Since Smudge brought it up... what are your worst stories about staff you've worked with?

We had a Junior counselor my first year who was a complete exhibitionist... it started during staff training when she would parade around the cabins naked. She even went so far as to get naked and then walk to the shower house with no clothes and her towel just hanging over her arm... she returned with her hair wrapped in the towel and again nothing covering the rest of her.

She did this the first week when campers were there, and was told she was on thin ice... THEN, she repeatedly did it and we found out she had asked a camper to take pictures of her posing in the cabin nude!!

She was fired

WOW... thats all i gotta say.. Wow.

Yeah, she should have been fired the first time she did that with kids around... if not during staff training.

I posted this one before. It was so bad I thought I'd post it again.
We had a guy we called Edward. The stupid director hired him in the mid summer without doing background checks. The guy was from some African country and claimed to be here to go into the ministry. He claimed to be religious and led a Bible study/devotion with the staff before the campers came (it was a church camp). Then the next day, he grabbed the chest of a female staff member. The director failed to do much until he did it again! (That director was fired a couple of years later.) Edward was fired. One of the guys drove him to another city where he claimed to have friends. While in the car, Edward showed him his loaded sawed-off shotgun in his camp bag along with several thousand in cash!!! I'm glad he left camp without causing any more problems.

Two years ago I was Unit Leader for a Day Camp group. It was girls 3-4 grade and we had 24 (full load) that week. It was time for the Creek walk and the Nature Lady was in charge of it. First she was 10 minutes late meeting us. Now normally this wouldn't be a problem but the girls had just gone to the bathroom and were drinking more water (heat wave)..which anyone can see is going to be a problem. Now I couldn't go down to the creek because I had damaged my knee earlier that summer so I had to trust her with 24 girls, 5 program aides (7-8 graders) and one was a Down Syndrome program aide, and 2 other counselors. Down in the creek bed there is no radio contact...so again I'm trusting the Nature Lady.
When they came back they were missing the Nature Lady. She had LEFT them behind because she was walking so fast. Now if you understand Girl Scouts you understand ratio. Not only did she leave them behind but because she was walking so fast the one DS program aide couldn't keep up. So her and one other program aide were left down there.
Luckily nothing happened everyone was safe and sound. The Nature Lady was fired that day.

Twizzler

Last summer we had a staff member who would wander off randomly, when it wasn't her me time. Usually it was to talk on her phone or visit w/ other staff members. We woould always laugh when the unit staff came over the CB saying, "Break 0-1 to Camp Cedarledge... Has anyone seen Cheddar?" It was crazy.

Yes, we get those people from time to time... and then they're always like "But we had ratio!"

Years ago there was a staff member who claimed that she was a model. Before camp started she sent everyone her pictures of modeling. When she got to camp, she was a different person than from the pictures she sent. Even though the pictures were different, she still told us that she was a model and that she had to be treated that way. She always had her cell phone on her and would take extra time in the bathroom and so on. She said that all of the "extras" (cell phone and "primping") was all apart of her summer contract and that her agent required her to do all of these things.

She was eventually fired because she just wasn't doing her job. She would wander off to find a better cell phone signal and she would take care of herself before the campers. I'm not totally sure of the exact reason she was fired, but she made quite a scene when she left. She was very dramatic and yelled and screamed. Aparently she was an actress, too.

- Teenster

My first summer, i was in a unit and me and another counsellor were "In" the unit that night while the others had the night off. Anyway I feel asleep cos I hadn't been feeling well, and the next thing I know the other counsellor had was being yelled at for leaving the unit while she was duty and while I was asleep to go and check her emails. That summer we each got 15 mins a week to check our emails and she used to hog more than her fair share of the slots (ie 2 slots everyday not 1 a week).

Later in the summer half the staff had a huge party on camp with loads of alcohol and smoking (on a session break) but when they got caught they decided to allow the hole staff to be punished rather than own up to being involved.

In 2003 we had several staff who were very lazy. The worst one was the one I worked with was the second session of the summer. I was working with this russian girl and another girl, anyway this girl tended to sit back and do nothing (we all co-lead the unit rather than having a unit) anyway being the kind of person who has to do what needs to be done if no one else is I ended up running the unit cos the other girl had a flare up of glandular fever so was sick all session. This russian girl constantly moaned that I took over and never let her do anything so i started making an effort to let her lead and she didn't but all her breaks were longer than anyone elses. The final straw was on out going day, on that we didnt have time off but we could if we had enough cover go for a shower (no more than 30 mins - away from the unit) , well I had a headache so had decided to sleep instead of shower. Wells she came back from her shower which had taken an hour, lay down on the bed and said the list for closing the unit was in the binder put her walkman on and went to sleep. Meaning I had to help the girls clean the unit cos the other counsellor had no arms so couldn't spray the cleaning fluid cos the camp had a shoes on at all time rule (unless on the beach or showering obviously). I kinds lost my rag!

Wait -- the girl had no arms???

bump

Okay, WOW- this might be the most random sentence I have EVER heard!?!?!! What the heck?!?

Bump

Again, there must be more stories from this summer.

We had a unit leader who really didnt do her job, one day I was teaching archery to her unit, and she basically just sat there making friendship bracelets while I had to keep control of her girls. Which isn't the best situation cos the girls who weren't shooting at all were behind me and off to one side so they could be in the shade, so to see what they were doing I had to stop watching the archers. Then in the last week, loads of us were put in programs we didn't want to do for various reasons including her and instead of just sucking it up she kicked off and ended up being taken off the programming and spent the week "helping" in the office.

i've had some counselors that i didn't really care to work with but we've never had any comparable to the stories here. we run a tight ship and almost everyone just does what they need to do. if you were to take a break when you weren't off you wouldn't be placed in a cabin anymore, and if you were found to just be not doing your job at all consistently you would be fired!

Don't get me started!!! Might say something I regret!

I had people misinterperat the day off policy and decide to take my day off without telling me until I was going to leave for my day off. I also had a lifeguard who was living in my cabin have the guts to tell me that I am not allowed to take my break during the day or afternoon ( it wasnt like it was opening or closing day) but yet he managed to take several long breaks that day

I had a situation kind of like that - I was in program and "co-counsellor" in the loosest sense of the word was the life guard assigned to that program - she used take time off whenever she felt like it, feel asleep in the staff room and was an hour late collecting the girls for the 2 hour block (my time off) and the would go off camp, and then claim that they hadn't had TO so complain to the Ad staff that I was late back from TO - which 9-11pm that night - claiming that she had TO that day (yet she had managed to go to McD's - of that isn't TO then what is it?) - then cos she complained I got spoken to about it - yet the week before when I was having an asthma attack she didn't show up when she was supposed to so I couln't go to the nurse, yet nothing was said to her about that!

Funny stuff!!!

Very Interesting I dont really have any horror story yet

How many years have you been a counselor? Give it some time!

I dont think it is possible to go many years without at least one horror story!

I have a few horror stories to tell. I had staff member who had the nerves to tell me that I am not allowed to have any breaks at all during the whole week of camp. When I complained about that she lied about it and stuff happened like her speaking russian all the time around me and they complained to my supervisor saying that I couldnt understand her or folllow her directions. Lets say I was successful in being able to get transfered to another cabin.

I also had staff members in my cabin trying to take my day off away from me and not discussing that with me

Like I said...it will happen, just a matter of time!

Yeah it is a matter of time.... I never went though a summer without a horror story at camp or some good old fashion drama.... I have a horror story about a time I voluntered at a 1 week camp but it is inappropiate for this board

You know my pet peeve at camp in internations speaking in a language other then English infront of the campers! It is soooo rude and the campers think they are being talked about.

We have very few international staff that speak a different language, actually. Most of them are Aussie, NZ, English, etc... Never really run into that problem...but I wouldn't like it if I did see it.

We had people from 17 countries at camp last summer - the worst though were the ones from Isreal and the Russian block countries!

17 countries!!! That's amazing. We didn't even have that many international staff.

wow - half our staff are international! But was counting scotland england and ireland as seperate countries. we had staff from about 5 CA type organisations!

Okay... I'm fairly new to this site.

I want to start off by saying that I love this staff member dearly, and she is one of my closest pals from last summer. However, I had a hard time in the begining.

The staff member was international and really didn't like "the way American children are raised". She found campers to be disrespectful and sometimes down-right rude according to the standards and values she was raised by.

This wouldn't have been a problem, but she said such things in front of campers. Even went as far as to tell a camper that her mother was a bad parent. She also got into arguments with the American staff. After a few weeks, some of us had to really sit down with her and explain what was wrong with what she was doing.

Oh my goodness - I have never had any one who was like that!

I wasn't on night duty but went to check on my girls anyway because they'd been misbehaving that day. I went to their room to find them missing, I knew exactally where they'd be so went to one of the other rooms and banged on the door. I gave them the riot act and sent them back to their room and when everything had quietened down the councellor that was on night duty popped her head around the corner. She'd been sat on the floor reading a book and a) didn't know they were in there and b) only came to see what was happening after I'd sorted it out. The room they were in belonged to her group which made it even worse in my opinion.
She was pretty much useless all summer.

I just remembered a situation that happened back in 2005 - I had started to work a private american style summer camp in sussex. I was in charge of the boys house and had 4 male counsellors! Half the kids couldn't understand much english and 3 had grown up in a culture that had very different roles for men and women

Wow.

It gets worse! I didnt realise I hadnt finished the story. On the first night I was grabbing 30 mins to have a shower cos I hadn't had time to have one for a few days - cos the lads were skiving and leaving me to do all the setting up (trying to make the place look less like a girls dorms). Anyway while I am in the shower the male counsellors managed to allow half the campers to wander off.

Two days later they sacked me cos I wasn't coping! I had no support from my campers or ad staff!

Say whatt?? That's crazy!

That is crazy.

Funny stuff!!!!

I have some amazing and crazy staff stories. If you would like to know, then please PM me. They are not appropraite (in my mind) to post.

I'm with you...not many appropriate for the board!

Also, I think there is a line between what happens at camp with staff and whatnot that can be told and what cannot be told. Almost, what happens at camp stays at camp. That goes beyond the just not being appropriate. Also, all of the people at my camp, I feel to be my friends. I just think we all make mistakes and posting those goes against our friendship. That is just my prespective.

I agree!!! Though some of those people are not, and were not my friends ever...soooooooooooooo....I still won't go there!

The thing is we only have 15 people or so that work at the camp. 15 only. Therefore, you get to become better friends with people. Additionally, you make good friendships with everyone there. You somewhat do not have an option, especially if you are a counselor. There are not set co-counselor positions. Every week, your co-counselor and unit switches. It helps build staff unity in my mind so much more. Of course, you like people more than others. But, you really feel "we are all in this togehter."

that's awful!
i don't know if i could ever work at an all-boys camp...seeing that i've been at all girls' camps forever...that and my slight tendency to be a feminist? haha

CIL - it was a co-ed camp - they just thought that for some reason I would be the best person in charge of a group of boys. I dont regret going even if it did only last 1 1/2 weeks cos I learnt loads.

haha. sometimes decisions other people make for you leave you a better person, but absolutely puzzled! i wonder what that reason was?

I worked at camps for 7 summers. I have found that the worst staff to deal with are the ones who will constantly try to get away with doing as little as possible.
One summer we had one staff who would constantly try to to work. Apparently it was always either too wet, too hot etc etc to teach tennis and instead send the kids to another activity so that she could hang out on the patio.
I was admin staff that year and I got so frustrated when she refused to go down to the dining hall for supper one evening (we were required to go if you were not on time off)
These type of staff are the worst and take up SO much work

I know. People need to go beyond what is required, otherwise it will not work out well.

That is so true! I think that it is so important to go above and beyond the call of duty!

isn't that our job, as camp counselors/staff?

Yep, we don't have a 9 to 5 job. We have like a 22 per 6 day job and each minute is reponsible for the life and future of a child. You can't just coast through this job, lol.

I have some pretty bad stories that I will not reveal. This one however, just gets to me every time, so I am going to post it! My co counselor in the young boys unit and I had our time off. Luckily, I woke up from an impromptu nap about 5 minutes before I was supposed to get my kids back. I didn;t know where I was supposed to meet them, so I went to the most logical place and found them at about 12, which was good, but the person who had my boys was late for a meeting and the other counselor wasn't back yet. I told her to go to her meeting and I would wait for the other counselor since I had to wait for my cook-out box to be ready, plus I had to Counselors-in-Training to help me with the 14 boys. Finally at like 12:20, the other counselor was 20 minutes late and my box was ready, so we walked up to the cabins, all 17 of us because I had to be with the campers. At like 12:30 I walk into her cabin and find her sitting on her bed reading as if she was still on her TO. She said that the UC always met her back in the cabin, but that isn't true because I picked up my campers at the same time and place as her. So, Ican understand a miscommunication, but after a maximum of 10 minutes, you should be out trying to find them! She, however, was content to completely ignore the fact that she had campers, and that set my whole day's schedule off by 30 minutes. She also played favorites and had no respect for me trying to get my group together so that we could do what we had planned for the day. Wow, that was kind of a long rant! oops!


**I love my Never-land!**

I remember being surveyed while at uni about the job I did over the summer and I said that I worked 24/7 and they couldn't believe it until I explained that if you are on camp you are technically on duty even if you are on TO!

I do not think anyone really understands what happens at camp till you go there!

That is true and every year camp is different even if you go back to the same camp year after year!

I can't wait to go back to just to see everyone, the camp, and see how everything has changed!

No - nor can I! The earlier I can get there the better! Luckily I have lots of pics to last me between now and then!

Same here! I also sing songs and look at the camp song book if I want to sing all the songs I know! I love looking at my pictures! I have a picture of my amazing 2nd and 3rd grade girl group on my magnetic desk light! I was a CIT disguised as a co-counselor and these girls obeyed some of the rules before we even told them too! They ran ahead of us and then stopped at the top of the stairs, which is a pretty good stopping point, but they did it before we could say so! On the first day too!! Amazingness! This was my first whole week with one group and I was ecstatic to be working with the little girls, cuz they are sooo cute and amazing!

I am looking forward to the precamp week. I am not looking forward to meeting the new staff though. I am not the best at making new friends, very shy!

so am but I find camp kinda forces you to get over that!

This will be my first precamp and I am soooooo excited to get to know all the staff as they are all getting to know each other! It is nice to start at the beginning and not have to work your way into a group that has already formed!

Oh... is this going to be your first year on staff? That is so exciting. I think the first year is amazing. You learn so much. And there are tons of people in your situation! Simple amazing. Are they all new staff? Yes, that is always hard to fully assimaliate with the old.

I can remember how hard it was for me the first year I went to camp - i really struggle to mix with people but over the years it has def gotten easier.

Well, it is my first year being on staff from the beginning. Our CIT program is 4 weeks for 2 summers so the first years go the last 4 sessions and the 2nd years go the first 4, so after we graduate we can be on staff for some or all of the rest of the summer. So I did 5 weeks on staff (we had 2 weeks after our normal sessions for grief camp and a camp for kids with craniofacial differences). I have been at camp in a leadership training program of some sorts for 6 summers now, so I kid of know how it works as far as it getting easier, and more fun as more priveleges are given out!!! woohoo to being on staff! Now i just need to be 21 so i can drive the golf-cart! haha

and the camp vans!

Cool! That is great. It is always nice to go up in the "ladder." I hope that you have an amazing summer.

we sadly don't have vans, but we do have a mini school bus that was painted really cool for camp, but I have no desire to get a special license for that big rig!! It is primarily used to pick up day campers. It has its own name sign inside too! Cecil the Diesel! Go Cecil!!! I love that bus!

That is very cool! We have 3 white vans.

Vans are cool too! Us CIT2s last year were driven to a few other camps sort of near ours to check out the differences and similarites and broaden our horizons and such, and our CIT director got one of those white vans. It was such an amzing experience!! So fun to be out of camp with all my CIT buds!! We ate at a Mexican resaraunt and had a whole bunch of inside jokes, and stopped for coffee/hot chocolate since we had been at camp and now we were 10 ladies out on the town!

I can imagine - sounds like when any group of camp staff go out together in a camp van!

I am sure it is, so I can't wait for any staff trips, planned by camp or by us, either way, it is bound to be a blast!!

We had some fun trips last year. During pre-camp we all went out for a meal and then camp back and filled the CDs yurt with 400+ balloons.

hahaha, sounds amazing!!!!!!!! Our CD lives on camp year round so she actually has a house, so that wouldn't really work with us. However, last summer during Ninja week 2 staff members put a note on her door asking for cookies (I am sadly kind of fuzzy on some of the details, but it was hilarious!) and demanded that the cookies be put in the staff house by a certain time and when they went to chck for them there was a note instead that told them that they might make a deal if they showed their faces. They retaliated with a long note about something or other and ended up putting it on her doorstep with the head of our camp bunny costume! haha At the end of the week their group of campers was making wishes for their contribution to the camp fire and one of them said "I wish for 2 moon balls, 2 inches in diameter," and the other said "I wish for 4 chocolate chip cookies," which was what they were demanding in the first place. the CD just laughed! I laughed too, though most of the people didn;t get the hidden meaning!

hehe

Camp pranks are just the best - sadly people out side of camp dont usually see the funny side. These balloons were used to decorate during the 4th july celebration and then the CA and program director put the rest in the dreamworkers (camp volunteers - kids who want to come to camp but are too young for or dont want to do the CIT program) cabin, they then put them in tent city's (where the Ad staff lived) portapotty! The night before the men were coming to clean them!

haha, nice!! We once went to breakfast to find some staffers sitting in the lifeguard chairs, which had been moved into the dining hall!! haha and other staffers brought them food!

We also had some staffers tie up the fun yaks to the lodge's porch so they were just hanging there! haha

My favorite one though, was at flag on the very last morning of CIT 2. It comes down during the closing ceremony for the parents on Sat morning and the CITs are the ones who do it each week. So, that week we made a flag that said CIT Grads, 2007, WoHeLo (WOrk HEalth, LOve- it's a Camp Fire thing) and all of our camp names on it. Once we took down the American and the CF flag we put up ours!! It was an amzing way to end CIT!

Never saw and never did a camp prank! Not even when I was young. We never had them!

that is strange..... I saw the result of some pranks and they were innocent like hanging a counselors undeerwear from the flagpole

the underwear thing would creep me out. We have rules at camp for our Follies. You can't use camp supplies. You have to clean it up. No messing with other people's property.

Until that one with the CIT grads flag I had never participated in one either, and I don't have a real desire to do one again, but I might, depending on what it is and to whom they are doing it!

We did that at guide camp! We got one of our leaders bras and put it up the flag pole.

I think my fav prank of all time was putting a showerstall in the doorway of the program managers cabin and set it up with all their shower stuff. We had to carry the stall all the way across camp fro the vehicle barn to the cabin and it took about 10 of us!

wow, but nice!!! I like it! Our showers are not portable, so that wouldn't be something we could do, but our boats and lifeguard chairs are!! haha

That is an amazing prank. Congrats!

That prank seems like it tops the cake of all the pranks I seen or heard of

whose prank are you talking about?

They had taken out 2 shower stalls and replaced them with a nice double wide disabled shower, and had foolishly left one of the old stalls in the vehicle barn - right across the road from the long house were we lived for most of pre-camp. It was too good an opportunity to pass up cos as soon as we did one prank during pre-camp they were banned!

Last summer our boats did end up travelling camp.

I get it now! crazy people- thinking they could leave an old shower stall and think that it stay right where it was put! haha

Boats certainly do travel well and far! haha

lol

exactly - they knew what we were like!

The best thing was that although it was my idea and I was actually involved in the prank - few people other than those involved guessed i was involved and there reaction when they found out was classic!

wow it doesnt seem like you would be involved in something like that

that is the fun of it!

butter wouldn't melt in my mouth! or would it?

haha, I know what you mean though! no one would ever accuse me of being involved in a prank! It is amazing!! I like how this thread went from worst camp stories to some of the best!! haha

I love how stuff like this happen

yeah, it is kind of fun, but sometimes a thread needs to just be dropped because it has been discussed to the max and there is nothing else to say so then we have pages worth of posts that don't mean anything to the newbie who wanted answers or to discuss the actual topic. oh well, it isn't going to work very well I don;t think! That;s alright though I guess, though discussing totally non-camp realted stuff on the forums sometimes gets me since it is supposed to be all about camp at least!

I understand about that

I have had a few interesting co-counselors.
One was a Russian model and refused to get out of bed before 7.20 despite the fact that I would be getting up and 6.30 to prepare for the day and get the kids up at 7. We had to walk the kids to the bathroom at night because there was a cougar on camp ground but she refused to get up in the middle of the night so I was up several times a night doing this and sometimes looking after homesick campers. They all ended up disliking her and only coming to me anyway. She was very very lazy and dirt was not something she allowed near her!
Another time I had just had to go and have an ingrown toenail dug out and was totally drugged up and in pain and my co allowed the girls to have all their wet towels in the cabin. She then hid under a sheet and got the girls to call me in and ask me if I liked her. Luckily I twigged what was going on after spying the quivering sheet in the corner. Later she rigged up ropes in the cabina dn hung a doll by its neck in the entrance and called it her voodoo doll. I had a couple of rather scared younger campers on my hands that day. It was a bit of a mixed age group with some 11-12 year olds and some 14-15 year olds due to a mess up of programs. I celled my CD and she came and sorted things out and the girl was fired. I didn't deal with it in the best way and I could have stopped things before they got as far as they did if I had been totally on form but I really wasn't that week.

yeah I hate having to deal with all the staff stuff, but sadly it is part of camp and some of the staff are the most amazing people ever! Others just need to realize that it isn't their thing. If you are going to work at a summer camp you have to give it your all or get out so that you can find soemthing you wantto do and the camp can find someone who wants to be withthe campers and doesn;t mind a little dirt. It is fine with me if you want to shower every day, but it is not ok at summer camp to be afraid of the tiniest piece of dirt unless that summer camp is inside all the time!

Okay... the prank thing got me to thinking of a hilarious chain of events from last summer!

So, during the last session I was in a unt with 2 other programs and 2 sets of counselors. One of the counselors on our day off before the beggining of the session brought this couch she had found at a garage sale to our cabin unit.

During our staff meeting, the ACD and CD told whoever was resposible that the couch needed to be gone before the girls got there in 1 hour. So, the counselors hid it behind a cabin.

That night the couch "grew" 12 pairs of legs and left the unit. It was found the next day in the teepees and moved again.

The CD came to me and asked me where it had gone. I honestly did not know.

During the week, that group constantly "picketed". Their theme was "Keep the Couch".

So, 2 nights before the end of the session at dinner, we here all the girls laughing from flag. Us counslors had already gone up to the lodge for dinner and didn't know what was going on.

All of a sudden, here comes the camp truck with a flat trailer on the back. And on tied to that was a living room scene with the ACD, CD, Nurse, and Program Director sitting on it.

It had a tv, chair, cooler, table, and last but not least, THE couch.

It was hilarious!

However, we couldn't let the AD Staff beat us.

So, the last night at dinner, we managed to get all of the girls to go to flag as usual, but then slowly walk on to the trail near there. We hid all the camp on the trail. Then, after the dinner bell had rung, we had another staff, pretending. come to dinner from her 2hr break and radio the director asking if dinner was somewhere else.

The AD Staff was in the offices and immediately came to the lodge to see what was up. When they radioed us to find out what was going on, we sang camp songs. They finally found us , after about 15 mins, and I was the first one they saw but didn't think I was the one who had organized it. They tried to scold us, but we knew they were cool with it.

It wasn't until the staff party that they found who had really planned everything!!!!

Hey, sorry about the long post, but I loved that session and everything soooooo much!

That sounds like alot of fun!

I love it when things like that happen!!! I love the one that 2 of my fellow counselors did with the cookies and the bunny suit head!! I loved the CIT Grads flag and everything!! I hope this summer is as much fun as far as pranks go! I am way too cautious when it comes to pranks, but I love the ones that other people do (plus i never seem to come up with anything good! ha) Your week sounds amazing!!!! I love weeks like that!!

Don't worry about the rambling, I do it all the time and the realize that I didn't really say too much, so it was basically just talking for the sake of talking (I like to do that! hehe)

for some reason I spent half of last summer denying involvment in pranks cos people were pulling them and I was getting the blame! Dont know why!

weird. I would probably never ever get blamed unless they knew for sure! haha, I am such a good kid! haha

I am never really blamed for anything either, I am a "good" kid too. haha! We don't really have pranks at camp though. We once thought about starting a prank war with another camp, but we didn't. No pranks at our camp, really... It really hasn't come up though!

yeah, sometimes they just don't happen. We have a lot of pranks between the units sometimes! Some of the older kids like to go and srenade the boys of their age with fast songs early in the morning before the kids are supposed to get up. The funny thing is that the people who want to do it have to check with the UL/UC so they know about it, but usually the campers don't know about it. Sometimes though the campers are told and they are already awake and they sometimes get back at them! haha

I think a reason why we didn't have any staff pranks is because we had a very small, close-nit staff. I think by having pranks, it would have caused use to "divide" into teams, and breaking into those two teams or whatever would have been very odd for the camp.

this could be, though a lot of our pranks were more general camp pranks as opposed to pranks against the staff. I definitely can see that it could divide a staff really quickly. I would love to have a really close staff like that! There is a lot of drama among our staff and we definitely have groups and people who do not like each other.

Well, I love the close knit staff. Its amazing. However, at the end of camp (a couple of weeks afterwards), people told me that they thought they were a couple of cliques throughout the summer. I did not see any of them. However, accordingly to them, I was in one of those cliques, so I really didn't notice. I don't think that is the case. Of course, there are people who you just generally get closer to then other. But, trully, it is wonderful... hardly any drama or rivaries or anything!

oh you are so lucky! We have sooooooooo much drama among our staff. I understnad about not seeing the cliques and whatnot, but obviously they weren't too bad or you wouldn't be such a close knit staff. Obviously there are people who you build closer relationships with, that's just life. I can't wait to go to precamp and get my close camp friends so I can have someone to talk to about anything!

Are you going to a new camp this year (or something? I am really looking forward to this year. One of my best friends from last summer is going to back, and therefore it will be a great start to making additional wonderful friends, etc. The bad thing is that looking back on it. I do see how there might have been cliques. Yet, it really didn't affect anyone at all! You really can't have them, when on the weekends, there is only like 11 people.

No, I was a CIT the last 2 years. Last summer, after CIT 2 finished, we still had 4 weeks regualr camp and 2 specialties left, so I was a counselor for 4 regular weeks and the 2 specialties. However, joining into the staff half way through the summer didn't really give ma any close relationships, tohugh i did come away with a few friends, but more friends thatwe im evedryonce in a while and a friend that I get together with since we go to the same school.

Its hard to form relationships when you join the staff midway into the camp season..... I had several people who join my last camp because of some people being let go for various reason

Yes, I imagine it is for people. I know someone that joined our staff like half way through the summer, and it was not really bad for her, because she was a returning staff member. But, for first times, it would be awful I think. Most of the people already have formed close knit friendships and have past experiences. Trying to fit into that equation is very difficult!

It was kind of difficult anyway. I mean, sure I have my friends and people I could hang out with a little, but I didn't really hang around in the same unit as my friends. It was really difficult in some ways because some of my friends left after 3 of my 5 weeks on staff because they only need so many staff for the specialty camps. It was especially hard becuase I was either in day camp or the 1st-4th grade boys unit. Well, the younger boys and girls share a UL/UC so they never take TO at the same time because then the UC would have like 30 campers when she could take 15 or fewer at a time. One of my best friends was in the girls younger unit so we never had the same TO. DC always has their TO from 7-9 because we have no campers. However, no res camp counselors have that TO because all camp and closing ceremony are during that time so they would have to have TO at a different time those days and it would just get confusing.

Some of my best friends from CIT either didn't come back to be on staff or only came for lik 2 weeks.SO that is my sad ranting story

I know that some camps would not let friends take TO at the same time

i'm not sure our camp's policy on that...but TO is planned as a unit, not according to personal agendas.

yeah, that is how it works out with us. It is planned based on the unit and when the UC/UL can take each group of kids. It just so happens that with mine it didn't work out.

That is sad how some camps won't let you take TO with your friends!! what is up with that?

I remember my full week live-in with a counselor. All 9 of us had a group and a co-counselor. We each took the same TO as the counselor had. Well, it just so happened that 7 counselors had the same TO. My friend and I were the 2 who had different TOs and we didn't even have them at the same time. So 7 of the CITs got ot chill in our cabin together and talk about their weeks and whatever. My friend had the TO after that and then I had mine after her. So neither of us had a friend on our TO while the other 7 were all together. And they ate my candy!! They knew where it was and knew I wouldn't mind so they ate a lot, which was fine with me. I get to my bunk one day for TO and there was a note written in sharpie on a notecard that said on one side "We owe you a lot of candy!" and on the back it said "(heart) Mystique, Abrah and Kadabrah" (Abrah and Kadabrah are twins!) I just about died laughing!!!!!! It was a good way to break up the monotony of being alone! haha This was mid-July and yet I still have not gotten my candy! I have a feeling though that I will either never get it (which is fine with me) or they will give it to me during my 10-year!! We have awards for people who are at camp for their 10th summer (camper and staffer years) and the person picks a few people to present their 10-year at the closing ceremony one week. These people think of stories and gifts to give the person that are reminders of camp and the fun/funny times. They sometiems share some funny stories that go along with them! haha

I know that TO at my last camp only one person was allowed to have TO at a time in a cabim

In my camp it depended upon the number of staff assigned to a program how many people could take time off at the same time - if we had 4 or more counsellors then 2 could but any less than that then only one person could take TO at a time cos we had to have at least 2 staff with the kids at all times! Or if as session you are only staff assigned to a HUGE group of 4 (and then 3 cos 1 of them left) campers - you were supposed to be in places were there were other staff. When my kids went for showers I had to take a walkie talkie with me incase there was an accident and I needed to go into the shower so that I could radio for someone to come up so that I wasn't going in alone!

in each unit, TO is assigned for different time slots, with no overlap. since the UL has to cover, two counselors can't have the same TO.
in rare cases, some of the AD staff can cover...but those are raaaaare.

I am not sure how my camp does TO (haha- I know that it is bad). They try to take them during dinner and swimming, etc. Sometimes support covers them.

I just remember that I have tons (tons) of funny camp stories about staff. I won't post them here. But, if you are interested in a chuckle, let me know.

I am totally interested in chuckling!! After all, I am Giggles!! I have fun when campers ask me why my name is Giggles. I tell them "because Laughs just sounds weird!" haha

That is kind of weird that you have to have 2 staffers with the kids at all times. I mean I kind of see why they do it, but it almost seems like overkill to me. I understand the walkie-talkie thing with bathroom situations though. I get nervous everytime a camper needs help with her swimsuit (luckily guys swimsuits are very easy to put on or I would have to call in some male staff back up!). That is one of my pet peeves, when parents send their kids to camp with swimsuits that they need help putting on. At least the older kids can help each other, but the younger ones, not so much.

The staff stories are mostly concerned on the fact that I am the clumsiest person in the world, and lack most common sense. Argh... oo my life, hehe! And also, that we had tons of internationals (who were okay in english) working together. So much fun...so many good times!

We have 2 staffers with kids at all times. Or you have to have at least one staff and two kids. It is overkill in my mind. The camp I went to as a camper allowed 1 staffer to be with the kids and nothing happened at all. It worked out wonderfully!

our ratio is at least 2:1 at all times. either 2 staff and one kid, or 2 kids and one staff. of course you can be one staff and a patrol, but you can never be one-on-one with a camper.

Same here. It was different at my "camper" camp though!

yeah we can never be one-on-one with a camper. You always have to have another person there, camper, CIT, staff, doesn't matter, but never are you alon with a camper.

I remember my first year or so of DCA and my counselor left me with a camper who was crying and we talked and I figured out what was wrong and talked to another counselor (she hated our counselor and wanted to go home, so talking to our counselor was not in my list of things to do! I was 13 years old!) and we walked around some of main camp and found the DC director and everything, and no one made a fuss about me being alone with a camper. I suppose I was a camper then too, but since i had the camp name I was seen as a counselor to the campers so I technically couldn't be alone with them. At least in the coming years! but then again, that was 6 years ago!

The entire thing we talk about in precamp is the idea of another "pair of eyes." It doesn't matter what position you are as long as you are there to watch them. You can be a witness if anything should be said happened or did not happen. It is a sad thing that we really even have to worry about it.

There are times, where you are somewhat one-one I suppose for a couple of moments. For example, if you go into the infirmary to check on a kid, etc. Something like that. However, it is always safe and responsible to make sure to have another set of eyes.

I think that having 2 counselors at all times would be really hard, esp at night. We just had to make sure to being within seeing and hearing distance of another staff if we needed to talk to a camper away from others. We were only in pairs for programs so time off was basically whenever we were scheduled with a program staff IE swimming or arts.

However I had trouble remembering to keep other staff around at first when with the CIT 2's because a few of them were 18(wanted to finish up training before becoming full-fledged) and were only a year younger than me and I became really good friends with them.

But, wouldn't legally, you be okay to be around with them by yourself, since they are over 18 and are adults.

not neccesarily, sure they wouldn't get anything against for a minor, but they are still campers.

I actually was a CIT 2 who was 18. Heck I was 18 a week after CIT 1 was over! I started CIT a year late.

I remember having a co-counselor. It kind of stinks. It was at 5th grade camp and the school wouldn't allow people under 18 to be alone in charge of a group overnight. So I had a teacher in my cabin. There was definitely a feeling of not being in charge! I also butted heads with a co-counselor in trying to just figure everything out.

When you have co's it really is a balancing act cos you have different leadership styles and personalities and it can take time to adjust. I had probs sometimes with my cos and other times I didn't. The camp that I was at in 2004 I spent the first half of the summer working with one person and then the other half working with another person! Which was really cool cos we got on well together and worked well together but also worked well with the other staff that we had in our units.

Yeah, the times that I had an actual co was when I was only a counselor for a few nights, so we didn't get the time to meld together too much, but it was really fun having a co! Of course this was like 3 years ago, so I don't remember it too much. However, it was funny and kind of cool because I knew my co because she was my best friend's brother's girlfriend. Actually now they are married!

My opposition to me having a co is actually kind of pathetic. I like having my own group, not only because I don't want to have to figure out how to work together, but because I like knowing, and showing people, that I can do it by myself. It is kind of stupid, but more of a confidence thing I think. Last summer, my first week as a res camp counselor I was supposed to have 7 boys, but the other groups counselor and I needed to trade a camper because they switched one of my boys to her group. She then asked me if I would take 2 of her 4th graders since she had a lot of the younger kids. I said sure and so she had 6 boys and I had 8. I was seceretly thrilled to have more of a challenge to prove that I could do it! However, they were boys, and my first real experience being a counselor for boys and I was all by myself with 8 4th graders! None of those little 1st graders. By Tuesday I had a mini melt-down in front of my boss and my boys! eek! Luckily the boys either didn't notice or didn't see it as a lack of control! And after that it was sooo much better! But those 2 boys that I traded my 1 boy for, were the worst behaved of my group! and the one that went to the other group, one of the best behaved boys. I was soo peeved! However, I think that week has made me a better counselor and shown my CD that I can adapt to anything and be flexible and all that!! Heck, it showed me that!! I had never really had to be too flexible and adapting at camp, so this was agreat experience for me!

Sorry, i am sure I have told you that story before! I talk a lot and like to tell stories like that. So sorry about that!

i think whomever your co-counselor is a very important decision. I know a lot of counselors that bumped heads with their counselors and headed up not working as well as together. Since our camp switches co's every session, it is a lot harder to really understand each other's leadership stlye, etc.

for CIT internship, we had co-counselors, essentially.
they worked hard to try to find us all a good fit, and overall, i think our directors did a good job.
i was actually set to have one person for my 'counselor buddy'[what our co's were called]...but she had to be pulled to be a unit leader in the absence of one of the other ULs...i ended up being 'thrown' onto another counselor the first day of the session, but it went over ok. she accepted the challenge wholeheartedly, as well as the rest of the unit staff.
i'm told that the campers we had in our unit were the best i would ever have...but i've not got my hopes down for this summer!

haha, my campers with my week-long live-in were the best ever!! They listened to the rules and even followed ones that they put in place themselves. They helped each other out and hung out together! The only problem was that we had 1 3rd grader and 1st grader. The others were 2nd graders. The 1st grader was on the younger side with her personality and the 3rd grader would have totally fit in with the next unit up much better, but because of her grade level she was put with us. It turned out really well because even though the older one got fed up with the younger one she was pretty good with her!

We switch ULs/UCs every session or half session - so we get to work with all sorts of different people good or bad over the summer!

Our UC stays with the same unit but the counselors move around a little bit. Unless of course there is a firing of a UC in which case the whole balance is thrown off! Last summer our older boys UC was fired and all of a sudden our older girls UC was the boys UC and then past staff came back and was the older girls UC! It was crazy! The person who became the boys UC was a returning staff and was definitely known as the high school girls counselor, or that summer their UC. Every week she was with Pioneer for the last summer or two and all of a sudden she was a middle school boys counselor and then the boys UC. It was crazy, but she did a good job with the boys (and she had her own cabin in the unit)!

we have different girls each 10-day session, and UCs and ULs move around...so you work with a variety of people over the course of the 5 sessions.

I like switching cos every week. However, during my first session last summer my co and I really bumped heads. It was obvious to everyone around us that we did not work well together. Then, three sessions later, they put us together again! Lets just say that I was by far not the "happiest camper". I spent a lot of time ranting that week because she had already figured out how to get to me.

Poor you!

I like switching co's/UC's (I am a UL!) every session (or half session) cos you get to work with different people and if you dont get on you know that it is only for a limited period of time. But I also enjoyed the summer where although other staff rotated in and out I work with the same person for the first half of the summer and a different person for the second half of the summer cos not only did you get to know them you got to know their leadership style! And in the case of the second person I was like that with we really just complimented each other with our styles and it really didn't feel like work to work with her if that makes sense!

yeah, My counselor with my full week live in and i just complimented each other. We were both relaxed, but she was the more calm one while I was always the crazy loud and hyper one so our girls got the best of both worlds. I still im with her about "our amazing girls!"

We were both equally crazy and quiet! so we just seemed to work really well together. It was really funny cos the first year we had both been at camp we had never worked together and the spend the whole second half of our second summer working together!

my co for intern and i were in some ways the same, but in some ways totally different!
i was relaly focused on doing a good job to improve my chances for 08 hiring, so i was very 'down to business' when i needed to be, but i sometimes felt like a camper around her. it was hard to earn the respect of the staff, especially when they found out my age.
she and i definitely complimented eachother, and i really appreciated when she handed over the 'reigns' the last few days.

yeah some staff think of you more as campers than counselors, but others see you as their equal. I knw that my co for my intern definitely saw me as an equal. I mean she didn't leave the campers alone with me or anything like that when she shouldn't have, but we were equals. At the end of the week I mentioned that tecnically we weren't allowed to talk ouside of camp she basically scoffed at that and said that as far as she was concerened I was a counselor, and her co-counselor at that! I was so excited! I hope she comes back! Stupid grad school! and stupid not paying minimum wage! Stupid needing money!

we worked toward being equal. but one of the WF staff i worked with the whole session did not. [funnily enough, she was my co's twin!]

hmm interesting! We had sisters who looked a lot alike at first glance, but half way through the summer i wondered how I could have ever confused them! However, we also have twins in my CIT group! I used to have to go by their hair (one had bangs) and then one of them died her hair a little darker, but as we got into our second sumemr as CITs I could tell them apart so many different ways it was amazing! I can tell their voices apart too! Their camp names were Abrah and Kadabrah! They joked about holding auditions for Alakazam! haha but decided that Al would have to look like them too! haha! amazingness!

yeah, i suspected at first glance, then they told me.

my first real best friend and her twin were CITs together, but you can tell the difference. this past summer they worked at different camps...and now they're working at different camps again! i'm no longer really friends with the one i met first, but crazy enough, i'm good friends with the 'other' twin!

haha I know what you mean. I thought I was going to be friends with one of them more than the other, but the other twin and I have had a deep secret telling night when the other people in our room were out on live-ins!

i thought C[twin 1] and i would be friends forever, but she and i grew apart. i truly miss her friendship, but she doesn't really want to talk to me anymore for an unknown reason? now K[twin 2] and i are good friends, but not to the level that C and i were on.

yeah, that can be tough! I have had similar problems with some of my friends just kind of deserting me. It sucks, though I am now friends with her again, and I blame middle school for her desertion! ha!

it really sucks. she really left me at a vulnerable time in our friendship, but i guess i have to trudge on with a 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' mantra.

yup, sometimes we just have to do that!

When we had CIT interns we had to treat them the same way as we treated UC's except that they weren't allowed to be alone with the kids! It was up to each intern whether they told the campers that they weren't full campers. I am actually looking forward to our 4 interns coming back as staff this summer cos they were so much fun, even now I laugh when I remember some of the things they said or did! Last summer 2 were able to say and work for the last session but 2 couldn't but all planned to come back this summer! Yeah!

that's basically the same policy we had at our camp.
i chose not to tell my kids at first, mostly because the other patrols in my unit had girls my age, and even a year older than me.
i'm rally looking forward to my interview, and hopefully working at camp!

I really look forward to my interview also. My CD sent my an email saying that a contract will be out soon. Sooo...excited!

Thats interesting about your camp and CITs. At my camp, we do not have CITs. But, at my old camp, there were CITs, but you just thought they were little counselors.

Once we had a staff member that drank too much...waaaaaaay too much on time off. Came back to camp and laid down in his bed and stopped breathing. He needed to be resesitated and suffered from acute alcohol poisoning. Needless to say, he was gone the next day.

Wow. That is extremely sad that would happen.

I have a question to propose to you. If a staff member would happen to go to the hospital, and at the hospital, it was discovered the person had either consumed alcohol (underage or during time they should not have been) or pot, and the CD found out (because she/he was there), would the CD have the right/or would fire them? The reason I say so is because technically the CD did not have cause to give a drug test or any true belief that the person was on drugs. And two, it is a medical test...?

I think it's a judgement call for the CD. It also depends on the staff member. Was this a good veteran staff member that had an error in judgement or was this a first year staff member that wasn't doing well anyways? I think once the CD knows, he/she knows and that is that. I wouldn't recommend the CD being present to hear medical information in the first place as that is personal. If the person is stupid enough to have the CD with them during the examination and they had consumed booze or drugs...they probably deserve to be fired!

How would it change the situation if the staff member was under 18? Would that change the situation?

However, if the person found out prehaps from overhearing something said in the hospital or they find out based on the discharge instructions or anything?

I think it is a very messy happening, because technically they heard throguh something that is medical and only heard. Isn't medical knowledge supose to be extremely confidential, and firing based on that knowledge would somewhat go against it? Well, it would in my mind.

But, I do agree that it is based on the staff member.

I don't think that it would change if the staff memeber was under 18 too muxh because pot is illegal for any age and the drinking age is 21. With alcohol anyone under the age of 21 is drinking underage.

Our camp for the most part only has 2 or so under 18 staff. Only the dishwashers/kitchen aids can be under 18. Except for after CIT 2 the CIT2s are given the opportunity to be on staff. However, they can only be kitchen or DC staff or they need to have a co- which means they wouldbe working with another counselor or two with the special needs kids. It has to do with legalities or something that an under 18 year old can't be incharge of their own group on their own and I guess DC you are usually around others. I don't know for sure since I was 18. Heck I turned 19 while on staff during the last 5 weeks of summer!

No, the reason why I added under 18. Because, if someone was to go to the hospital and the CD was there (parents not there), the CD most likely would be with the staff member due to his/her age. Therefore, would it make a difference then if something was found out within those rooms?

If I was a CD, I would not know what to do. Because, if you found out that informatin in other way, you most likely would fire them. However, you found them out in a confidential fashion.

I dont drink - but even if I did I would never go onto camp drunk! Because I know that I get a natural high on sugar I even avoid too much of that while i am on camp!

I too get a natural high... I think the nature atmosphere does that.

hmm, that is a tough question. I might jsut end up talking to my CD about it, just for the fun of it sometime. I probably won't though, but I might mention that we on the boards were talking about it and wondering.

I know that we had a UC/UL get fired for drinkng in the staff room on the weekend. Most of the counselor's were outraged! They even dedicated something they read at a camp fire to him and al lthis. Personally I believe, not knowing all the details, that they had a right to fire him. It says on the application before you submit it (online app!) that camp is an alcohol and drug free environment and i believe it even says that you can't do these things even on the weekend. And now for some reason (rumor) they are possibly considering possibly hiring him back. What the heck! I mean, true it was the weekend and he was a good UC from what I know, and also his first known offence (as far as I know) but still. Plus, what idiot drinks or leaves beer cans on the table in the staff room!!! There are lots of windows and the CD and ACD have been known to enter! Just drink it in your cabin if you don't want ot get caught!

I also get a natural high from camp!!

I also get one from sugar and from overtiredness!! It is amazing! I have no need to drink!! and I don't! And there is no way that I would ever ever be able to even consider drinking on camp property even on the weekend. Even at the end of the summer!!

I think even the better thing to do is drink off camp on your TO and be overage. Solves most, if not all problems.

Yeah, I know it is a very tough question. I might bring it up to my CD, but then that might be a little akward or something. I don't know. But, the entire situation brings up a lot of issues. Would you fire over one instance, even though you did not catch them? You did not find them drinking or smoking or even under the inflence? If it was not for the medical situation, you would not have found out? How much proof do you need to fire someone over drinking/smoking? Would a rumor, a well-told rumour cut it, would actions under-the-inflence, getting caught, or something make it okay?

Oh my goodness I am just crazy when i get over tired - everything is funny - and then random I tend to end up crying!

I am soo crazy that i dread to think what I would be like on alcohol or drugs!

I totally agree that it should be off camp, overage, and on your TO too. But I am just saying that for those idiots who try to drink at camp they sure didn't hide it very well! Obviously never in your cabin during the week, but I am talking about weekends. Plus our camp is 185 acres!! There is soooo much of camp that you could go smoke or drink at and never be found! I do not advise this though becuase I do not think you should ever drink on camp property! Ever!!!

That sounds like our camp - we actually have a remote site that we use that isn't actually camp property - but it can only be accessed by a path from our camp so the owner lets us use it! Anyway people would go there to drink until the CD cottoned on and banned them doing that cos it meant that they had to bring the alcohol onto camp to get it to 2 rocks!

Campkgurl, I agree with you too... My camp has over 400 acres. Drinking and/or smooking in the cabins is crazy. If I truly wanted to smoke/drink, there would be no way I would do it in a cabin or anything...go far into the woods.

Alright, on the same lines of questioning, do you report you fellow counselor if you catch them? Or if you can just tell? Like for me, I'm allergic to pot. I've never done it, but the smell of it gives me a pretty decent asthma attack, so I would know they were doing it regardless.

I would report people on drinking and pot - I have no tolerance for that crap. I've never had more than a sip of alcohol and that was 10 years ago. It's one of my things that just bothers me. Besides, with the asthma I literally can't work with a pothead.

What if your co was sneaking cigarettes then in a smoke-free camp? Would you report that one?

To be entirely honest, reporting one of my co-counselors would be very hard to do and would be considered person by person. If I caught someone, would I report it? It might sound bad, but I seriously do not know. If the person was smoking or drinking where it DIRECTLY made children liable or in danger, then yes I would without a doubt. Ex... lifeguarding or counselor drinking during the day. However, if it was a night or they were TO or on the weekends or something along those lines, I do not know. If the counselor was an amazing counselor and this was there only downside, then probably not. If it did not affect their job, probably not. But, it would take some thought.

It is a lot easier here to say, "of course," I would report them than actually reporting your very good friend that might have made one error of judement that would result in them leaving camp forever, probably.

Again, I do not know about the last one. It would all depend on the circumstanes, surronding it, etc.

I agree with you twirl. I would have a horrible time reporting someone on TO, unless it was where a kid could easily see or be in danger or anything. However, our TO is only 2 hours long so technically they would be in charge of kids when they still had it in their system unless it was like 1 can of beer like 2 minutes into their TO. Still, I would probably report it. Even on nights out, you can't leave camp and you are technically responsible for your kids again at midnight, so I think that even then it is really wrong.

Ok, so one of my friends was in a situation last summer and I want ot see what you guys say. Let me know if there is any confusion or quesitons.

So at our camp there is supossed to be 2 people "in" at the fire pit while the other staff are out. Sometimes though it ends up that only one is there because the other one leaves or whatever. So my friend Sally* (original, I know! ha) was in by herself for whatever reason. Two people who were living in the unit came back. One (Suzie*) had definitely been drinking but Sally didn't know about the other (Jane*). They had been drinking in the staff cabin for the older girls unit, if I remember correctly. So when they got back after drinking Sally wanted to go down to the office to let the CD know, but didn't want to leave the unit since as far as she knew, both of them had been drinking. She didn't have the office or the CD's number and we don't have radios around camp so she couldn't have excused herself to get sometihng out of her cabin or anything to call. So in the end she didn't do anything because if one of the girls needed sometihng (this was the youngest unit, so bedwetting and homesickness were entirely possible) and came out and the 2 people were drunk, that could be bad.

So when he told me this I basically said that she probably should have gone and told the CD anyway, especially if they seemed composed enough to deal with a camper since she didn't even know if the other one had been drinking. But once that summer was up, telling the CD wouldn't really do anything since the night was over and it would almost be tattling at that point. However if anything else happened she needed to tell them and figure that none of the girls would need something since it was almost 3 hours after bedtime.

So, thoughts, anyone?

Here is my question, why couldn't Sally tell the CD the day after it happened.

probably because she was still uncertain about what she should do, plus they weren't drunk anymore.

She didn't tell me until after the summer, so by then it was definitely not relevant anymore!

I am not sure what I would do in that situation. To be entirely honest and this will sound so bad, but at some point it will come to the factor how good of a friend I was with this person. Someone can saw, of course, I would tell on them. But, if they are your absolute best friend at camp, how hard would it be to tell the CD on them? Not only will your entire rest of your summer be ruined, your friendship too? I think that telling the CD on a matter is such a bad situation in everyway you look at it. It would matter on a lot of things... situation, age, number of instances, etc.

If I knew someone that was getting drunk and was going to be in charge of children on camp several times, no matter if she was my best friends or not, I would tell the Cd. However, it is a bad situation anyway you look at it. I know at my camp, if someone would be fired, the camp would probably suffer prehaps. The staff would be mad at you, you would lose your close friend, less staff, bad atmosphere, etc... Depends on every situation!

I think it also depends on how many other people could have told on them. If you were the only one to witness the situation, or if the CD could just go around to all the units as they sometimes do. In my interview, silly me, i said that ratting someone out would depend on if they could pin it down to me, or like 1 other person.

I think there are times when you need to report peoples actions and times when it isn't appropriate!

I had a prob with a UC who insisted on spraying bug spray inside the staff cabin, and it caused my to start having an asthma attack. To deal with it at first we spoke to her about the reason why we dont spray it inside and that didn't work so the next time i pointed out that doing made me ill and it still didn't work so I spoke to one of the AD's and it settled down! But I had to cos she had done it while I was suffering from an asthma attack that lasted 2 days!

I know that bug spray and drugs/alcohol aren't the same but if the actions of another have a negative effect on you then you need to take action! But it should be done following the camps guidelines - ie it might not be appropriate to go straight to the CD!

Well, I might sound like a horrible person, but I'd still report them, with the possible exception of long TO (like in between sessions) where they shouldn't be drinking on the grounds, per se, but there are no kids around nor will be for some time. (In which case they'd get a warning and next time I'd report them).

I just have no tolerance for drinking in those situations, even if it was my best friend. I invited a bunch of people over for a movie marathon, and I put in the invite that while they could bring and drink their own alcohol (which is an improvement for me, since normally I host dry functions), that if they had any alcohol at all and then attempted to drive, I would disown them as a friend. And I mean it. Any amount of alcohol affects your judgement, even if only a little. There is no reason why you need to drink on your TO, period. And if you do, that's a problem you need look into further, and maybe getting fired from a camping job will help you to see that.

I know I must sound like a total bitch, but I don't care. With the way things can go wrong at camp, you need people to be at their best. Besides, we're always talking campers coming first, right? How do you think it would be for a little girl who's dad is alcoholic, and has camp as her only escape from a broken home life, to smell the faint waftings of beer on a counselor?

YOu sound a bit like me - and I dont think you sound like a bitch!- when ever I had non LDS friends over for movies or whatever I dont let them smoke or drink! I hate the smell of both!

I personally dont see the need to drink at camp as even a small amount can impare your judgement! And at least at my camp if you were on camp even it was on TO then technically you were still on call and if the sirens went off you had to be fit to work. When you can have just a good time without these things I dont see the need for them - and certainly not at camp!

I have made the conscious personal choice to abstain from drinking and drugs forever. I just don't see why a little bit of 'fun' is worth risking illness, injury, or even death, especially at potentially another's expense.

Our camp has a sign on the way into camp that prohibits alcohol, tobacco, drugs, etc. on camp grounds.

Yeah, I think that it makes sense to follow procedure.

Also, it does make sense to report them. A lot of our campers have issues with their families, and I am sure that this is true more than I have experienced. So I definitely see that reporting it anytime except the weekends (that just gets into the whole tattling thing) since we have to be at a staff meeting at noon and kids don't get there til 2.

My problem with reporting it to the UC/UL is that half of them probably wouldn't see a problem with it because they just might have done it too and wouldn't report, and probably not even do anything about it. That would just put me in a bad spot with the staff and I'd end up telling the CD if they didn't do anything and then all that. Plus the whole thing of how many times are you going to tell it and the whole thing of degrees of seperation from the witness to the CD. I hope this is covered during precamp!!

Of course, if you even consider drinking or smoking on camp, then you are an idiot and shouldn't be working at camp. People need to realize that they are working with children and are their sole protector.

Howevever, I think it is just a lot easier said than done to report one of your co-workers. Would I disown one of my friends if she drank? No, I wouldn't. In my mind, there is only one thing that someone can do that will result in them losing my friendship. That thing cann't happen at camp. Soo... I am pretty safe.

It puts you in a bad position with the other staff if you report one of your co-workers. Because, as much as the CD says no one will know who reported the person, everyone will eventually find out who reported the person. It is just the nature of camp. Everyone will find out. Then, the total atmopshere of your camp and the camp staff will change. I know at my camp, with a small staff, if this would happen, there would be a very tense staff atmosphere. And that might actually have a poor affect on the children. It would cause several staff members to dislike others, which just makes the situation even worst. Additionally, since we have such a small staff, loosing a staff member is a big deal. We will have to make up for it, and it will be harder.

I guess by what I just said, it somewhat seems as I am not against drugs/alcohol. However, that is the farthest from the truth... I am very, very against it. I think that if you do either on camp or even off camp then camp is not the place for you. It is not the place for alcohol. You are talking care of someones kid. But, reporting someone involves thinking about many different things and the consequences (both postiive and negative) of that person leaving.

I agree, if you even consider drinking or smoking on camp you should not work at camp! I understand what you are saying. I am totally against drugs and totally against alcohol in the wrong place/time or if you do anythiny stupid (like drive or take care of kids) while you have alcohol or drugs in your system. Plus, smoking in the woods, bad bad bad idea!! I mean at my camp I doubt it would do anything, but at some of the camps, one cigarette that drops could start a wildfire. My camp has a lot of moisture in some areaa, but in others it could do real damage.

The only reason I know that in some areas it wouldn't do any damage is because of something that happened last summer! We actually had camp on the 4th of July and had the WF on the dock lighting off fireworks while everyone else sat on the beach and watched! There was also a free show because there were other people around the lake doing fireworks too! Well, one of the fireworks across the lake got into a tree and we saw it from our side. Well, someone from the south eastern part of the USA jumped up and was in like this ninja/surfer sort of postion and yelled that someone needed to call 911 right then! I am not sure if someone really did or how far they got in the conversation, but the fire in that tree just sort of peetered out and never really did anything. It didn't even go to another tree! or finish off the tree it was on! Gotta love the Pacific Northwest!!

You know, I find this topic interesting. I personally don't smoke or drink or anything. However, I did work at a camp that had a smoking area (away from the kids!) and allowed people to drink on their TO OFF CAMP! The town was about a 15 minute walk from camp or a 5 minute drive and had a bar that over 21's frequented quite often. Sometimes I know that the DC ACD's were there too. To my knowledge there were never any issues with people who had been drinking (most times it was on their night off or over the weekend - NOT on their 2's!). I guess it was comonplace and I didn't really think much of it. I mean the camp even had that smoking place!

We have a smoking area that the kids cant go to - it is called Betsy!

I think sometimes judgement needs to be used. The camp that I was at in 2002 had to fire about 6 people because of doing drugs on camp during session - fair enough it was wrong! and they should have been fired but I think that it should have been done at the up coming session break (only 3 or 4 days later) so that the campers didn't suffer, and the mean time they should have been restricted to be being in the staff house on their TO. Baiscally because when you fire 4 staff in one go mid session (the other 2 were fired at the start of the next session!) it impacts the entire camp - cos their roles have to be reassigned, but more importantly it upsets and unsettles the campers and makes more work for everyone else. I ended up having to take on the other day camp group and their LTG, while losing my LTG, as they were reassigned and the laundry girl became counselling staff too! It really wasn't a good situation!

We also have a smoking area. Kids really don't go there or really allowed. It is way away from everything else.

Yes, that is completely true. If at my camp, 6 people were fired. We would be in a bad, bad situation. That would be 1/3 of our camp staff. We would be in a nasty pickle. I always think that staff should be fired and removed from camp in a way that does not affect campers at all.

Definately!

I mean the previous summer there had been a situation whereby nearly half the staff should have been fired but weren't - instead they decided to punish all the staff (also VERY wrong) but you just could fire that many people and have a functioning camp!

We did have one counsellor that same summer who was fired, but it didnt have huge impact on the campers because they didn't like her, and it didn't have a huge impact on the person co - either! Cos unless I was on TO and hence away from my group the UL would be with her. Our ULs that summer were like floating staff - they did the paperwork for the unit, and cover the TO for their staff but didn't have campers of their own!

Yes, that is always a terrible idea to punish the entire staff.

Well, that is good it did not have a huge impact on the camp staff. I know that if one person get fires, it does affect our camp staff. Since we have such a very small, it doesn't only affect the actual superivison of the campers but CD/staff relations and tension, etc.

that is what our UL/UCs do. They cover TO's and make sure everything is running well with the unit. They are the next level up for camper problems like discipline and homesickness.

Yeah, we have had staff gone mi-session, but unless the counselor was leaving her campers alone or hurting them or swearing at them or something, it would be best dealt with at the end of the session. I can see how in a session more than 2 weeks long if it happened at the beginning, how it would make sense to get rid of them, but not for a short week because then you have to divide up the campers or find another staff to cover and it just doens't really work out in the kid's best interest.

Our UL and UCs are basically the same position, just the UL have more paperwork, etc. Children don't know the difference.

Our camp is quite similar with UC/UL roles, but the kids know the difference.
I think they generally are not as close with their ULs because they only see them a fraction of the day, during their patrol leader's TO, at some all-camps, and only at breakfast and dinner, if that.

that stinks to have more paperwork and have campers! I love thatwe have UCs. It also takes away some of the work of the CD so because most issues don't make it to her.

That is exactly what my position as a UL at my current camp is like! We aren't even allowed to tell the campers that we have different job titles!

oh man, there are some i will not post, but as a UL, I had a counselor who came back from TO like 2 hours late, left the first aide kits randomly around camp instead of with the girls, and when she finally got fired for not doing her job, she went in the bathroom and cried to campers so she was rehired in order to not make anymore a scene.

Oh my! When I have ever been at a camp were staff were fired they were escorted back to their cabin to pack and then escorted off of camp! And in the time they didnt have any contact with anyone else.

same here smudge. its sad that i know what our proceedure is for the firing of a staff member...

i think it is sad for any of us to know staff firing procedures - but I guess it is part of life! I am just glad that I have never been fired (although becuase of false accusations I did come very close to being fired!)

I don't know my staff firing procedure. But then again, my experience in that department is very limited, well, the firing department is non-existant for me, but the staff department is limited!

I was really shocked to find out that a member of staff who was asked to leave (well, fired!) last year had re-applied this year! And she couldn't understand why they wold not re-hire her!

Ummmm. I wonder why? If I had been fired from somewhere i wouldnt reapply the next year!

ouch! I can't believe that!

Then again we had a staff member who was fired and this spring approached the CD and asked if he re-applied if he would be considered for hire. There were some extenuating circumstances though, that may have been reason to not fire him.

i think i would be so embarrassed to be fired regardless of the circumstances that i wouldn't dream of reapplying

you would think, but apparently not!

We fired a staff member last year for being verbally abusive to campers, and she is back on the ACA job website this year, lying about her certifications, and even asked the office director for a reference!

Oh my goodness - that is really bad!

some people will never learn.

Clearly - sad really cos it says to me that they are working at camp for the wrong reasons - otherwise they wouldnt have been fired in the first place, and certainly wouldnt be lying to get a new job!

that is true.

The thing I dont get is this: If you arent doing camp for the kids then why do it cos it isnt exactly the best paid job in the world - but then we dont do it for the money we do it for the campers (and the love)!

That's kind of what I was wondering! The job is horrible if you aren't doing it for the campers and the love of camp!

There was guy at my camp last year who had to work in an English speaking country for 3 months to complete his degree and hated every minute of camp. He must have had some idea of what it was all about before he signed up for it.

The camp I work at has very few staff, so if you don't get along with someone, it can get bad fast. So, my friend who was a unit leader last summer got stuck with a CIT who she didn't get along with. This CIT was old enough to be staff but I guess she hadn't earned the position.
Anyways, the CIT asked for some time off from my friend and she said yes. The CIT didn't come back. My friend comes to find out her CIT had gone to hang out with another CIT in the lodge.
When my friend confronted her CIT, the CIT had changed her story around saying she had asked to go bring the other CIT something. My friend knew she was lying and was like "Just be honest with me." But the CIT broke down sobbing and making a scene! This was all happening during dinnertime, outside the lodge. The CIT started screaming at my friend about how she isn't a child and shouldn't be treated like one! So, that pushed my friend over the edge and I had to hold her back from fighting with this girl!
It was crazy!

A nurse was talking about one of my campers and the medication she was on, and how the nurse didn't think that the camper needed it... this all happened in the very public bath house at one end of the sinks. Meanwhile, the camper she was talking about happened to be brushing her teeth at the other end of the sinks. Needless to say, my camper came back in tears, and the nurse was asked to leave.

That is so horrible! Any talk that isn't public stuff should be talked about away from the campers and possibly other staff too. Or if you do talk in public areas make sure there are no campers there and you can monitor when a camper does come close enough to hear.

I know!! And it was over meds....so not in HIPPA regulations either...

I had a nurse at camp who was farely hopeless - I injured my ankle and when i went for ice she didnt look at it - a week later when i was still in alot of pain and icing it the way she looked at it was through 2 bandaged she barely even touched the joint and was like you've sprained it! Without even examining it properly! It took months for it too heal so i think perhaps I tore the ligament rather sprained it!

that's awful!
i have been blessed to have fantastic health staff in all my years at camp!

I liked our nurses last summer - except that I had to lie to them and tell them i could breath better when i couldn't cos otherwise they would have sent me to hospital for a condition that wasnt covered by my insurance.

ahh that's not good!

hahah sneaky i like it

You gotta do what you gotta do - and i couldn't afford to spend potential thousands of dollars on hospital bills - even if it meant that i continued to struggle to breathe!

oh man, that's a tough call to make.

that would be tough! i have been lucky so far and haven't really had any injuries or illnesses that were even close to bad! Never broken a bone either! (knock on wood!)

campkgurl you wouldnt believe the list of injuries I have had - none major - but all caused by stupid accidents! It is runny really!

haha, I bet! I have heard other people's stories!

I am the most accident prone camp counsellor ever! It is a miracle that I have never done myself a serious injury!

haha, That's sad for you, but I suppose good that you never have had any serious injuries!!

I am used to it! I just laugh at myself!

once i was having allergy-like symptoms so i went to the nurse and she took some generic medicine, i didn't see the labeling and told me to take two because it comes with two to a package. That is the case sometimes, but not always. I didn't want to get sick or anything (I remembered my DARE stuff too!) so i didn't take it. I'm glad i could stick thorugh it, that it wasn't something bad.

yay for DARE!!!!!! I loved that thing!!! We have a DARE bus over here, and it is amazing!! It is just a city bus, but is sort of advertising DARE!! It is a black bus with red lettering that says D.A.R.E.

LOL Cedar, was that Running Bear? Or Health Eagle? Cuz they were both pretty...interesing. Oh, Cedarledge health staff...

Remember when Broadway announced to the camp that Wohl was closed? Haha... Or how about Health Eagle trying to call Anawasa?

Broadway closed Wohl?! Can you do that?!?!?! Thank God for Medic last year. For once in our lives we had good health staff.
LOL I was scared of Health Eagle so bad that when I had a fever I just stayed in a hammock on the porch with a freezy pop on my head rather than go to Wohl. And Wack was like, "You know? I don't really blame you."

Polka was not allowed to ride to the doctor w/ Running Bear when we were CITs. Her parents drove all the way down from Ferguson to take her to the doctor.

i don't remember it was last year.

I got a sprained knee from playing soccer with my campers

Oh. I don't know who the Wohl staff was when you were there then, Torch. I was in Costa Rica or Florida most of the summer lol.

I did hear about a few problems with some of the agency/rental nurses last year, especially towards the beginning. I try to stay away from there if I can.

we had a nurse (well nurses) that were crazy. one of them allowed almost all of the camper health history forms to be scattered all over the parking lot, and another one tried to tell a counselor that she didn't need the benadryl after she got stung by a bee, but she did need it because she was allegeric. gotta love rent-a-nurses at camp!

Thats crazy! One of the camp nurses we had would give out benadryl at the drop of hat! Lots of the staff would take them to help them sleep! There was one occassion I had an asthma attack, and after being treated for that she said she wanted me to take a benadryl to make sure I slept that night - and even when I said they dont make me sleepy she insisted! And of course it didnt' help me sleep!

haha, gotta love when they think that there is a simple cure for everything, like in the movie My Big Fat Greek Weeding where the dad thinks that Windex cures all ails!!

We have crazy nurses like that I am sure, but I don't really get ot experience it since i really haven't had that many trips to the nurse besides for regular meds for campers and such.

The nurse at my camp has a few cure-it-alls:

Walk it off,
Stick it in the lake,
Gargle with salt,
Drink some water.

I like the Stick it in the lake one!!!

I use the drink some water one, and the walk it off one myself, so long as it isn't too serious of course! I had a camper last weekend who swore she sprained her ankle when doing 3-legged races, but she wasn't crying at all (3rd grader or so) and still took off the bandana jsut fine. Then she got up and ran over to the next activity and told the person there that her ankle was sprained!! Too bad for her Spork had seen her run over!! haha

I had a camper who fell down on one of the paths and twisted her ankle badly. I told my UL who told her to take a buddy and walk to the health lodge. The poor girl hobbled over to the kitchen shelter, and I went to take a look at it. Her foot was so swollen she couldn't even get her shoe off. I was like, "We should really call the office and have them drive her down." But my UL was like, "No, they just said they've had too many people calling for transport for stupid reasons." Fortunately the program director drove up a few seconds later, so I told her the situation. She took the girl to Wohl, and she was NOT happy with my UL.

ouch!! I understand being cautious with calling, but when it takes so short of a time to swell up to the point of not being able to take off her shoe, she should not be walking!!! Either carry her or get the nurse there or something!! Our nurse will come out to where she is needed and then might transport them to her office if needed!

I must admit to use water as a cure for all ills! Especially if it means that I can avoid dealing with homesickness.

Water is definitely my cure-all too. It gave rise to my "Drink Water, Take a Buddy" slogan in my first year as staff. Your head/feet/back hurts? Drink water. You have to go to the bathroom/to get your meds/to pick up the mail? Take a buddy. And drink water. You're not feeling well? Tired? Sick? Hot? Homesick? Unhappy? Drink water, take a buddy. If it can't be solved by water and a buddy, your problems are far too great for me to deal with.

hahaha very true Indigo!!!

I've incorparatedit in my life- headache, i drink water, confused? Drink water? tired? drink water! etc. It does work...
Yeah, since i am raised with medical people all around me most of the time i just take care of it myself- i know what to do. I had to go when i broke my toe and then once or twice for advil. It hurt!and then once for the inncident beforehand.

really, if water, a buddy, duct tape or a tissue can't solve your problem, you're screwed.
haha

absolutely!!! I love that quote/saying!!! hehe

I was lucky enough to have some awesome nurses when I worked at Merriwood (though I think there was a reason there was a new nurse my first year). When you've got a good one, it's so nice to be able to have a nurse take a look at what ever issue you have. I ripped the skin off the back of both my heels hiking one year, and it was good to have someone who could tell me what I needed to do to make sure they healed well.

Good nurses rock! Not good nurses, well, they make life difficult for everyone.

Last night, I just sat reading through this entire thread, and I realized you could make a really great camp-based Drama show.

haha - now thats an idea! And we could all be the stars!

I could play the naive little camper... XD

haha, so true!! We totally could make a movie and star in it! Instead of those T-shirts we talked about a few months ago, we should make a movie! haha, even though the logistics on the movie would never work out with us all at different places! That just means that we would all have to apply at the same camp or something and somehow manage to get the same TO or spend our weekends making it!! haha

Not to mention that there are soooo many more stories that aren't on here, and all the camp love connections! We actually have like 4 differnt couples who met at camp and are still going strong!! Funny thing is that most of them are internationals and Americans, so they have the whole long-distance relationship thing going on! Or they get married and the guy follows the girl (seems to be traditional at my camp that the guy foes to live where the girl does!) We've even had one of those couples get married at camp!

Yeah, I've heard several stories of couples who have fallen in love at camp and then came back to get married there.

We could try pitching this idea to some network, and see what they say. =P

absolutely!! If I ever run into someone who had an in, I totally would! haha

Although I must say that it would be a better TV series than movie because you could make each season be a different summer and each season be 10 weeks long for each week of the camp that staff are there!!

Weren't we talking about a TV show in the first place? Oh, well. It would be cool either way.

oh, yeah, you said tv show when you brought it up, but then the word movie was mentioned so that was what stuck in my brain! sorry!!!

and it definitely would be cool as a movie too- thonk of all the amazing camp movies out there!!! Parent Trap being one of them (despite the lack of counselors!!)

Then again, if we do it as a TV series, we could leave cliff hangers! And there's more chance of people wanting to come to camp because of a TV show than a movie.

And, yeah, The Parent Trap (as good a movie as it is!) is totally unrealistic.

Cliff hangers are awesome for the writers but horrible for the viewers!! Then again, the writers know what is going to happen next!!

What are you talking about??? I love cliff hangers!

And they would make it so that more people would want to see the show, because they HAVE to know what happens next.

They do make you NEED to know what happens next, but I guess I hate them for myself sometimes because of the whole waiting a week! I am a very impatient person!!! But other people love the anticipation!

I must admit cliff hangers do make you really love it when the next episode finally gets here!!

Totally. Which is why it would be good advertising for camps.

Because people see that camp is an exiting adventure, and if they want to watch a show about it so badly, then why don't they experience it themselves?

Absolutely!!!

Wouldn't the world be such a better place if everyone went to camp?

oh it so would!

woah guys. more worst staff stories haah

wow, we took up almost a whole page talking about a non-existant movie!! Sorry guys, once again!!!

umm, I am working on thinking of some more worst staff stories~

We had a specialist one summer and for 2 sessions she didnt have a program and the rest of the summer she didnt really have a lot of campers to deal with - she actually had alot of "prep" time which was often used just to hang out! Anyway the second of the 2 sessions that she didnt have a program she was assigned as unit staff and she was not happy! She actually ended up in the office crying - partly cos she didnt want to be unit staff and partly cos if she had too she felt she would learn more from american staff and her co was me! I mean most of the american staff had less camp experience than I did - and she was told this but she still wasnt happy about. She also spent the who summer moaning about how much she was getting paid - she had done it for the money not the experience - and obviously being british she was only paid something like $550 (standard CA pay for a first year counsellor!) - needless to say it was a hard session - but not as hard as some I have had!

I can't imagine somebody doing camp NOT for the experience. She could have easily gotten a different job...

she definitely could have gotten another job, either some minimum wage job or something to do with her specialty!!

Some people just dont get it! The thing UK minimum wage is twice american - and she could have certainly earned more staying at home!

oh, wow!! twice!!! and yeah, then she wouldn't have had all the plane flights and such!!

exactly - but our cost of living is higher so it kinda balances out!

oh ok, that makes some sense then!

I dont see why people dont do camp for the experince. I mean if you average the pay for the number of hours it is low. I work at camp for the experince

Absolutely! For crying out loud, I am excited for the $10/week raise I get this summer! now normally, this is somewhat a lot, but not at camp where we work 130 hours/week! I will be making approximately $1.61/hour this summer!

I don't understand how anyone would sign up for it if they were concerened about the money! I mean, it is one thing to not realize how much work you really do, but my cousin makes twice as much as me and works the amount of hours I have off (though this is more than minimum wage)! It isn't as if they hide the salary or anything!

I love camp and if I find a better camp and it pays the same as the last one or a little less I would take it.

absolutely! although I am only in the looking process right now and I don't plan on moving camps until the summer after next, so I am just going to stick with this camp. However, if I I were unhappy at all at my current camp I would probably be looking harder.

Its not that I am unhappy it is because of transportation costs from me to go from IL to the east coast

my flight costs more then i get paid
but im obviously not going for the money

I dont do it for the money although I do need some money to pay some small bills I do have

i love camp and cant imagine doing it for the money - the job would just be tooo stressful for the pay involved!

definitely! It is a stressful job! and sadly enough, like teachers, they don't pay us enough for what we do! But, why raise the salary when you still get staff at the salary offered! Makes perefectly good business sense!

That is sooooo true!

It shouldnt be that way - but unfortuantely at the type of camps we work at if they were gonna pay us more they would need to charge more for the campers to come!

It would be interesting know if we would get paid more at a private camp!

My husband and I talked a lot about whether or not I could even afford trying to be a counselor. After all, it is just him and I paying rent, utilities, food, gas, etc. We normally only squeak by financially with both of our incomes combined and we bring home about $3800.00 a month USD. But, we don't have to invest anymore money into things like our cats or furniture so we are going to attempt it.

It will be close. If I wanted money it would be better to work in a gas station or part time.

I found that the pay at private camps was pretty similar to the pay at agency (like girl scout/religious) camps back when I was researching new camps, though that was a few years ago now.

There were some agency camps that did pay less though.

What I saw as different was the ability to get supplies. Working arts and crafts at agency camps, we had what we had and were creative with it, pretty much. At a private camp, if we had a great idea but not the supplies, we'd turn in a list and as long as it was reasonable, they'd go out and get them for us. Things like that.

I think that with private camps the tuition goes to getting more things for the camp, like sports equipment, water stuff, etc. With agency ones they charge less and don't get those things. You work with what you have and the camp gets improved on a need to basis and also with campital campaigns worth thousands or millions of dollars.

I would have to agree.

I'm working at a private camp this summer and in the past I've been working at GS camps. Really, I'm being paid slightly lower (but not enough to make it a big deal). Now, granted I do have a technically lower position this summer, but even then the pay is really close to what I've made in the past.

- Teenster

I know with my first camp my pay was really great for the work and we got alot of extra perks that I must admit I loved like dirt cheap rides to stores ( $1 to go to Wal-mart)and good food for our staff meetings that was ordered out

wow, our staff meetings sometimes have fruit or something. Occasionally we might get something else. Last year Jamba Juice donated like 60 Jamab Juices for one of our staff meetings! Of course, they were all the same flavor, but our ad staff did remember to make sure there vegan ones for our vegans, which was really sweet!

During our staff meetings we had food catered in from Subway and other similar places. We also got free tickets for Busch Gardens in VA, all we had to do was pay $5 for gas and pay for our food while we were there

wow, so many perks! I wish we had some of those! Then again, our local attraction is a water park somewhere within 2 hours of camp (I haven't been there in years so I don't know where exactly it is!). And even then I don't think they take us there or pay for us if they do! Who knows though! I will in a few weeks though!!!!

At that camp the work was slightly harder since it was a special needs camp so I think that tried to give us the extra perks to boost our sprits since we had 10 weeks of campers.

oh ok, makes more sense now. Special needs kids are hard to work with, especially since you camp probably took more severely disabled kids. My camp has a program for "mild to moderate developmental disablilites." We just don't have the staffing, trainin, or environment to take on some disablilites. Plus we want to make sure that each of the kids we do have in the program will be able to benefit as much as possible and if they have too severe of a disability that they can't do a lot of our activites or go to parts of cam it doesn't work out as well.

auctally alot of our campers were adults. Our camp had campers with mild to severe mental retardation and some campers had autism or an autism spectrum disorder and some have cerebral palsy

that's really cool that your camp and other camps do this! I think it would be really cool to work with those with special needs. Of course it would be draining, but so rewarding at the same time.

The campers at my camp are going into 1st-12th grade but our special needs program is ages 7-21!

it is draining and I think the perks were thrown in so none of us took off and left camp after a session and never come back

probably were!

yeah and the good thing was top rate pay for the type of camp and experince and a end of camp bonus

woohoo! End of camp bonus!! I want one! Actually, right now I just want my second year bonus! I hope I get it this year, but I am not sure if it has to be 2 full years before you get it and I only have a half a summer since I did CIT and then got hired for the rest of the summer.

check with the camp but I think they would give it to you

I think my camp gives returners bonuses but I dont think they do to international staff!

That I would not know anything about

Well having never worked at my camp of course you wouldnt!

I know I dont work at your camp but I meant I didnt know if camps gave internationals bonsus or not

Ah! Well that isnt really what you said!

I know that.... my fingers typed faster then my brain lol

ahh i hate when that happens!