Being a Camp Counselor

From every summer since 2005, I have spent at least one week at one of my favorite places in the world: Camp Christopher. After 5 years of camping, I decided to make the leap from camper to staff member. Little did I know that this seemingly small decision would change the way I saw the world.

From a leadership perspective, Camp Christopher is the one place that I have grown and matured most in my entire life. This close-knit community consists of about 60 staff members, including about 30 counselors, as well as over 2500 campers (aged 2-82 at family camp, 7-17 at resident camp) over the course of the summer. You may be thinking, how in the world can a community of over 2500 people be close knit? Well, firstly, these campers are broken up among 10 different sessions, meaning that 2500:60 (or about 42:1) ratio just changed to 250:60 (or about 4:1.) With ratios like that, you can beat that each and every camper receives an extremely close and personal connection to many of the staff members, but most importantly, the counselors.

Obviously, ethics are something that are extremely important in this environment is well, however especially more in a resident camp environment. Parents are trusting us with their kids, their most prized possession, and they expect us to not only abide by an extremely strict code of ethics, but also to provide inclusion, a strong-willed environment, and friendships that last a lifetime. These are very high expectations, but I have NEVER had a week (knock on wood) where each and every counselor at Camp Christopher has meet and exceeded these expectations.

There is something that the campers will never see, however, and that is the immense amount of background work and training that counselors go through in order to be the best that they can be. We are taught to continually motivate and empower the campers and other staff members on a daily basis. We are taught to make life-changing, split second decisions, not to benefit ourselves, but to benefit others. That could mean sacrificing sleep to stay up with a camper who is missing home, or giving up the last brownie to the kid who has already had 5. We constantly share power and authority with each other, as the camp functions as a team, not as individual units. We constantly feed off of each others energy and ideas, and that is how we become great, as opposed to only good.

You may be thinking, how in the world does all of this relate to leadership? Well, lets sum it all up: Camp Christopher is said to be a place to grow in nature, community, and spirit. All of these are extremely important qualities of a leader. A leader must understand the world around them (nature), and how to work with it, and not against it. A leader must understand their followers (community), as they are the ones they are in direct contact with and the ones that, at the end of the day, matter most. A leader must also understand themselves (spirit), because if you can't understand what you're doing, and who you are, you can't change, adapt, and grow in a positive manner.

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One the first day of camp, a co-worker (we just call thems co's) and I wake up early and head over to the dining hall for our pre-camp meeting. Its going to be a big week. We're expecting a full house, or just over 300 campers, to roll through the gates just fours hours after our meeting begins. Expectations are high, and stamina is running low. Its the 7th week in a row that we're doing this, and many are tired, hungry, or both. But we can't show it. This week must be as good, if not better, than every other week before it. And everyone knows it.

We get our rosters for the week, and our hope and optimism rises. We recognize some names, while others are new, a great sign. Everyone is cautiously optimistic for the week, except for the counselor stuck with 16 8-year-old girls for the week. But even she will hope for a good cabin, and will try her hardest to make the best of a bad situation.

This is the only time of the week where I still get jitters. I have no idea what to expect, as I have been given cabins full of angels, as well as cabins full of devils. However, no matter what, it is my duty to enstill hope and optimism for the week in all of the parents and campers that I will meet that day. The only way I know how to do this is to be sincere and genuine with everyone I encounter, as well to have hope and optimism for the week myself. I am a reflection of my emotions, and my campers reflect me. So as long as I am happy, joyous, cheerful, and fun, my campers will be too, in most cases.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the change these kids encounter in such a short amount of time. I know how it feels, I did it too. These kids are dropped off by their parents to sleep for six nights in an old cabins full of a bunch of kids they've never met before. They're without the support system of Mom and Dad, and are truly on their own for one of the first times in their lives. However, they're really not on their own. As counselors, we not only provide a "brother figure" (I hate saying father or mother figure, as no one can replace their parents), but foster friendship and brotherhood between all of the campers. Some of these kids come from not-so-good background, but we constantly involve everyone in everything, and we have a blast. For one week, they can forget Facebook, school, the internet, bullying, rejection, and bordem. It is this grass-roots childhood that we build and foster, and allow to grow and run wild. We are encourage, thoughtful, and there with them every step of the way.

In every leadership experience I have ever encountered since I started working at Camp Christopher, I have noticed a change. I am different, I am stronger, and I am better. In summary, remember the title of this blog, derived from former Camp Director Herb McGuire. In order to be an effective leader and person, you put your God First, Others Second, and I Am Third.