by Theresa M. Ferrari, Ph.D., and Janel K. Digby, M.S.
The impact of working as a member of a summer camp staff is seldom recognized
for the valuable contributions that often arise from the experience.
This article highlights findings from a project that asked young staff
to discuss their perceptions of how their job as a camp counselor influenced
the development of life skills and their choice of careers.
Introduction
Ohio 4-H invests significant resources in its camp program. Most research,
however, has examined camper outcomes rather than those for camp counselors.
4-H camp counselors are teens who are highly engaged in their camp counseling
roles (McNeely 2004), and it is expected that the skills they learn in
these roles are applied to other contexts of their lives. However, research
studies examining the connection between camp counseling skills and their
application to other contexts have been mixed (Brandt & Arnold, 2006;
Forsythe, Matysik, & Nelson, 2004; McNeely, 2004).
The foundation
for this study came from the human ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner
1979; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998) and transfer of learning (Haskell
2001). The goals of the research were to examine the following areas
from the alumni perspective: (a) their experiences as a 4-H camp counselor;
(b) the life and workforce skills gained through their experience; (c)
the impact the camp counselor experience had on their career choice;
and (d) the unique aspects of being a 4-H camp counselor as compared
to the rest of the 4-H experience (Digby 2005).
Sample/Methods
Four focus
groups were held in three geographic locations using procedures recommended
by Krueger (1994; Morgan & Krueger, 1993). Focus group questions
were developed by the researchers specifically for this study as well
as questions that were adapted from Garst and Johnson (2003, 2005). Thirty
alumni camp staff participated in the focus groups. The average age was
twenty-two years (ranging from eighteen to twenty-six), and the average
number of years the alumni were counselors at Ohio 4-H camps was four
years. The sample was two-thirds female. Initially, open coding was used
to analyze the data (Strauss & Corbin 1990) for general patterns
and emergent themes. Then, two frameworks were used to categorize the
interview data: workforce skills (Secretary's Commission on Achieving
Necessary Skills [SCANS] 1991) and developmental experiences in organized
youth activities (Dworkin, Hansen, & Larson, 2003).
Results and Discussion
Overall, 4-H camp counselor alumni thought their experience as a camp
staff member was fun and enjoyable, yet challenging. They believed they
developed skills in leadership, decision-making, planning and organizing,
communication, interpersonal interactions, and teamwork. These skills
are consistent with other studies that have examined camp counselors' skill
development (Brandt & Arnold, 2006; DeGraff & Edginton, 1992;
DeGraff & Glover, 2003; Dworken, 2004; Forsythe et al., 2004; Garst & Johnson,
2003, 2005; James, 2003; McNeely, 2004; Purcell, 1996; Toupence & Townsend,
2000; Weese, 2002) as well as organized youth activities (Dworkin et
al., 2003). These skills are also reflective of the varied abilities
and competencies needed in the workforce according to the SCANS Report
(1991).
Not only did alumni learn these skills, but the skills transferred
from one setting to another, such as schools, other employment sites,
or community settings. Leadership was reported most often as the skill
that had been applied to other contexts. Other valuable skills included
communication, teamwork, organization, interpersonal interactions, time
management, flexibility/ adaptability, and responsibility.
Alumni believed
they learned by being actively engaged in their roles. Being entrusted
as a teenager with the responsibility for leading and teaching activities
for younger campers was important to them. Several young staff members
commented that reflection activities at the conclusion of camp helped
them think about the skills learned as a camp counselor. However, this
practice did not appear to be an activity included in all camp employment
experiences.
The experience had both indirect and direct impacts on staff
members' choice of a career. Indirect impacts included considering
what type of job or work environment they would like in their future.
Direct impacts were that alumni decided they enjoyed working with children
and looked for a career that would enable them to do so (i.e., teacher).
A unique aspect of being a camp counselor compared to other experiences
in 4-H was that camp takes place in a different environment where there
is little competition. Teens also had the opportunity to be role models
and develop a sense of their own identity.
Practical Applications
This
study demonstrated that camp counseling provides a challenging, meaningful
role through which adolescents develop their identity and career potential.
Camp counseling translates into pathways to a positive future, as skills
are transferred to other contexts, such as work and community life. Many
practical applications exist for young people who work with camp programs.
- To
raise counselors' awareness, the topic of skills needed for the
workforce should be included as part of camp counselor training. Specific
opportunities for reflection about their role as camp counselors would
enable counselors to understand that they had developed these skills
through their camp experience and to make connections between their
camp experiences and future career choices.
- To ensure that transfer
of learning is intentional, incorporate specific strategies when designing
counselor training. For transfer to occur, experiences that are real
and meaningful are needed, such as the hands-on planning, teaching,
and supervisory activities that are part of being a camp counselor.
- Adults
need to give youth ownership over their roles and responsibilities
in order for significant development to occur. They need to provide
appropriate structure and guidance to teens. For example, counselors
will learn more from planning the camp program than from being at a
camp where all the decisions have been made for them and the activities
planned by other adults.
- To ensure increasing levels of challenge, camp directors
should consider expanding youth leadership roles for more experienced
counselors.
- Many traditional community jobs available to teens
do not provide opportunities for developing initiative. Because camp
does provide such an opportunity, camp directors should be aware of
the importance of initiative to adolescent development.
- Communicate
to stakeholders that camp counseling prepares teens with valuable workforce
skills.
Research Highlights
4-H camp counselor alumni reported that camp
counseling is the “experience of a lifetime” because:
- Campers
viewed them as role models.
- They gained leadership skills.
- They
were entrusted with responsibility.
- It influenced their future
career choices.
| References |
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Originally published in the 2007 November/December
issue of Camping Magazine. |
