Camp Ladore https://campladore.org A Ministry of The Salvation Army Thu, 20 Oct 2022 14:44:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://campladore.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cropped-logo-512-32x32.png Camp Ladore https://campladore.org 32 32 MEET JOSHUA https://campladore.org/2022/10/20/meet-joshua/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 14:36:37 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=4271
Youth ministry changes lives. Joshua’s life testifies to that.

Joshua in Hawaii

Joshua’s parents split early in his life and his mother’s boyfriend was abusive. This led Joshua’s mom to turn to substance abuse to cope. Through the local Baptist church, she put all of the kids on the church van for youth activities and Vacation Bible School in the summer—much to Joshua’s dismay. On the last day at VBS, Joshua met Jesus. After that, church became his haven. They loved him, even when he was, as he would say, a “knucklehead.” The Church became his family, when his family at home was in shambles.

Joshua met The Salvation Army through a backpack drive. The next summer, Joshua went to Camp Ladore, which became another home away from home. Joshua attended camp for four summers as a camper before working on staff for another five summers, both at Camp Ladore and at Camp Keystone, in Florida. These experiences, at home, at church, at camp, built in Josh a passion for serving others.

After his mom’s boyfriend passed away, Joshua’s mom recovered from her addiction and rebuilt a relationship with her kids. Tragically, she passed away from cancer during Joshua’s first year at college. Faith and community remained Joshua’s anchor during these moments.

Joshua is a photographer. See his work at morefieldmoments.com

His heart for mission led Joshua to a discipleship training program in New Zealand with Youth With a Mission. Josh then served in Cambodia, England, Germany and Canada. Each mission was life-changing, but they also led Joshua to a passion for photography and videography. He desired to tell the story of Jesus through media.

After returning to the States, Joshua attended college, but that heart for mission never left. Joshua’s sister entered The Salvation Army’s Revolution Hawaii program and, after visiting her there, Joshua enrolled himself. His relationship with God was deepened through mission, but RevHi changed his life in another unexpected way; he met Zarah. Following the program, Joshua took a job in youth ministry in Florida near Zarah. God used this to confirm in Joshua that life of service.

Joshua and Zarah at their wedding

Joshua married Zarah in May 2022 and they are serving in ministry together at the Clearwater Corps (church), where Joshua has the opportunity to disciple and mentor kids with similar childhoods as his, looking for family and safety at church.

Read more articles at peermag.org

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Rise Up https://campladore.org/2020/04/14/rise-up-during-times-of-uncertainty/ Tue, 14 Apr 2020 17:51:01 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=1942 During Times of Uncertainty

By Linda Flynn-Mulliner, Camp Ladore Alumna

Reflecting back, I once again find myself in the throes of uncertainty. An uncertainty caused by none other than the reality that life happens, for better or for worse. Today’s current global crisis is real and present, threatening life as we know it. Questions loom, such as…

  • “How will this affect our community, our families, our children?”
  • “Will we fall victim or emerge unscathed?”
  • “How will we rise up once this has passed?”
  • “Where might we find love, hope and courage?”
  • “Will healing ever come

In 1976, a mysterious flu-like influenza virus hit Harrisburg PA. In March of that year, the virus (referred to as Influenza-A) attacked my family’s home with a vengeance, and we fell victim to its wrath. My parents didn’t see it coming, nor did the school we attended, the church where we worshiped, or the workplace where my parents were employed.

The wind was knocked out of our home and our lives were shattered

There were eight of us in the home; 6 siblings plus Mom and Dad. Without warning, each of us fell ill from this mysterious virus and our world stopped. My father and 14-year-old brother Mark became gravely ill. Both faded in and out of consciousness with fevers. Mark was the most vulnerable of all of us. He had a compromised immune system, Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. The virus was just too aggressive, and it would take Mark’s life.

The wind was knocked out of our home and our lives were shattered; however, it was not the end of our story. At times, we found it unbearable and it was unthinkable to believe that healing would ever come. Our lives continued, and one foot in front of the other…we found love, hope and courage in the small moments. Family, friends and neighbors embraced us with their love, rallied around us, sent prayers up to heaven on our behalf and stood strong in faith believing. Meals were provided, groceries delivered, and bills were anonymously paid. Today, looking back… greater is the story of hope, courage and healing we all went through as a family. We continued to grieve the loss of my brother, yet emerged stronger as a family, bound together with greater bonds of love and determination.

The Coronavirus is hitting on a global level, attacking our communities and our homes. For some, like my family, at a more personal level. We are all in this together and must heed the warnings. “Safer-at-Home” is more than a mantra and… social distancing is keeping our families protected from a virus that is lurking in the shadows.

This virus appears to be on a relentless trajectory, and it is downright scary. Sadly, the Coronavirus has already infected an unthinkable number of people and many have died. In comparison, its global impact is on a much grander scale than the virus of 1976; yet, for the Flynn family it brings back memories of a sinister illness that tragically robbed our family.

During times of crisis and uncertainty, pillars within our communities rise and become our strength and provision. So, it was true with my family. It was during the Easter Season of 1976 that my family fell ill. Through a selfless loving act of kindness, Big Brothers and Big Sisters reached out to my family. They took my brother, sisters and I on a shopping spree for Easter outfits. My heart still smiles when I remember my little yellow daisy dress, white patent leather shoes and ruffled ankle socks. In the privacy of my parent’s home, they presented a suit for Mark’s burial. I distinctly remember the cornflower blue of his jacket and slacks to this day. Miraculously Easter baskets and groceries appeared on Easter Morning. 

Camp Ladore, during the summer camp season of 1976, became the foundation for our healing.

At our time of loss and despair, the Salvation Army and YMCA were strong pillars of hope for our family. The Salvation Army helped my parents with funeral arrangements and surrounded us as a family with loving care. As children, we found refuge, moments of happiness and friendship playing at the Salvation Army located across the street from our house. Food was provided and my parents were assured that their children were safe and being cared for.

3 Girls jumping

Camp Ladore (a ministry of the Salvation Army) located in Waymart PA also reached out to my family. My three older siblings, Mark, Cindy and Buck had attended Camp Ladore for several years; however, the summer of 1976 Mark wouldn’t be there. Camp leaders discovered that my twin sister Mindy and I fell one year short of the age requirement. We were only 6 years old that summer; however, Camp leaders made an exception and decided to allow us to attend camp.

Anonymous scholarships were provided for all of us children that year and would continue for years to follow. Camp Ladore, during the summer camp season of 1976, became the foundation for our healing. My family’s pain and grief were intense and ran deep, but we discovered a place of refuge to move past that grief. 

As the Coronavirus infects more people and the death toll rises, it may be difficult for these families to find hope during tragedy. As a testament from a family who fell victim to a ravenous virus, in time the healing will come.  Let us rally around each other—our family, community, and nation in faith believing that healing is within our reach. The Coronavirus will be defeated, and we will rise, and healing will come. Communities and families will be affected, some will fall victim, and some will go unscathed. Maintaining a spirit of confidence and courage in the direst of situations is how we will find hope in knowing that this too shall pass. The question is, “Will you heed the call and rise to the occasion, bringing hope and healing to the hurting? Will you stand confident and courageous, a pillar in a time of uncertainty?”

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Get Hooked On Nature https://campladore.org/2019/03/07/get-hooked-on-nature-ben-klasky-at-tedxrainier/ Thu, 07 Mar 2019 15:28:24 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=3587 Ben Klasky At TEDxRainier

As kids now spend more time with entertainment media, they’re getting less and less time outdoors, despite the mental and physical health benefits. Ben Klasky, CEO of IslandWood, a 255-acre outdoor learning center, proposes a free and natural remedy to the physical problems kids face: the Great Outdoors. Ben grew up in Minnesota where he spent lots of time outdoors. He serves as President and CEO of IslandWood, a nonprofit organization that helps tens of thousands of kids get out into nature. IslandWood’s 255-acre headquarters is based on Bainbridge Island, WA, and features some of the most environmentally sustainable buildings in the world. The organization targets low-income, at-risk youth, and introduces them to roar of tree frogs, soaring bald eagles, and star-filled skies, helping them to discover natural connections with the outdoors. He is the co-founder of Camp Galileo, which has grown into the largest set of day camps in the Bay Area; and he co-founded Board Fellows while earning his MBA and Masters in Education from Stanford. Board Fellows places business school students on nonprofit boards, and the model has been replicated at over 75 other business schools. Ben teaches a graduate class on Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs and a graduate class on Nonprofit Management. This talk was given November 9, 2013 in Seattle at TEDxRainier, a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.

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Good Kids, Bad Kids, & Weird Kids https://campladore.org/2019/03/01/good-kids-bad-kids-weird-kids/ Fri, 01 Mar 2019 22:35:08 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=3573 | Jonathan Owen | TEDxBirmingham

In this touching talk, Jonathan Owen shares an “a-ha” moment he had as a youth camp counselor, and how that insight has affected how he and his staff view the kids they work with years later. Jonathan Owen has worked with children for over fifteen years and has a powerful desire to learn and share their stories. A graduate of Southeastern Bible College, Jonathan is a children’s and youth minister at Shades Mountain Independent Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He also serves as the director at Camp Straight Street, a nine-week summer day camp for over 800 kids. The camp was voted “Best Day Camp” by the readers of Birmingham Magazine in 2014. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

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Every Kid Needs A Champion https://campladore.org/2019/03/01/every-kid-needs-a-champion/ Fri, 01 Mar 2019 22:11:58 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=3562 Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.'” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Rita F. Pierson · Educator

Rita F. Pierson spent her entire life in or around the classroom, having followed both her parents and grandparents into a career as an educator.

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Camp Friendship & Social Skills https://campladore.org/2018/03/07/camp-friendship-social-skills-why-making-friends-is-one-of-the-most-important-things-that-happens-at-summer-camp/ Wed, 07 Mar 2018 20:26:35 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=1871

Why Making Friends is One of the Most Important Things that Happens at Summer Camp

“Friendship is the gold of childhood”

Michael Thompson, Ph.D.

When I saw this TED Talk by Susan Pinker, “The Secret to Living Longer May be Your Social Life,” I was reminded once again of the crucial importance of relationships and social connections to our children’s (and our own!) life-long health and happiness.

Children and adolescents require more than intellectual growth and physical health to become happy, successful adults. They also need to develop the social skills necessary for positive relationships with others. The importance of quality childhood friendships for well-being both during childhood and later in life has been clearly established, and many camp programs specifically focus on fostering those friendships, along with teaching, modeling, and practicing social skills.

Campers look like they’re having a lot of fun playing outdoors and learning new activities, but are they also learning life skills during just two weeks at a residential summer camp? That was one of the primary questions of a study I conducted in 2014 which examined the perceived impact of a two-week residential camp experience on children’s happiness and social skills development. Participants were 167 children ages 6-15 from six different two-week, residential summer camps in Arizona, California, and Colorado. The children completed an end-of-camp written survey during the summer of 2014 in which they were asked to rate (1-5) how much they thought their social skills were impacted by their camp stay. Did their social skills, for example, get a lot worse (1) or a lot better (5)?

Participants’ parents went on-line to complete the same survey two to four weeks after their child’s camp stay. Both children and parents reported significant positive changes in the children’s social skills and happiness as a result of their two-week camp experience, and 140 of 147 (95%) children reported improvement in their overall social skills.

Social Skills Improvement

Social Skill % of Campers Reporting Improvement Mean Answer
Choose people who would be good to be friends with. 64% (107 out of 156) 3.91
Get to know more things about my friends. 74% (123 out of 155) 4.18
Enjoy being with my friends. 69% (115 out of 157) 4.17
Help my friends have a good time when they are with me. 64% (107 out of 157) 4.03
Find ways to meet people I want to be friends with. 65% (108 out of 157) 4.06
Get to know people who I might want to become friends with. 73% (122 out of 157) 4.10
Listen carefully to things that my friends tell me. 60% (100 out of 156) 3.94
Understand my friends’ emotions. 62% (103 out of 157) 4.01

Focus on Friendship

Camp counselors, unlike teachers, view their primary role as one of facilitating friendships and positive experiences. They are also trained to help campers build social skills. At most camp programs, counselors participate in up to a week of training prior to the summer. Sessions include exercises in communication, leadership, and team building, during which counselors are trained to lead “ice-breakers” that help campers get to know one another and connect. Making friends is an important part of the camp experience, and with the help of their counselors, children learn and practice their friend-making skills. Given that camp programs emphasize forming new friendships and rekindling old friendships, the finding that children felt their social skills improved as a result of camp supports the hypothesis of this study and anecdotal testimonials. Not surprisingly, all campers (100%) reported making new friends at camp, with 99% of campers’ parents (132/133) reporting the same.

How many new friends did you make at camp?

Number of New Friends % of campers
0 0%
1-3 friends 14%
4-6 friends 14%
7-9 friends 19%
10 or more friends 44%

Note: 10 children (6%) did not answer the question.

How do camp experiences foster friendships and develop campers’ social skills?

While the specific mechanisms for social skills development were not part of this study, campers’ comments provide some clues as to why camp experiences help foster close friendships and improved social skills.

  • Sense of belonging and social acceptance, understanding their value to the camp community:Reading with a Friend

“I’m not exaggerating, camp is my favorite place on Earth. The people provide a sense of belonging and ‘welcomeness.’ I’ll be back next year!”

“I liked the freedom you are provided with and how many new friends you can make within two weeks!”

“Camp is really fun. It’s usually hard to make friends, but here it’s easy.”
“I liked bonding with my horse, my friends, and the counselors.”

“Camp is really fun and it’s usually hard to make friends, but here it’s easy.”

“I get to make new friends and grow better friendships with existing friends.”

  • Opportunity to practice skills like cooperation, altruism, and empathy:

“What I like best about camp is creating connections and having a new home.”

“What I like best about camp is hanging out with my friends.”

“Camp helps me come out of my shell.”
“It’s fun and I get to play with my friends.”

  • Improved ability to label emotions in facial expressions, more time in face-to-face communication (no screens!):

“I want to come back to camp to get away from electronics, and I really like this experience.”

“I liked that there are no electronics, like a cleanse.”

  • Opportunity to practice their conversation skills at meals, activities, around the campfire, during rest timeand while walking around camp:Camp Friends

“I loved doing activities with my cabin group and just talking to them.”

“The best thing about camp is the bonding time you spend with your cabin mates.”

  • Meeting new people:

“I love camp and getting outdoors and meeting new people from places all over theworld.”

“I loved all of the wonderful counselors and the friends I made.”

Children who live together in close quarters, share activity and meal times, and gather around campfires in discussion and games get an intense burst of time with one another and often report feeling closer to their friends at camp—with whom they spend only two weeks—than to their school friends. Because they are with each other so much and—at the six camps of focus in this study—are required to unplug from electronics, children at summer camp spend more time in intentional, directed conversation as compared to when they are not at camp. Trained counselors lead campers through team- and relationship-building activities throughout the day, skills that are more deeply developed thanks to increased face-to-face communication.

At camp, children are socializing with one another from the moment they wake upuntil the minute they fall asleep. They have time to internalize group social norms and learn appropriate social interactions by emulating counselors and fellow campers. For a child who has grown up in the same neighborhood or gone to the same school their whole life, camp may be the first opportunity to meet such a large number of new friends and interact with a diverse group of people. Campers get practice talking to new people, figuring out appropriate self-disclosure, and asking questions to get to know others.

It’s no surprise that campers and parents believe camp experiences improve kids’ social skills. Those two weeks each summer spent at camp may, indeed, be life-changing. And new friends and improved social skills may be one of the most important reasons!Ropes Course Fun

Research on Social Skills and Camp

REFERENCES

Crosnoe, R. (2000). Friendships in childhood and adolescence: The life course and new directions. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63(4), 377-391. doi: 10.2307/2695847

RELATED

Study Finds Campers Really are Happy 
Friends: Finding Gold in a Plastic Era 
See more of my research data at campresearch.wordpress.com.

If you like Sunshine Parenting, please subscribe to get an email update each time I post. You can also follow me onFacebook or Pinterest for links to other articles and ideas about camp and parenting. Thank you for reading!

Why Making Friends is One of the Most Important Things that Happens at Summer Camp

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Benefits of Camp https://campladore.org/2018/01/02/benefits-of-camp/ Tue, 02 Jan 2018 16:36:59 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=1603 The camp experience enriches lives and changes the world.

Camp provides children with a community of caring adults, who nurture experiential education that results in self-respect and appreciation for human value. All of the outcomes – self-identity, self-worth, self-esteem, leadership, and self-respect – build personal competencies. These personal competencies are reflected in the four “C’s” of the camp community: compassion, contribution, commitment, and character! For years, campers’ parents have reported that when their children return home from camp they are more caring, understand the importance of giving, are more equipped to stand up for what they know is right and are willing to be more responsible. These are the qualities that will help build a successful nation and a civil society.

Children are at less risk at camp where they have a sense of community, develop intergenerational relationships, and learn through first-hand experiences. Trained, caring adult role models help children feel loved, capable and included. Camp provides children with a safe, supervised, positive environment, which helps children grow.

Camp Professionals have enormous power in conveying simple teachable moments.special moments of passing experiences touched by the human spirit. These fleeting moments of time build three significant ACA values that are reflected in the benefits campers derive from camp.

ACA values people. The moments that result in the camp experience repeatedly express the value of people. We demonstrate that value through respect, honesty, caring, and sharing. Through the camp experience, young people learn to understand the strength of mankind. They also develop an appreciation for the qualities required to protect the fragile relationships needed to protect these relationships.

ACA values the natural world. We seek and appreciate what is real, genuine, and non-artificial. In seeking those qualities in people as well as in the actual world, we foster understanding of the importance of human connections for survival and of the critical connections to our physical world. Campers realize the need to protect not only one another, but also the environment in which they live. Our intent is to preserve and share that legacy with the next generation.

Finally, ACA values a sense of contribution. Our contributions are both obvious and subtle. The benefits of our work are both immediate and slow to emerge. Most significantly, although the experience itself is often fleeting, our impact on the human spirit lasts a lifetime. Children who attend camp develop connections with the world.

We never underestimate the simplest lesson or the briefest wink of time. It may be a star in someone’s horizon for all eternity.

Benefits and Anticipated Outcomes of the Camp Experience

Social Skills Development
Leadership
Communication
Participation

Self-respect and Character Building
Responsibility
Resourcefulness
Resilience

Community Living/Service Skills
Caring
Fairness
Citizenship
Trustworthiness

http://www.acacamps.org/media-center/benefits-of-camp

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13 Reasons Why Every Career-Driven Millenial Should Work At Camp For A Summer https://campladore.org/2017/01/16/13-reasons-why-every-career-driven-millennial-should-work-at-camp-for-a-summer/ Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:00:08 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=1556 Career-focused, but can’t land that dream internship? Intent on finishing up undergrad, but don’t have a job lined up for this summer? Do you have a summer wide-open, but are unsure how to fill it?

We believe that internships and yes, even summer jobs, should provide meaningful experiences and accelerate you towards your career. Regardless of what your major is and regardless of what your long term goals are, every career-driven girl should spend at least one summer working for a camp.

[Related: The Best Companies to Land a Part-Time Job This Summer]

With a variety of types of positions available at different camps across the nation, you can be sure to find a job that suits your fancy. Job functions at different camps can include the following:

  • Activity Staff
  • Business
  • Counselor
  • Food services
  • Grounds and Landscape
  • Health
  • Programming
  • Support Staff
  • Waterfront

There are so many benefits to working at a camp, so we’ve gathered 13 reasons why you should work at a camp for a summer:

1. You get to be a role model.

For however long you have the opportunity to interact with the campers, you quickly become one of the coolest (and most influential) people in their lives. Camp counselors especially have the opportunity to impact campers because of the amount of time spent with their kids. True bonds can form when you least expect them to: at the high dive at the pool, at the top of the zip line, tubing on the lake, or in the cabin late at night when homesickness sets in.

[Related: What You Can Take Away From Your Summer Job]

2. You get to unplug. 

Among the woods and lakes, you might not find much Wi-Fi, but you’ll find plenty of nature just begging you to unplug and enjoy. Surrounding yourself with the
beauty of the great outdoors only helps with this. 

3. Crafts to the max.

Never tie-dyed a shirt before? No problem. Camp is a great time to learn (or perfect) tie-dying skills, tie thousands of tiny knots until your wrists are loaded with friendship bracelets, and make too many dream catchers. 

4. Boost your resume.

Through the experiences you have working for a camp, you will be able to proudly put on your resume that you not only survived a summer working for a camp but thrived in the environment as well. Here you can find 10 Reasons Why Businesses Should Hire Former Camp Counselors. What made the list? Former camp counselors are great communicators, life-long learners, leaders, team players, and creative thinkers, just to name a few.

5. You truly make a difference.

There are so many benefits to working at a camp, including making a difference. Check out The Camp Counselor vs. the Intern from a New York Times blog, here. 

“What I do there matters,” she insisted. In several conversations, she told us about helping a camper cope with her mother’s debilitating depression and comforting others whose parents were fighting or separating, about aiding 11- and 12-year-olds who were coming to terms with their sexuality, battling anorexia, confronting body fear. She talked about the many hours devoted to water-skiing lessons, about instilling the confidence needed by awkward, gawky, painfully self-conscious 8- and 9-year-olds to stay prone in the water, hold on to the rope, then rise up and stay on their feet as the boat pulled away. “What’s more important than that?” she asked.

I had no answer, because I couldn’t come up with anything more important.

[Related: 5 Life Lessons Going to Summer Camp Taught Me]

6. Rock those chacos.

You get to rock the colorful chacos all summer, ending the summer with an awesome (terrible?) tan line.

7. Life-long friendships.

Within just a few days of arriving at camp for the beginning of the summer training sessions, you will meet some awesome people. Just think, your co-workers are some of the best, simply by them being there: they gave up their summer (just like you) to learn, grow, and impact others’ lives as well. Life-long friendships are bound to develop as you live and work alongside other college kids for three solid months.

8. Interview material.

After spending a summer at camp, you will surely find out some strengths and weaknesses for you to talk about in an interview, not to mention the crazy stories you can share

9. Peer networking.

Not all of your co-workers will be elementary education majors. In fact, you will meet a plethora of majors who have done the same thing you have: sought out a beyond-the-typical summer job. An awesome time to expand your peer networking to individuals from all over the country and from all walks of life.

10. Fresh air.

Believe it or not, the great outdoors can give you a sense of relaxation and recharge. Finding time to enjoy a more leisurely life by embracing the early sunrise and sitting up late under a sky full of stars can do more for you than you might have ever imagined. A little dirt never hurt anyone, right? 😉

11. You get paid to be crazy.

Now, our definitions of crazy may be different, but as a staff member for a camp, you get to participate in Wacky Wednesday, dress up crazy for skits, be the leader in the daily dance party, and genuinely show your campers how to have a good time.

12. You hone your leadership skills. 

There are plenty of opportunities to improve your leadership skills by working for a camp because, at one point or another, you will be asked to lead. Whether you are leading other staff members or a handful of campers, you will be looked up to for direction and wisdom.

13. You will learn so much about yourself.

As awesome as camp life is, it also is challenging. You may not know how to deal with a situation with a camper, your co-counselor for the week might not be the most compatible with your sense of humor, and some days might seem like they drag on forever—is it lights out yet?! However, it is moments like these where your true colors shine. You will learn so much about yourself and, at the end of the summer, will be able to look back and be proud of all that you made it through.

Ready to work hard, make a difference, build your resume, get paid, and have the best summer of your life? Apply to work for a camp for a summer—you won’t regret it.

To get you started on your search, look to the American Camp Association for position openings.

For more about my camp experiences, please check out my blog, here.

This article was originally published on The Lala.

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10 Reasons Why Businesses Should Hire Former Camp Counselors https://campladore.org/2013/11/27/10-reasons-why-businesses-should-hire-former-camp-counselors/ Wed, 27 Nov 2013 14:00:13 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=1551

Guest post by Anne Archer Yetsko

When I speak with friends who work in other industries, I always tell them that if you have an applicant who has been a camp counselor and has a positive reference from that camp, they should move to the top of that pile of applications that are overflowing on their desk. A camp counselor is one of the hardest jobs out there. It is not all fun and games. Here is my list of the top 10 qualities you get when you hire someone who has been a camp counselor.

  1. A good communicator: Camp counselors have to be able to communicate well with children, parents, coworkers, and superiors. This is different from any other job because parents leave the most valuable thing in their lives with us, their child. At our camp they have about 10 minutes to speak to the counselors and feel confident in them before they leave their perfect child with them for two weeks. That 10-minute conversation is one that will have a lasting impact on that parent. THEY WILL CLING TO EVERY WORD! If a child is sick or homesick, that same counselor is the one to call the parent to update them on the situation and ensure them that their baby is safe and being well cared for.
  2. A life-long learner: When someone works in a camp setting, they learn that to be successful in camp and in life they have to realize they have a lot to learn not only about camp and their campers but also about themselves. Once they make that transition they are able to approach every situation in life with an “I want to learn more” attitude.
  3. A self-starter: Most camps have between 25-150 cabin counselors. While they are given very good supervision, no one is holding their hand every step of the way. They very quickly learn that as far as their campers are concerned, THEY are the “go-to” person. If one of their children forgets a toothbrush it is their responsibility to get them one from the infirmary.
  4. A resilient individual: Camp counselors can handle anything. Just ask the counselor who has been helping a camper overcome homesickness while teaching their activity in the rain for 4 days straight, only to learn that there is a child in their cabin with lice. When they hear this, instead of curling up in a ball and hiding (the way any normal person would), they grab their gloves, strip all the beds in the cabin, get all of the laundry to the cleaners, and get all the campers lined up outside to check each one for nits. I repeat, camp counselors can, and do, handle anything!
  5. A problem solver: At camp we try to keep things very scheduled and organized, but at the drop of a hat, plans can change. Imagine walking out of the dining hall with 250 campers and staff to play sock war (like capture the flag but you get to throw socks at each other!) when you hear a loud burst of thunder and have to come up with a new plan in an instant.
  6. A creative thinker: When you need a new plan immediately, leave it to a camp counselor to come up with the most brilliant and fun game that anyone has ever heard of. If you think a boardroom of 10 lawyers is intimidating try standing in front of 200 children who are expecting to have the most fun they have ever had and your plan that you have been working on all week just got rained out.
  7. A detail-oriented worker: Remember, camp counselors are responsible for THE most important thing in a parent’s life. Each and every detail is unbelievably important! Did a child have enough to eat at breakfast, drink enough water, make a new friend, skin their knee, play soccer, miss their mom, have wet shoes, lose their sweatshirt . . . ? Now multiply this by a whole cabin of campers!
  8. A leader: It does not matter if you consider yourself a leader or not, the moment children arrive on property their counselor is their leader and their biggest role model. They watch their counselor’s every move. It is amazing how quickly camp counselors learn how to take on this role and own it. The way these children talk about their counselors when they leave is a testament to what great leaders they are.
  9. A team player: Camp counselors are some of the best team players you will ever meet. They have learned that they cannot do it all on their own and that the best product is produced when you have a team working on it. In a camp setting, you need all different personality types to be able to meet each and every child where they are. To come up with the most fun game, camp counselors know it won’t come from one person but an army of people working toward the same goal. Most people come into this job thinking they can do it all, but it does not take long for them to realize that this job is physically impossible alone.
  10. A solid work ethic: It is very difficult to explain to someone who has never been a camp counselor how hard this job really is. These college students work 24 hours a day for 3 months with very little time off and they do all the things mentioned in 1–9 with a smile on their face.

Employers who themselves have been camp counselors understand the qualities required to successfully do this job and, consequently, often seek these individuals out when filling positions. But now the secret is getting out and having “Summer Camp Counselor” on a resume can make a potential employee much more desirable!

Anne Archer  Yetsko is the associate director of Camp Merri-Mac in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She has worked for Merri-Mac for 12 years and is also a recent graduate of Touro University’s Camp Administration and Leadership master’s program. This blog was originally posted on the Merri-Mac blog.

Photo courtesy of Cheley Colorado Camps, Estes Park, Colorado

– See more at: http://www.acacamps.org/news-publications/blogs/counselors-corner/10-reasons-why-businesses-should-hire-former-camp-counselors#sthash.btDgD7Es.dpuf

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Summer Camps Make Kids Resilient https://campladore.org/2012/02/05/summer-camps-make-kids-resilient-2/ Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:00:36 +0000 https://campladore.org/?p=1561 Michael Ungar Ph.D.

I recently spoke to 300 camp directors about how to make children more resilient to life stress. Summer camps, we discovered, are perfect places to help children optimize their psychosocial development.

After all, summer camps are places where children get the experiences they need to bolster their range of coping strategies. There are the simple challenges of learning how to build a fire, going on a hike, or conquering a high ropes course. There are the much more complex challenges of getting along with a new group of peers, learning how to ask for help from others, or taking manageable amount of risks without a parent following after you.

The best camping experiences offer these opportunities for manageable amounts of risk and responsibility, what I term “the risk takers advantage” (see my book Too Safe for Their Own Good for more examples). The worst camps pander to children as if they are entitled little creatures whose parents are paying big sums of money. Children at camp can’t be treated like customers if they are going to get anything out of the experience. They need to be treated like students whose caregivers, the counselors, know what the kids need to grow.

Camps that pull this off and make kids, especially teens, put away the makeup, stash the iPods, get a little dirty and even a little frustrated while having fun and making new friends, are the kinds of camps that offer children the best of what they need. Looking at those experiences from the vantage point of my research on resilience, I know that camps help our children develop great coping strategies when they provide seven things all children need:

1)    New relationships, not just with peers, but with trusted adults other than their parents. Just think about how useful a skill like that is: being able to negotiate on your own with an adult for what you need.

2)    A powerful identity that makes the child feel confident in front of others. Your child may not be the best on the ropes course, the fastest swimmer, or the next teen idol when he sings, but chances are that a good camp counselor is going to help your child find something to be proud of that he can do well.

3)    Camps help children feel in control of their lives, and those experiences of self-efficacy can travel home as easily as a special art project or the pine cone they carry in their backpack. Children who experience themselves as competent will be better problem-solvers in new situations long after their laundry is cleaned and the smell of the campfire forgotten.

4)    Camps make sure that all children are treated fairly. The wonderful thing about camps is that every child starts without the baggage they carry from school. They may be a geek or the child with dyslexia. At camp they will both find opportunities to just be kids who are valued for who they are. No camps tolerate bullying (and if they do, you should withdraw your child immediately).

5)    At camp kids get what they need to develop physically. Ideally, fresh air, exercise, a balance between routine and unstructured time, and all the good food their bodies need. Not that smores (marshmallows, chocolate and graham cracker treats) don’t have a place at the campfire, but a good camp is also about helping children find healthy lifestyles.

6)    Perhaps best of all, camps offer kids a chance to feel like they belong. All those goofy chants and team songs, the sense of common purpose and attachment to the identity that camps promote go a long way to offering children a sense of being rooted.

7)    And finally, camps can offer children a better sense of their culture. It might be skit night, or a special camp program that reflects the values of the community that sponsors the camp, or maybe it’s just a chance for children to understand themselves a bit more as they learn about others. Camps give kids both cultural roots and the chance to understand others who have cultures very different than their own.

That’s an impressive list of factors that good camping experiences provide our children. Whether it is a subsidized day camp in a city or a luxurious residential facility up in the mountains, camps can give our kids a spicy combination of experiences that prepare them well for life. Add to that experience the chance for a child’s parents to reinforce at home what the child nurtures at camp, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll find in our communities and schools amazing kids who show the resilience to make good decisions throughout their lives.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/nurturing-resilience/201202/summer-camps-make-kids-resilient

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