Where Have All The Camp Staff Gone?
The question hums in my head like a popular song
By Ian Snyder
In recent months, I find myself humming the modern folk song, “Where have all the flowers gone?”, written by Pete Seeger (although in my opinion—best sung by the Kingston Trio). This melancholy tune has been a common one among my campfire ring. Sadly, I now find myself singing a new rendition of the classic … “Where have all the camp staff gone?”
Photo: © Can Stock Photo / sarymsakov
With the steady rise of internships, it is not uncommon for me to receive emails indicating the need to find an internship and “build my resume.” One of my favorites is the ever-so-painful “I guess it’s time for me to grow up,” stabbing like a dagger through my heart. These interactions invoke a myriad of thoughts and lead me to reflect on my own experience. Keep in mind I manage a camp property professionally, but there was a time that it was not always so.
Camp Counselor: The Foundation For Any Resume
This topic is a common one in many of the articles written to persuade young college students to pursue a position at a seasonal camp. The skills and experience that one gains while working at camp are hard to find in other seasonal positions, like at an ice cream shop, for example. The level of independent thinking required of staff members is not common! Despite all of our attempts at staff training, we cannot prepare them for everything. At one point or another, they will be faced with a challenge that will require them to think on their feet.
Independence is but the tip of the iceberg. When I was 18 years old, the parks and rec camp I worked for handed me a clipboard with 13 names on it. Each name corresponded to a wiggling, little 6-year-old. I was to watch over them, guide them, teach them, entertain them, feed them, and protect them for 7 hours or so and then do it all over again the next day. This is no easy task, and the responsibility put in the hands of a young staff is larger than they often comprehend.
“At one point or another, they will be faced with a challenge that will require them to think on their feet.”
The problem is that potential staff and young people of today do not know or see the value of working at camp. This, as many of you can attest, is the greatest enemy of camp directors and administrators.
The Rise Of The Internship
In comparison to many of my colleagues, I am young but when I was in college the sole purpose of the summer season was to rest one’s mind and make money because the winter was long. I remember working as many hours as I could just to avoid having to get a job during the school year. Although some remnants of this mentality are present today, the focus has shifted to “gaining experience” through valuable internships.
I am not opposed to internship opportunities. As a student of education, I was required to complete several field-based learning experiences. They were essential to my growth as an educator. However, I would not say they gave me anything more than my years at camp. Alas, with the consistently inflated requirements for entry-level positions that young people today must seek to attain years of experience before even setting out into the professional world, it is no surprise they have become consumed in pursuing meaningful vocational experiences.
Where Have All The Camp Staff Gone?
As Lord Baden Powell once said, “A week of camp is worth six months of theoretical teaching in a meeting room.” My years on camp staff better prepared me for the professional workforce. I look back on incidents and lessons learned on a daily basis. They are not always easy to reflect on, but I will not forget what I learned and what I lived through. Those experiences helped to guide me through my early professional life, allowing me to avoid the same mistakes.
It is clear to me through the last few seasons of hiring that many young people do not see the value of what we offer them. What I fear most is that many will not be prepared for what lies ahead. The first long day on a job will knock them flat on their feet; having never lived through a 12-hour day with 13 6-year-olds in the hot summer sun, they will lack the perspective needed to stay the course. Upon receiving any semblance of responsibility, they may become overwhelmed by the weight of shredding paper in a lawyer’s office, which doesn’t compare to running a waterfront with 30 screaming kids.
The question remains, as the tune drones on in my head … “Where have all the camp staff gone? Gone for internships everyone, Oh, when will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?”
Ian Snyder is the Camping Director and Reservation Director for the Griswold Scout Reservation for the Boy Scouts of America Daniel Webster Council in Manchester, N.H. Reach him at ian.snyder@scouting.org.