When my 12-year-old son, Sebastian, went to Boy Scout camp two summers ago, it was his first time living on his own, away from his family. He enjoyed the week so much he returned last summer and plans to go again this year.
Attending camp provides many opportunities for him to learn new skills and become more self-reliant. Once he’s 14, his camp experience also could help him land a rewarding summer job.
Camps run by the Boy Scouts of America and the Concordia Language Villages are among those in Minnesota that employ many former campers in positions like counselor-in-training, leadership intern, and kitchen helper. These jobs may not pay as much as other opportunities for older teens, but the life skills they gain can give them an advantage as they pursue a career.
be prepared: to grow up
That proved true for Tyler McKean. Now the cub camping manager for the Northern Star Council, McKean started his employment with the Boy Scouts as a 14-year-old counselor-in-training. McKean worked for 10 summers at Scout camps. After a two-year hiatus with the Boy Scouts organization, he was offered a job running one of the Scout camps.
“I’m a big advocate of working at camp,” he says. “I think just being in the outdoors, working in service to other people, is a pretty great thing for young people to do.”
Although youth can’t be hired for salaried positions at the camps until age 15, the counselors-in-training who are 14 are treated like any other staff member, McKean says. They receive job training and go through an evaluation process with a mentor, in which they learn what they do well, and how they can improve.
McKean says interviewing for a job and receiving on-the-job training are experiences that some young adults don’t have until they go to college. While at camp, teens also must manage their own schedules, take care of their health and hygiene, and decide how they want to spend their free time, with no parents around to make decisions for them.
“I felt very prepared for adulthood, going off to college and taking care of car and insurance payments on my own, because since I was 14 years old, I’ve been living three months of the year on my own,” McKean says. “I’m 26 now, and I know some people my own age who still don’t do their own laundry.”
The Northern Star Council, based in the Twin Cities, accepts applications from young men and women throughout the winter for summer jobs at its five camps. Of the roughly 500 seasonal camp staffers, 60 to 70 are counselors-in-training.
“Just about everybody who applies has an opportunity to do a session,” McKean says. “We’re really lucky in this council to have such a good camping program.”
the language of leadership
Although Concordia Language Villages requires at least a high school degree for most summer jobs, high school students are eligible to apply for salaried jobs in the areas of food service and counseling, says Denise Phillippe, the associate director for program and staff development.
Teens who are at least 16 can work as kitchen helpers, and after a year or two of experience, they can be hired as kitchen cooks. Language proficiency isn’t required, but those who speak a language receive additional pay, Phillippe says.
On the counseling side, students who have finished their junior year of high school can apply for the competitive position of youth leadership intern. The following year, they can return as peer leadership interns. In both positions, the teens assist staff members with counseling duties and programming activities. Language proficiency is required, either gained from previous experience as a camper, or through a school immersion program or life experience.
Phillippe says interns build skills in the areas of leadership, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, responsibility, planning, and presenting — all of which will help them as they go through college and enter the work world. They also meet people from around the world, and the friendships they develop can lead to future travel or employment opportunities.
Another job benefit is the opportunity for interns to improve their own language skills.
“Sometimes people think that ends with the villager experience, but a lot of our staff have been both villagers and staff, and they say they learn just as much as staff because there’s even more expectation that they’re using (the language),” Phillippe says.
Applications for Concordia Language Village summer jobs are accepted on a rolling basis. Job-seekers who apply by March 15 will hear of their status by May 1.
Attending an organized camp is a popular, 170-year-old American tradition. The American Camp Association estimates that more than 11 million youth and adults attended camps in 2010. Of the country’s estimated 12,000 day and resident camps, 8,000 are operated by non-profit groups, including youth agencies and churches, and 4,000 are privately owned, for-profit businesses.
Resources
American Camp Association
acacamps.org
Concordia Language Villages
concordialanguagevillages.org
Northern Star Council, Boy Scouts of America
northernstarbsa.org/camping/campstaff
Joy Riggs once spent a week at basketball camp, where she learned that she’d never go pro.
