That's it! You've made the decision to spend your summer in America! A summer of a lifetime is awaiting for you but the decision of what camps to work for is the next step. There are many different types of camps out there with different benefits for you with all sorts of activities to take part in. But which should you choose? Here is a broken down guide to what each type of camps offer.
Traditional
Traditional camps are what you typically think of an American summer camp. It's what you see on movies and TV shows. A big lake, cabins everywhere, huge dining halls and everyone singing around a camp fire. These type of camps are huge and are either day, residential or both. Camps like these hire general counsellors and people who can teach these activities everyday. If you want to explore different areas then apply to be a general counsellor. This way you can enjoy learning the activities with the children. If you want to teach a specific craft, outdoor activity or teach creative things then apply for a specific position. Unless stated otherwise, counsellors stay on camp all the time with a day off once a week. You are expected to stay in a cabin with the children and be their guardians for their time at camp. Some camps offer day trips out which you can join, and most evenings counsellors can stay up and bond with each other when the kids are asleep.
Specialist
Specialist camps are camps that specialise in a specific activity, like outdoor sports, football, craft etc. They are similar to traditional, except they have a theme. Gymnastics, cheer camp, science camp are all examples. Kids come here to learn more about their chosen camp and they tend to enjoy the experience more. Like traditional, it can be either residential, day camp or both but counsellors tend to stay on site. If you are experience in a particular activity and want to just teach it all summer, have a look at specialist camps. You may enjoy the experience more yourself and you spend the summer seeing how these kids develop their skills and grow as a person. It'll feel more gratifying knowing you've personally helped children get better at a hobby they enjoy.
Special Needs
Special Needs camps tend to be a popular choice. Most people who go will be trained before camp starts so if there's no need to worry if you don't have any experience. Special needs camps are more rewarding, especially for the people who attend. Most of these camps will allow anyone with special needs of any age. It also adds more onto your CV as there are so many more skills you can develop from working there. Again, they are similar to traditional camps, with all campers taking part in activities and either staying overnight or going home at the end of the day.
Underprivileged and Day Camps
Underprivileged camps are traditional camps that are non-profit. Their summer programmes are offered to kids whose families are of low-income. They aren't there to make money, they're there to offer these kids a chance of a good summer like other kids. Like special needs, it feels more rewarding to work at an underprivileged camp as these kids are super excited to be in the countryside at a camp like their fellow classmates. It feels more of a community spirit. A lot of camps are day camps, meaning the kids go home at the end of the day. If you're wanting to spend more time exploring the area and bonding with the counsellors then look at day camps specifically. Some camps do a mixture of both so if you're not wanting to stay with the children at night make sure you state on your application if you want to or not.
Scout Camp
Whether it's a boy or girl scout camp you want to go to, you can enjoy best of both. These camps follow a structure of doing their merit badges throughout the week, doing all sorts of activities. They start their camp week off with a flag ceremony and the staff perform skits to the kids. By the Friday, they will have completed their merit badges they need and perform skits to the staff after their flag closing ceremony. These camps hire people for specific areas so you must be confident in what you want to teach. Scouts however stay with their scout masters in their own camp sites, so staff stay in cabins or tents in designated areas, meaning you have the evening to yourselves. Scouts camps are a good insight into American culture as Eagle scouts (the highest you can earn) are widely respected and is a great help on their resumes.
Faith camps
There are many religious camps across America, mainly Christian and Jewish. You don't need to be religious to work at a faith camp. They teach their beliefs to the children in similar ways to traditional camps but they incorporate their teachings into the activities. Some emphasis community spirit and provide services throughout the day. These kids are taught their faith-based principles through the activities so the kids can enjoy their experience and take home what they learned to be used in their day-to-day life. If you choose to work at a faith-based camps you'll need to be respectful of their teachings and understand why they do what they do.
I hope these descriptions help you decipher which camps is the best fit for you. On most applications you can choose multiple types that you want to do. This means your application will be spread to all these types of camps, giving you a better chance of placement.
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