Camp America Q+A

As many of you know, I have now participated in two summers with Camp America working on a special needs camp in Chicago, Illinois. After having many people message me with questions about the program I thought it would be helpful to create a question and answers page. Yes a lot of these questions are answered on the Camp America website but it's also much more relatable to hear answers from people who have personally experienced it. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

xo

What made you want to do Camp America?

I was coming to the end of my A levels and knew I had a long summer coming up and the last thing I wanted to do was spend my summer stuck at home and working as a waitress. I have also had a passion for working with children with special needs after doing some work experience in a special needs school and felt the need to gain some more experience. As I started looking into Camp America I thought what better way to gain experience to go on my CV and see some amazing places at the same time!

How do I apply?

Apply using the following link to the Camp America website https://www.campamerica.co.uk/

Simply create an account and start adding information about yourself to complete the application. Be aware that the application is a long process and takes time to do. You want to include as much information as possible about yourself, experiences and qualifications. So really think hard about everything you can include from school grades, babysitting jobs and hobbies to leadership roles and awards; anything helps just to show what you're like as a person. There are so many different types of camps, so you can also specify what kind of camp you would like to work at and if you have a skill such as coaching a sport, horse riding or art etc. you can become program staff at a camp requiring staff with your skill. Once your application is submitted it will get sent out to all the camps in America and you will then get selected by a camp (the most exciting part!) 

I don't have any specific skills, does this matter?

I applied two years ago and was taken a back with the huge list of specific skills on the application form, worrying myself as I didn't - and still don't have any skills that they list. Do not worry! this is not important for the 'counsellor role' and I ensure you that you will still get placed without a skill, so don't stress. But if you do have a skill then that's cool as you will most likely get to spend your summer teaching that skill.  

How much does it cost? 

To make this as simple as possible I will state what I spent/needed, but it really varies and depends on what you do with your time off and how cautious you are.

You pay around £700 to Camp America. Read up on their website to see what this includes. Camp usually lasts for around 10 weeks and depending on your camp you may only work during the day, you may have every weekend off or a complete random timetable. At my camp we had every weekend off so I spent money each weekend on transport, activities, tourist attractions, food and clothes. This ended up being about £1000 for the 10 weeks, but I was not careful with my money and could have spent a lot less. Remember, on your first summer you will get paid around $700-900 for the whole summer so you have that to spend as well. 

Can I travel after and how much will I need to travel?

YESS of course and I recommend you do travel whilst you have the opportunity because otherwise it is not always easy to get the visa; so Camp America is the perfect opportunity. There are so many places to choose from to suit every persons travelling aspirations. To see where I travelled to check out my blog on the various states and keep an eye out for where I plan to go in summer 2018! 

I am worried about leaving my boyfriend/girlfriend behind, could they come on the same camp?

So the first year I went to camp I did leave my boyfriend behind, as I had been planning the trip before we got together. I also felt it was important to do something on my own, to give me some independence and grow my confidence. Nearly two years later and me and my boyfriend are still together and that summer apart really did test our relationship, but in the end showed us that if we could get through that, we could get through anything. The second year I wanted to go back, my boyfriend got in contact with my camp director and managed to get a position working on the same camp. So yes some camps will accept couples but there will be rules you have to follow.

What is it like to work on a special needs camp?

Working on a special needs camp is definitely a lot more challenging than working on a regular camp; but also is so much more rewarding. I would say it makes the experience a whole lot more worth while and can provide you with a load of things to fill up your CV with. (yes I am bias- I LOVE working with people who have special needs and disabilities) You will learn to be more patient than you can ever imagine and I grantee that once you have worked with people with special needs, you will want to again. You're likely to have a lack of sleep and some days feel tired and homesick, but when you remember how happy you are making the campers, you will soon have a smile back on your face. For a lot of the campers this is their only holiday of the year and the only break they get, and to be the person that is making their week the best it can be is so worthwhile and rewarding. The experience is so beautiful and the connections you will make with the campers are precious and forever. 

What does 'a day at camp' look like?

Obviously, every camp will be so different but this is a day at the camp I worked at:
1) wake up, get the campers up and ready for breakfast (this often took a while)
2)at breakfast staff support the campers with eating and cleaning up
3)art sport and drama programmes or lake on rotating days. At the lake the campers like to swim, go on boats or just chill
4)lunch time 
5)swimming at the pool
6)supporting the campers to shower and get ready for dinner
7)dinner time
8)evening activity
9)meds and beds. The nurses will give the campers their medicine and then staff will support getting ready for bed
10)staff have duty one night a week from bedtime until 12pm, in which you sit in the corridor with another member of staff and check on the campers every 15 minutes and log any activity. The rest of the staff have the night off, bedtime-12pm

What is the orientation like when you get to camp?

Orientation involves learning about your campers needs and practising taking care of someone. Sometimes guest speakers may come in to give you a greater insight to different campers needs. You also just have loads of fun getting to know the other staff before camp starts.