by
Gail Siegal
While my job is almost impossible to describe to anyone outside of the
camp universe, those that understand it are incredibly jealous. Unlike
most professionals, I have the privilege of interacting with phenomenal
young people from around the world who are looking for the opportunity
to work at a U.S. summer camp. While I enjoy my job all year, the most
rewarding moments come in July. Each summer, I visit my participants
at camp and see how the cultural exchange program that we (and they!)
have been preparing for all year actually plays out. I first meet many
of these participants the previous December or January in their home
countries, where we talk about their goals for the experience and what
they can expect at camp. I see them again at their arrival orientation,
when they are jet-lagged but excited, amazed that the summer has finally
arrived. By the time I see them at camp, some of them have only grown
more excited about this opportunity. Others, however, have lost all passion
for the program.
A few years ago, we knew why support staff weren't returning to
camp. The U.S. Department of State limited the number of returning support
staff in any given summer to 10 percent of the total number of support
staff from the previous summer. (For example, if one international cultural
exchange organization brought over five hundred support staff in 2001,
that same organization could only bring fifty second-timers in 2002.)
No support staff participant could work more than two summers. In theory,
these regulations allowed more students to have the experience of coming
to the U.S. at least once. In practice, camps found themselves having
to train almost entirely new groups of support staff every summer. Now
that these regulations have been lifted, have you seen an increase in
your number of returning support staff? If not, you may want to take
a closer look at your camp culture.
Last summer, arriving at one camp, I was met by an enthusiastic participant
who could not wait to show me around. Our tour of the camp grounds ended
at the laundry room, where she introduced me to all of her co-workers
and her supervisor, then proudly explained her responsibilities.
At another camp, I found another participant who was eager to show me
her camp. She, however, wanted to show me how unappetizing the food was
and how cramped the living conditions were. When we ended the tour in
her workplace, the kitchen, she shared only complaints and criticisms
with me.
I visited many camps this summer and found myself trying to pinpoint
why, concretely, some support staff found camp to be such a rewarding
experience and others could not wait for their nine weeks to be over.
On the surface, the two camps I described above were extremely similar.
I couldn't discern any real difference between the quality of the
food, the space in the cabins, or the working conditions in general.
But when I thought back to the two participants' motivation for
participating in the program, I realized only one had the opportunity
to create the experience she had envisioned for herself months before.
The difference between the two camps really lay in each camp's
attitude towards participating in a cultural exchange program. Their level
of commitment was reflected in their hiring choices, orientation setup,
daily schedule, and overall policies. These elements directly affected
whether or not each participant was able to accomplish the goals she
had set for the summer. While the first participant had found exactly
the growth opportunities she was seeking, the second was disillusioned
to learn that camp would not be the life-changing experience she had
heard about from past participants.
As you begin hiring for summer 2005, think carefully about why staff
would want to come to camp in the first place. If you are able to provide
an environment where staff can meet their objectives, you'll find yourself
with a happy group of workers who can't wait to return. When we ask
potential participants why they are interested in our program and what
they hope to accomplish this summer, we hear the same responses over and
over:
- They want to improve their English. While there are many reasons
to hire a diverse staff, this is one of the most compelling. If all
of your staff speak the same language, they will feel silly speaking
to one another in English. Hire staff from as many different countries
as possible. For those that do come from the same country (or speak
the same language), split them up and assign them different job responsibilities.
- They want to make American friends. These participants have chosen
the U.S., not Canada, Australia, or the U.K., because they want to
meet Americans. Are your American staff welcoming your international staff into
your camp environment? Do you see them taking days off together? Does
your international staff visit the American staff at home after the summer has
ended? If not, then you need to make a conscious effort to integrate
these two groups as soon as they arrive for orientation. House them together.
Train them together. Use all of those games, songs, mixers, and activities
you have accumulated to unite your entire staff, not just the counselors
or specialists. If you continue to see a separation between American
and international staff, pull some of your returning American staff aside and
ask them to make an effort to include international staff in more informal
social activities, including time off. You have the power to change
the structure of social interaction at
your camp.
- They want to meet people from other countries. I am constantly astonished
by the number of camp directors who truly believe that participants
of one nationality, as a rule, do not like participants of another
nationality. Is it possible that some participants will come into the
summer with prejudices? Absolutely. We all have biases that we've
learned from our home environments. However, no one is getting on a
plane and traveling halfway around the world in hopes of confirming
that those prejudices are correct. These participants have signed up
for a cultural exchange program; they are incredibly open-minded and
are ready to get to know people from all over the world. If you have
experienced a divide between nationalities for more than one summer,
then someone in your camp environment is perpetuating that divide.
Find out who it is, and figure out a way to address it, either through
diversity training or through dismissal of the "bad egg."
- They want to see the U.S. Granted, depending on the location of
your camp, there's really only so much that your staff will
be able to see during the summer. But days off are valuable and
you need to make sure that your staff are able to (easily!) get
away from camp. If it is difficult for them to get rides with the
staff who do have cars, can you run a van into town or to the bus
station a couple of times a day? Could you negotiate a reduced
rate with a local rental car company? Also, try to reward hardworking
staff with a little flexibility in terms of time off. If someone
wants to work through one week in order to take two consecutive
days off the next, do your best to allow it.
- They want to be at camp. You know that you have lost many past or
potential support staff to work and travel programs. Why? The same participant
can earn significantly more money washing dishes at a restaurant than washing
dishes at your camp. So, when participants do choose to come to camp, they
are doing so because they want to be in a camp environment and interact
with kids. Most of your support staff have significant experience with
children, and many of them would prefer to come as counselors but feel
that their English is not strong enough. While they must understand that
their jobs are their first priority, they should not feel excluded from
everything else happening at camp. Are you offering your support staff
use of the camp facilities at times that are convenient for them? Do you
make sure that they are included in all-camp and evening activities? Can
they speak to children on a daily basis? Have you organized "International
Nights" when your staff can share their cultures with the rest
of the camp? If not, you are going to lose those support staff next
summer.
You are not, of course, solely responsible for determining whether
or not your staff enjoy the summer. As we tell our participants at
orientation, each of them has the power to decide if they will have
a good experience at camp. You, however, are in control of your camp
environment, and you can decide whether you are going to make it
easy or difficult for participants to accomplish their objectives.
If you encourage your employees to take advantage of their time here
and work towards their goals, you are going to find yourself with
a happier and more productive staff. And because happy participants
are returning participants, you are going to make your job far easier
in the long run.
Originally published in the 2005 March/April
issue of Camping Magazine. |
