The guest blog this week is from Alyson, Camp Starlight’s Assistant Director.

« Most of hype you hear about why you should be a summer camp counselor involves fun, friendship, and sunshine!  However, it may come as a surprise that one of the best reasons to become a camp counselor is the impact it will have on your future career.   There are few better ways to spend your summers than to have an experience that not only offers you the opportunity to enhance your teaching and coaching skills but to have fun while getting paid!  College students who are education, sports administration, and recreation majors can easily build their resumes while earning college credit too.  Some of the things you don’t realize you will get out of camp…social development, professionalism, working in a group setting, planning on the spot, supervision, conflict resolution, and problem solving.  On top of all of that getting to work with children is so gratifying and getting to work in the fun outdoors during the summer is desirable too.  And did we mention FUN?

There are so many benefits to working at camp if you are a college student majoring in any of the aforementioned areas.  You naturally start to build leadership skills that are natural to a classroom or a team setting.  In your daily life at camp, the activity periods, bunk responsibilities, and general camper caretaking are all opportunities for developing future classroom management roles as well as teaching and coaching tactics. The responsibility you have for children at summer camp is a common thread to teaching and coaching.  But at camp you’re given a fun environment where you’re developing in all these ways while you are also helping to build the kids’ self-confidence, skill base, and further childhood development! »