There's an exclusive club in the United States that every year, more Aussies are signing up to. Stories from inside the club that are leaked to those who aren't involved speak of rituals, chanting, secluded locations, outrageous costumes and performances and a group mentality that will never be fully understood by those in the outside world.
The club is summer camp.
The 'world' to which over 15000 American children escape to every summer and where camp counsellors from around the globe join forces to educate, support, entertain and motivate kids, is a world often so far removed from the real world that there can never be a full understanding of what summer camp is like until you've been.
Recently, one IEP Summer Camp USA email really struck a chord with me and made the desire to join the club stronger than ever. The following is summer camper Kate's, experience at an American camp, an experience that has had an enormous and positive impact oh her life.
My camp, Camp Rim Rock, finishes up next week, and it will be the end of my 14 week stint in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia.
I never realised how close the staff would become over the summer. It feels like I have known some of them for ages, and I know we will stay friends after camp.
There aren't any real downsides, I mean I have been on-duty up to 23 hrs a day, 6 days a week for 14 weeks and it is tiring but worthwhile for all the fun and friends. I have never had so many dress-up opportunities or chances to do crazy things like be dunked in a dunk tank, sing about Walmart, perform interpretive dance and magic tricks, learn to ride horses, generally sing and dance a lot, teach American kids how to play pass the parcel, cricket and AFL and just have pretty much non-stop fun for three months. It is hard work but unbelievably rewarding.
While I was initially apprehensive about working at an all-girls camp, it has turned about to be an advantage. No one cares what they look like, the kids are free to dance like crazy and run around camp without the pressure of boys.
It is so hard to sum up what has been the best summer of my life. I have been living a 'simple' life, walking outside to use the bathroom, always having dirty feet, rarely making contact with the outside world, sleeping under the stars every now and again and being outdoors all day. I would do it again in a heartbeat and can not put into words how much fun I have had. It is not the job itself that has made my experience, but the people I have worked with who turned the summer into an adventure to remember.
Thank you IEP for making it all possible!!
Kate
It is stories like this that keep camp counsellors going back for more year after year and encourages other Aussies to take the plunge and join the club that is Summer Camp USA.
Applications for Summer Camp USA 2010 program are now open and you can find out more about how to work at a camp in the States by clicking Summer Camp USA.
You must love kids, be aged 19-35 (skilled 18 year olds will be considered) and be available for 8-10 weeks between May/June and August.
Email me if you are an Australian and want to know more about Summer Camp USA naomi.joyce@iep.org.au
This sounds like an amazing experience and that's exactly how a camp should be. Everyone needs to experience something like this early in their lives and have the chance to keep those memories as they grow!
Posted by: Suffolk County Day Camp | 29 September 2009 at 12:38 AM