10 Valuable Lessons I Learned as a Summer Camp Counselor

10 Valuable Lessons I Learned as a Summer Camp Counselor

As a child, I spent moneyt eight wonderful summers in a sleepy CAMP where I made lifelong friends, learned about myself and my community, and grew and matured in countless ways. While being a camper from age 9 to 16 was indescribable, the most important values, skills, and life lessons I learned came in the following years when I became a staff member at the same camp. . During my four years as a counselor (and one year as Division Head), I learned some valuable lessons that have helped guide me in my personal and professional life. Here are the 10 most important things I learned as a summer camp counselor:

1. Leadership skills

Imagine you are a 17 or 18 year old fresh out of high school, starting to transition into a more independent, adult life. You’re going to college, or maybe you’re starting a new job, but you probably haven’t had to make any big decisions for yourself yet. Working as a camp counselor puts you in an environment where managing and making decisions is an important part of the job. From planning programs, to making sure activities run smoothly, to leading groups of sometimes dozens of children, developing leadership skills is a natural result of getting the job done.

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2. Responsibility

Many teens have been responsible for other people in the past, perhaps as a babysitter, lifeguard, or a similar job. Camp counseling takes the basic aspects of childcare and child management to a whole new level, as counselors often care for large groups of children at once. . When parents drop their children off at camp, they are putting their children’s safety in the hands of the staff. In my experience, that level of responsibility improves young adults’ confidence and sense of self-worth, better preparing them for the responsibilities of adult life.

3. Collaboration

I was always a student in school who didn’t like doing group projects; I always prefer to work on things alone and in my own way. I didn’t see the value in working with others when I was sure I could do it all by myself. That facade quickly crumbled the first summer I worked as a counselor, realizing that one 17-year-old could never take care of the full-time needs of the dozens of third graders under my supervision. I learned early that summer the importance of collaboration and teamwork with my fellow counselors and other camp staff, and that asking for help is a sign of strength and maturity, not weakness.

4. Flexibility

Just as the camp staff works hard to provide structure and stick to their schedules and plans, we all know that sometimes life has other plans. The change in weather can disrupt the outdoor path you’ve spent time setting up. A crying baby can pull you away from whatever task you are trying to do. Running out of art supplies before craft time ends means you have to improvise the fun for the next 20 minutes. Regardless of the situation, a camp counselor must learn to be flexible and ready to shift gears at a moment’s notice, a life skill that many adults don’t know.

5. There is no end to the world

Along with flexibility, one of the biggest lessons I take from every summer spent at camp is that the world is not the end, even if it feels like it. Especially when you spend weeks in a “camp bubble” and take your counseling responsibilities seriously, the smallest things can feel overwhelming. When you spend all week planning a basketball tournament for the whole camp, and all of a sudden the day-of all the basketball at camp is gone, it feels like the end of the world. Working at camp taught me how to step back from a situation, look at the big picture, and put scary situations into perspective, a skill I’ve carried over to other aspects of my life.

6. Creativity is key

Before working as a camp counselor, I never considered myself a very creative person. Entertaining children of all ages for eight weeks straight every summer definitely proved me wrong. The need to have a fresh and fun program for every day of the summer pushes me to think outside the box and be really creative with the activities I plan. Now, I can easily write a new program for a group of campers with just a little brainstorming and imagination.

7. Importance of community

For campers and staff members, summer camps are important in fostering community and meaningful relationships. Most camps center around some common identity, be it a shared hobby, geographic area, religion, or personal values. My camp, for example, is a Jewish sleepaway camp, which means two months of year, I was completely immersed in the Jewish culture and surrounded by other Jews from all over the world. As a young adult struggling to find my place and purpose in the world, camp provides a welcoming environment each summer where I feel seen and understood by those around me. No matter what community you belong to, camp is a wonderful place to learn and reinforce the values ​​that are important to you and your life.

8. Developing friendships

In addition to building relationships with a community at large, summer camps have the power to create and nurture lifelong friendships. Some of my best and oldest friends are people I met during my first year as a camper, and each year I return only yields more incredible friendships. To this day, whenever I go back for a quick summer visit, I can develop bonds with new and interesting people in an environment that promotes fellowship and friendship, a fact I will not ignore!

9. Work in stressful situations

Let’s be honest; taking care of children is stressful. Even at day camps, where campers go home at the end of the day, ensuring the safety and well-being of so many kids (while also keeping them entertained and happy) is a lot of work. Being a counselor has given me many skills to deal with stressful situations by teaching me patience, empathy, and quick-thinking problem-solving techniques. As I went through college and now into my professional career, the stress management skills I learned at camp have prepared me for life’s challenges and empowered me to handle anything life throws at me. which may be entrusted to me.

10. Finding everyone’s entertainment

While working at summer camp is definitely hard at times, it’s also the most fun job a young adult could ask for. Working outside, making friends, watching kids be silly, and watching your campers grow and mature throughout the summer is so rewarding. As a camp counselor, you are the mood setter in every situation- if you are having fun, the kids will be too. Learning to take ordinary everyday things and turn them into something exciting can improve your own life and the lives of those around you.