Project Real Job

In this blog, we briefly summarize some of our recent findings related to the seasonal camp staff experience and our work as part of ACA’s National Impact Study.

Shark Tank for Camp Pros, and YOU are the Sharks (i.e., judges)! A cohort of over 40 camp leaders, staff, and students were given the prompt, “What is one new way you can motivate...

Project Real Job brings you Shark Tank for Camp Pros, and YOU are the Sharks (i.e., judges)! A cohort of over 40 camp leaders, staff, and students were given the prompt, “What is...

Staff recruitment is looking a bit . . . or a lot . . . different this year. Slowly, a shift from loading up the car and driving cross-country to area colleges for job fairs has given way to online recruitment.

We all thought that camp was a vital experience before the pandemic. Now, we are an essential experience for the mental and emotional health of the young people working and attending our camp.

COVID-19 remains a real threat to operations and knowing what is to come this summer. Nonetheless, finding quality summer staff is a must — even if those staffing plans are contingent on what happens with vaccines, state orders, and CDC guidelines.

Twelve-plus-hour days. Extreme temperatures. Mental and physical exhaustion. Low pay. Sound like fun? Then why do millions of teens and 20-something-year-olds work at camp every...

We believe staff culture and camp culture are tied together. They are not separate. The culture your staff embraces and models is your camp culture.

When it is hard to determine what to do next, the one thing that can be controlled in challenging times (or any time) is our response.

There are many reasons why summer camps struggle to find and retain quality staff. We see many camps focus their job descriptions around the cultural elements that the job provides...