Camp America

[Lbet]

Are there any parents whose kids have done camp America?

My daughter is currently taking a gap year before going off to uni next.
She is really interested in doing camp America next summer.
We have had a good chat with a student who has just been for his second summer in a row. We have had loads of useful tips and advice from him. He did say you don’t do camp America for the money because you actually end up being out of pocket and you do it for the experience.
That suits my daughter fine as she is definitely wants to do it for the great experience.

Just wanted to know if anyone’s child has been and if you can tell me about their experience.

Thanks in advance.

Oh I had no intention of calling (she’d have been mortified) but some parents were - there were several pleas from camp staff in their group chat ‘Guys pls tell your parents you are ok’
She eventually got a bus 6 hours late and is safely there now - a bus had broken down and a driver got lost. Her day 1 itinerary is filled with stuff so won’t be bored sat around like yesterday.

I have been waking up to text from my daughter every morning which I assume she is sending during their downtime. The text she is sending is music to my ears. It sounds like she is having the most amazing time. Swimming in the lake, trying new foods and really enjoying it…. And she is such a fussy eater. Last night they played a game of capture the flag and had a water gun battle. They also spent the day having a practice run of a day of what camp will be like when the kids arrive next week. I am hoping the excitement continues when the hard work begins when the kids arrive next week.🙏

The first few weeks once the children arrive are usually great. Energy is high, everything is new and exciting etc. The worst point for lows is middle of camp when the exhaustion sets in, the children are more prone to playing up (behaviour usually descends after visiting day), and it feels a bit like Groundhog Day 😂😂😂

That middle week is tough for everyone but then times starts to fly and before you know it Color War breaks and they are leaving.

Those camps with several sessions seem to suffer less as the new kids coming in keeps things fresh, and it’s great to be able to say goodbye to the one kid who isn’t the easiest. Wasaay back in 1996 the first time I worked at camp, one child with ADHD had lovely parents who decided sending her to camp was a great time to give her a break from her medication. She was up at 4am every day, woke everyone else up, and all she would eat was Skittles. Joyous. Thankfully she was only there two weeks when her parents were told to come and get her. Poor kid - she was very sweet and good fun. Just paid for her parents bad decisions.

Mine has been there 2 weeks now and the kids arrive today - think there will be 3 sets of kids for 12 days each. The hard work will really start now but the days will be more structured.
They’re all struggling a bit at the moment with the heat for the last few days over 30 but due to break in a day or 2 and rain so that will be respite.
Hope everyone else’s are enjoying themselves.

I think our kids are well aware of how much hard work it will be and let’s face it knowing that and deciding to still go just goes to show what amazing kids they are.

Wow 1996 when you first went to camp, I was thinking it was quite recent as you seem to know so much. I would imagine camp is so much more different than all those years ago. Let’s face it with kids going back again year after year only goes to show the hard work is worth it.

@lbet I have 1996, 1997, 2011 and 2014 under my belt, my own children have been going to camp in Pennsylvania since 2021 and I work for one of the big j-1 sponsor agencies. I know camp inside out and back to front, with knowledge that’s bang up to date. I’ve also seen it from the point of view of counselor, management team, sponsor and parent of a camper.

The camps themselves haven’t actually changed that much over the years. Staff recruitment definitely has. We also have increasing numbers deciding it’s not for them AFTER they have arrived. I personally think social media is to blame as a lot of these videos show only the good sides. You’ll be surprised how many people apply not knowing how hard working with children is and their expectations are totally wrong.

Yes I can imagine some change their minds after a few days. None of our kids on here will because they are all super humans.😁

You are so right. I honestly think so many of the kids go, thinking it will be one long holiday. DS has been on camp for a month now. It's a new camp and the first couple of weeks they were still having to set it up. Apparently quite a bit of manual labour was involved. He's told us that several counsellors have quit as they weren't expecting to have to do manual labour! Others have quit as they found working with the kids and running the activities too hard!! I honestly don't know what they expected to be doing. Unfortunately, this has left them really short staffed and those that are left having to work even longer hours.

lorn195 how is your son doing, is he still resting up?

Had a video chat with ds last night while he was on his break. He's having a great time!
Really feeling the heat and is super busy but having fun.
He's in a bunk with 16 year olds and they're all great apart from two who he is struggling with. He's talked to the head counsellor so they're aware and keeping an eye out.
He's doing a lot of swimming in the lake. It all sounds good.

@Lbetyes he is. We had a video call with him last night to see how he was. He’s sore (his little finger on the right hand is broken) and tired mainly due to the pain. He’s off his activity for a couple of days to rest.

We were also were given a tour of his cabin and he was complaining about the bugs and size of the ants (apparently they are 2x bigger out there).

just to see him (well his fringe and eyes 😂) made us feel so much better.

DD used to have bears wandering into camp!

Ooh that wasn't Nippersink by any chance? I worked there in 1983, had a fantastic time.

My daughter FaceTimed me she was happy. She’s got allocated a cabin with 14/15 yr olds - the older girls get the nicer cabins. She’ll be doing activities with younger age group too. There’s a girl from yr below her at sixth form working there (small world) She’s passed her swimming test so can go in water. They get a night off tomorrow (and a trip to Walmart) then girl campers arrive Friday. Says food is nice. So far so good.
She was a Girlguiding YL for 4 years (including an international trip via overnight coach/ferry involving lots of vomit) so she does appreciate minding kids isn’t always easy. She did say 2 lads had already dropped out and gone home from boys camp.

Just spoken to my DD who has arrived in her accomodation in Boston, it all sounded pretty cheery with lots of young people arriving. Heat is a struggle but otherwise all v positive. Missing her like mad here

My daughter has been at camp a week and it sounds like she has had the most amazing week. They have done a week of training which she has really enjoyed as they have done a first aid and CPR training session, something she’s not done before. They have also been having so much fun going out on bikes, swimming in the lake, had a water gun fight. She has said everyone is so friendly. They had last night off and all day today before the kids arrive tomorrow🙈Last night they went out to a diner and then to get ice cream. It all sounds like how the experience of camp America should be….. well before the kids arrive tomorrow.😱

@Lbet sounds very similar to what DS2 experienced. He told us the first session of the camp should finish this week, then they have 3 days off before the next session begins.

Then the chaos will begin🤣🤣🤣

Dd seems to have gone to a very strict camp. She is usually a trooper and not phased by much but this camp reads the mail they receive, makes them wear white on a Sunday for a “Spiritual ceremony!”

They have only one rest hour between 7am and 10pm and the day off is structured too. No free time as such.

She isn’t happy.

Daughter FaceTimed again. She’s also sent a message or two each day. She seems happy, setting looks lovely when she calls.
She said her girls in cabin were nice. She’d shown them all her photos in her bunk to break ice - they thought the pic of her uni was a castle. They like the ‘coolness’ of having a British counselor and were asking her about English words/pronunciation.
She says they have some downtime sessions in day and a staff cabin they can use (and go on phone at) they have some evenings off and is going into little town with another girl day after tomorrow. There’s a system for booking a day off but she’s hasn’t done that yet.
I’ve followed her camp on instagram and Facebook, spotted her on one photo so far. The camp also does a very detailed blog each day. Obviously aimed at parents of campers but nice to know what up to and lists all food in great detail. My dc is quite fussy but says food is nice.

@Thetrainer that sounds hard and not a good fit. Can she contact her agency?

@Thetrainer One hour off in the working day is the norm I’m afraid. As is having to wear certain items for set events. For example, I was at a Jewish camp and on Friday nights we wore white for dinner and services. This is just camp life.

When you say days off are structured, what do you mean? They usually have no choice as to what day off they have and sometimes this will be without close friends as they need to make sure camp is adequately staffed. For example, there will always need to be a set number of lifeguards on site. The day off will start and end at set times for the same reason.

If they put on transport off camp on days off it will need to depart and return at set times and follow an itinerary. If they stay on camp then meal times are set - they can’t have rolling food available. It’s your choice if you want to lie in and skip meals.

The reading of mail is rather odd though. Yes, they will read camper letters home but surely not those of the counsellors?

If she feels that things are unreasonable then she can raise them with the camp director or her sponsor agency. If she is being mistreated they can sometimes transfer her to another camp. If she wants to leave then that’s also an option but she will have to pay and also leave the USA immediately with no travelling afterwards.

I don't want to offend, but surely most camps are strict. They have to be due to the volume of children attending. And the rules for the counsellors surely fall in with general rules for the children.

It seems it is a religious camp. So she needs to go with the rules and ways by respecting the religious day by wearing a certain colour of clothing. I do not understand why this is an issue. If it is due to being a different religion, the background of the camp is something that is usually researched before going. My dd is at a Jewish camp. We are not Jewish. But she did research prior to going and packed suitable outfits to wear on Shabbat. Although she doesn't celebrate Shabbat personally, she respects that at camp they do.

They are not on holiday. They have gone to work. One hour a day off seems right and in line with what other camps do. And the day off being structured, I assume you mean a set day each week, is also very normal.

I can't speak for mail as I just message DD directly, but perhaps they scan the mail for anything untoward being sent it?

I think half of the experience they gain from going, is to see how other people live. Different nationalities, different religions, different food, different living conditions. Is this not most of the point?

Thanks for the replies.

There was no mention of religion in advance. It isn’t a main stream religion it’s not compatible with Dd’s own religion which is Christian.

It’s a religion with chants and a foreign language. Dd isn’t sure what but it seems to be to spirits of some sort.

When I say Day off is structured I mean expected to attend a 2 hour spiritual session and chant as well as organised activities that must be attended.

One hour off seems very little between 7am and 11:15 especially as Dd’s activity that she takes is very high energy.

At this stage I think leaving the USA and paying a fee to do so would be a relief.

@Thetrainer A day off should be a full 24 hours off and not required to do anything. Tell your daughter to call her agency and explain. If the camp is at fault then they will fully assist in getting her out. In cases like this they try and reassign to a new camp as opposed to coming home though.

It is ESSENTIAL that her agency is made aware though as if the camp is breaching labor laws they may need to assist other counselors.