At Camp we focus on the benefits for campers but rarely do we mention all the benefits our staff of young adults receive. This week we saw an article on Levo, a career development company, called 13 Reasons Why Every Career-Driven Millennial Should Work At Camp For A Summer.

We picked our Top 5 reasons from their list:

1. You get to be a role model.
   For however long you have the opportunity to interact with the campers, you quickly become one of the coolest (and most influential) people in their lives. Camp counselors especially have the opportunity to impact campers because of the amount of time spent with their kids.
2. You truly make a difference.
   There are so many benefits to working at a camp, including making a difference. Check out this quote from the New York Times blog The Camp Counselor vs. the Intern, here.
   
   “What I do there matters,” she insisted. In several conversations, she told us about helping a camper cope with her mother’s debilitating depression and comforting others whose parents were fighting or separating, about aiding 11- and 12-year-olds who were coming to terms with their sexuality, battling anorexia, confronting body fear. She talked about the many hours devoted to water-skiing lessons, about instilling the confidence needed by awkward, gawky, painfully self-conscious 8- and 9-year-olds to stay prone in the water, hold on to the rope, then rise up and stay on their feet as the boat pulled away. “What’s more important than that?” she asked. I had no answer, because I couldn’t come up with anything more important.
3. You hone your leadership skills.
   There are plenty of opportunities to improve your leadership skills by working for a camp because, at one point or another, you will be asked to lead. Whether you are leading other staff members or a handful of campers, you will be looked up to for direction and wisdom.
4. Peer networking.
   Not all of your co-workers will be elementary education majors. In fact, you will meet a plethora of majors who have done the same thing you have: sought out a beyond-the-typical summer job. An awesome time to expand your peer networking to individuals from all over the country and from all walks of life.
5. You will learn so much about yourself.
   As awesome as camp life is, it also is challenging. You may not know how to deal with a situation with a camper, your co-counselor for the week might not be the most compatible with your sense of humor, and some days might seem like they drag on forever—is it lights out yet?! However, it is moments like these where your true colors shine. You will learn so much about yourself and, at the end of the summer, will be able to look back and be proud of all that you made it through.

Are you ready to have the best summer ever while helping influence young campers? Learn more about joining our staff of nurturing counselors today!