10 Reasons Why Teens Should Work at Camp
Any search for summer camp opportunities in the Kansas City Metro will yield a wealth of happenings. But what if a teen has already “been there, done that”? Perhaps it’s time to go back—not as a participant, but as a leader.
Working at summer camp not only gives teens the opportunity to be involved with kids, it also is often their first taste of a real job, one in which they learn a lot about themselves and others, says Lauren Onions, director of the VERB Summer Program at Calvary Lutheran Church and School in Kansas City, MO.
Read on for 10 reasons why your teen should work at camp this summer:
- To inspire someone. Kids are malleable. When you’re working with kids all day long, it’s hard not to have an impact on them. “A high schooler, to a first-grader, is old,” says Onions. “They look up to [the teens] so much.”
- To gain leadership skills. At Spring Hill’s Camp Invention, program director Darcy Sly relies on her teen helpers to keep kids under control and focused, while encouraging creativity. “My helpers are basically little teachers,” she says.
- To add umph to a college or job application. Imagine the phrases “practiced responsibility,” “learned time management” or “worked with kids” on your teen’s college or job paperwork. The attention-grabbing skills the camp work experience provides go a long way.
- To learn how to work with diverse age groups. A high school senior coming down to a first-grader’s level? It can be awesome. In the VERB program, teens plan outdoor activities, read to the kids and organize group games. “The kids love them, because they’re super-involved,” Onions says.
- To gain management insight. Camp directors rely on their teen leaders to support them in management practices of all sorts: behavioral, time and projects. Essentially, says Jessica Walters, enrichment director at Turner Recreation Commission in Kansas City, KS, teens learn basic job responsibilities.
- To develop communication skills. Whether you’re a high school senior trying to cheer up a shy and teary first-grader, or a 16-year-old reporting to the program director, opportunities to practice communication abound. “You really have to think on your feet,” says Blue Springs recreation supervisor Kaylahree Mayfield. “It helps you learn how to work with other people.”
- To help establish long-term goals. Ashley Kellicker, Camp Invention’s regional program manager who oversees Kansas and Missouri programs, sees this at work in teen volunteers all the time. If a teen is interested in going into the field of education, for instance, the camp leadership experience might help that teen explore a teaching career path.
- To open up other opportunities. Sheila Bruns, the summer programs director at Earnest Shepherd Memorial Youth Center in Liberty, looks highly on past 4-H program volunteers when making hiring decisions. That’s because she knows those former volunteers come from good stock. “We’ve hired them when they’re in college, and they’re dynamic,” Bruns says.
- To build confidence and self-esteem. A camp leadership experience allows teens to learn about themselves. Onions sees in her teen helpers an acute awareness of how they present themselves to the younger kids. Adds Walters, teens who assist with summer programs realize they have a role in helping their community.
- To build relationships that last a lifetime. “These little kids are the next generation,” Walters says. As the saying goes, “To teach is to touch a life forever.
A summer of volunteering at camp leads to a treasure trove of insight. “The thing I love to hear [my volunteers] say is, ‘Oh, my gosh, I never knew teachers had to work so hard,’ Sly says. “It’s quite an eye-opener for them.”
Freelance writer and editor Kate Meadows is a mom of two boys who lives in Louisburg. Her most recent essays appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Multitasking Moms. www.KateMeadows.com