Surely you’ve heard about it by now? About the American Camp Association
(ACA) Young Professionals group, we mean. It’s a group created by
the National Board of ACA to accelerate the development of the next generation
of camp leadership. And they need you. Young Professionals are at a critical
stage in their development because they are taking their first steps into
life-long learning that the camp profession and ACA provides. They are
establishing professional learning habits and personal connections with
other camp professionals that will serve them well the rest of their lives.
This article is the first in a series of articles focused on the ACA Young
Professional.
Even if you are not a Young Professional, you have them in your camp
organization. Supporting them as they take the first steps in their long-term
development will help you and your organization, and make the camp industry
even stronger.
The Demographics of a Young Professional
Young Professionals are people who are making the transition to camp
as a profession. They are usually in key formal and informal leadership
positions in a camp — providing vitality and energy in the day-to-day
operations.
Commonly referred to as “YPs,” they are generally under
the age of thirty-five — although they can be any age — young
to camp or young in years. YPs can be college students at their first
summer camp job, lifelong campers turned to staff members, assistant directors,
site directors for multi-camp agencies, or professionals from other industries
entering the camp world.
The Situation
Judy, a (fictional, though typical) young camp seasonal staff member,
has finished her third summer at Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym. As a counselor, she’s
just been offered a supervisory position for the following summer. Judy
loves camp and has changed her major from engineering to child psychology
— she wants to work at camp forever. Taking the promotion is a no-brainer.
But now she is starting to think even more about the future and the time
after next summer. She knows there is no room for further advancement
at her camp because it is family-owned, and the family occupies all of
the higher-level administrative positions. Judy doesn’t know what
to do and — because she graduates in the spring — she is getting
pressure from all sides to look for “a real job.”
Judy is pretty sure she wants to make camp her career, but questions
flood her thoughts — Is this the camp where she’ll stay forever?
It’s great to be a supervisor this summer, but what about the next
year? And what about next fall? She does love Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym, but
she thinks she wants to be in camp administration or even be a director
some day. And it seems to her that all Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym can offer is
a really great summer job. Judy even thinks she might look for a camp
job upon graduation, but she doesn’t know where to start or what
skills she’ll need.
Judy, like many other Young Professionals (or even future Young Professionals),
has learned a lot from her summers at camp. She is flexible, she works
well with kids, and she can communicate with her peers. Judy has successfully
organized special events — including planning and implementing an
Olympics-themed day with wacky relays and competitions where everyone
won an award and coordinating one of the talent shows. She was even on
the Camp Director’s Council — advising the family about how
the staff as a whole was doing. But, is that enough to get a full-time
job at a camp?
YPs — Getting Support
The first step Judy can take is to look to the director of Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym.
Judy should ask her camp director to sit down with her for an hour or
two in order to brainstorm ideas and steps she can take. The camp director,
as a successful camp professional, can share with her the challenges and
benefits of starting out in camp full time. Often, aspiring camp professionals
are not aware of ACA or that it has a group for people just like her —
the Young Professional. Once Judy is introduced to ACA, she and her director
can research and decide on the best ACA national and local resources for
her. Because there is very little room for upward mobility within her
camp, and the director is invested in the long-term success of Judy, they
could even discuss different camps or career paths within the camp industry.
The director is serving as a mentor for Judy. Finding a mentor is one
of the most important steps that Judy can take as she looks to develop
into a YP. Many people can name the one or two people that gave time,
energy, and support to them as they developed into successful camp professionals.
The mentor does not have to be the director of the camp from which Judy
comes — he or she can be anyone in the industry that inspires, shares,
and invests in Judy’s success. All she needs to do is let people
know that she is looking for a mentor, as mentors can be found at any
gathering of camp professionals, whether in person or online through the
national ACA Web site and the ACA local office Web sites.
What YPs Can Do on Their Own
For people taking their first steps in the camp industry, it is challenging
to understand what it means to be a “camp professional.” Judy
will soon find that camp is more than just songs, events, and friends
at Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym — camp is a business. Approaching camp in
the serious, professional manner espoused by ACA (and any formal business
group) can make the transition easier and more natural.
Next, she needs to build a résumé. A good camp résumé
translates the “Olympics-themed day with wacky relays” into
a concise history of leadership, initiative, and skill development. As
a camp professional, the skills Judy used every day at camp as a staff
member translate well into traits that professionals in any business can
understand. It is learning to think of the camp experience differently
and using the resources out there for YPs that make the creation of a
complete and professional résumé possible.
Finally, Judy needs to learn about and aggressively try networking.
Connecting with other professionals — in any industry — is
essential to the short- and long-term success of YPs — or anyone
at any stage in their development.
What YPs Need to Know
There is always more to learn about camp — that’s why there
are so many conferences and educational opportunities throughout the year.
In the case of Judy, there are three structured places to start:
- ACA’s extensive and in-depth training and education courses
- Graduate and certified education programs
- The YP group within ACA
ACA has an extensive program for professional development — it
is one of their primary missions. While Judy might be overwhelmed by everything
found on the ACA Web site, the ACA’s Knowledge Center (www.ACAcamps.org/knowledge),
outlines the fourteen specific areas of professional development. Under
each area, there is a list of resources — links to helpful Web sites
or articles as well as books to purchase or courses to consider. This
is a great place for anyone to learn more about how to develop skills.
Accessing most of the articles requires ACA membership. Joining is easy,
and students (even part-time), can join for only $35/year. Associate Membership
is available for $100/year or $50 if they are a volunteer at a camp or
if they serve as a Standards Visitor (a great way to visit and learn from
other camps).
Universities and colleges are also good sources for gaining skills and
knowledge in the recreation, education, and youth development industries.
From courses and certificates to independent studies and full master’s
degrees, there are many formal scholastic opportunities to develop skills
for use in the camp setting.
Finally, there is the YP group in ACA. The YP group provides a resource
center that Judy and other aspiring camp professionals can access. Continually
developed and gathered by YPs from every part of the country, the YP resources
are growing all the time. First, there is the Web site, www.ACAcamps.org/youngpros,
the main resource center to find a mentor, read an article, ask a question,
or get a personal contact with someone in the same region. YP leaders
are present at nearly every local ACA meeting, and they will also be presenting
at the 2005 ACA National Conference in Orlando, as well. The YP group
also has a List-Serve (e-mail youngprosinfo@acamaillist.org) for direct
connections with other YPs.
Originally published in the 2005 January/February
issue of Camping Magazine.
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