the same methods with them was a complete waste of time and got me nowhere. So after a couple of days of sensitivity and reasoning, I abandoned all outward showing of ‘caring’ and finally got more of a response. The tough-love angle, looked down on nowadays by modern parents to some extent, seemed in my limited experience to have more impact. Through showing indifference you actually show your investment in them.

After that, I could be the cool counsellor with an air of authority ever-present but not employed as often as I would have done previous. Responsibility Number Five; understand your age group and pick your battles. Will they kill themselves by not walking on that path? No? Then save your girth for a more serious impeachment.

Those are just some of the challenging parts of camp… The summer was in many ways an experiment for many of us trying to find our most successful stances. They were all different and none better than the next, we learnt a great deal from each other and our various ideas. The laughs and stories we shared about the kids, what they say and how they act – it kept us all sane.

You become incredibly close to your fellow counsellors incredibly quickly. We all coped with more stress than we expected to be able to cope with, pushed by each other. We all had a common aim and interest which made us a united front, bound and infused together. Responsibility Number Six; love your co-workers, it’s not hard to and you’ll need them along the way.

Post-camp was as surreal as the experience itself. Most of the international counsellors travelled together –  we all began our journeys with the same start-point. White water rafting outside of Sacramento. This was the most fun I’ve ever had, we laughed from the second we put the life jackets on, til the moment we drove away from the centre the next morning. We then went off in our separate directions; us to LA, some to San Francisco, and on to NYC, Vegas, Boston, Miami etc. We all maximised our time out there, and this is as important if it is an option for you, as the camp part itself. Responsibility Number Seven; organise a post-camp trip, with or without other counsellors and have a bloody good time.

As I look back at my time as a counsellor I see a good 70-30 split of amazing times and stressful scenarios. Without one you can’t really have the other, and the stress was only beneficial in the long run. I learnt more about myself in those 3 months than in my 20 years of life. I have a new respect for myself and my ability which I’d lost somewhere along the way. I have come back with a new diet, new perspective on life, new self-discipline and drive, new perception of my real weaknesses, strengths and limits.

Unforgettable times with amazing people

CA offers an invaluable experience. To find yourself, broaden your horizons and give you one certainty in your life if you have no other – you can achieve more than you realise.

Cheesy, but true. No amount of money should put you off taking on this challenge – if you have a job and work hard to get to a job like this one, you’ll realise your investment goes far beyond 2-3 months as a camp counsellor. If you have any spark of interest in the programme, any tiny hint of interest or curiosity – just do it.

You won’t regret it.