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.

Of course it’s a worry nothing wrong in that. I’m sure they are used to flights being delayed etc, they will know it’s delayed and wait for him. I would imagine there will be many others going to camp on the flight too, never know might be sitting next to one having a good chat.

I remember cleaning my older sons room when he left for uni😢

I can’t believe the first of the kids are off to start their CA adventure. I’m getting nervous about my dd going. She’ll have a great time. I’ll miss her so much.

I will miss my daughter so much too, we do a lot together😢She goes 21st June. Suppose it will help me get used to her going off to uni in Sept.

He's arrived.
Has messaged to say he's been fed, given a tour and that's it's a bit of a shithole and cold.😭

I'm sure he'll feel better after some sleep. He must be exhausted!

That must be such a relief to know he got there safely. I’m sure it all must be so overwhelming for him but he will soon get stuck in.

Please keep us updated, it’s all so exciting. X

He's just facetimed. I think he's a bit shell shocked to be honest! Said he thinks he's going to lose weight! Been hard at work all day moving trees that have been chopped down.
Hoping for an early night tonight.
Everyone has been really nice and friendly.

It's just going to take time to adjust.

Yes I can imagine at first it is all a little overwhelming and will take a fair few days to adjust. It’s great he was able to FaceTime you though, that must of been a bit of a relief to be able to see and talk to him.
I bet as the days go on he will be more positve and motivated and you will see a big difference in his mood.

Thank you so much for sharing, it is in encouraging to hear another parents take on it sll.
Please keep us posted.

With regards to the “bit of a shithole” comment, this is something most UK counsellors are unprepared for! Even at the snazziest of camps, the buildings are essentially sheds with power and water.

They are empty over the winter months (and in the NE they can get a lot of snow). When you open up a camp there’s often a lot of “nature” to remove. Those doing pre camp are often there for a month before the other staff start arriving. Once the place gets more staff and the campers start arriving with all their stuff then it starts to feel more homely.

Seeing an empty bunk for the first time can feel a little bleak. Might be good to show your young people this so they are aware

tours.bluelavamedia.com/76192

There’s usually no heating or air conditioning and you NEVER feel clean even after a shower.

Have to say that sounds right up my daughter’s street, she will love all that side of it all.

Thanks for that.

DS2 will love it too. He was an army cadet from 12 years old until this January this year when he turned 18, so basic accommodation won’t faze him in the slightest.

Have you heard anymore from your son with how he is doing? Hope he is getting into it now. 🤞

He seems to really be enjoying himself!
They've been painting all the bunks so super busy. But he's also been lake swimming, played tennis, been out in the nearest town , been for food and drinks in a bar, had a campfire....

He's not messaging much at all which is always good...no news is good news!

Wow sounds amazing. I will tell my daughter, only 5 weeks until she goes. She just has travel insurance to sort out then all done.

Thanks for the update.

DS2 is nearly ready to go. Paperwork and Travel insurance done. He’s sorted his seats on the flights and even has a widget countdown.

can’t believe he will be gone in 2 weeks. 🥲

Can I ask what travel insurance he has please?

@LbetWe looked at confused.com for a single trip insurance for the U.S. we were given various quotes but finally went for Puffin insurance, gold cover which includes medical, flight and gadget cover. Even with declared medical conditions (DS2 had a tonsillectomy in 2024) the cost was £217.00.

i believe they are part of AxA insurance and covered by the FCA, so seemed quite reasonable.

Thank you. We looked at GoWalkabout last night which seems quite reasonable.

DS2 has told me their mobile phone usage is very limited so not to expect much. We will try to FaceTime him when it allows.

DS is on his way to Heathrow now, to a camp in Colorado. It didn't seem so real back in January when he started organising it all! He came home from his first year at uni on Saturday, so it feels like we've hardly seen him. However, we are so proud of him. He had such a rough time in 6th Form and was unsure as to whether he'd go to uni. He's become so independent and confident this year and we know this will be an amazing experience for him. He was obviously nervous last night and this morning, but was so excited. We know we won't hear from him much, so that will be a huge adjustment as he normally Facetimes once a week, or phones when he needs money, but no new is good news!!

I did Camp America in the summer between my 2nd & 3rd years of university. I was allocated a very well-resourced camp in a beautiful location. Some of the downsides I hadn’t anticipated were:

• very rich, entitled children. If you put in place the boundaries the camp director said he wanted upheld, the children threatened that their parents would “Sue you.” Most of them had a parent, or parents who were lawyers in Chicago, so to 20 year old me, it didn’t seem like an empty threat. If they complained to camp management about you, the management were on their side, as their parents were paying for the experience.
• Former campers were on the staff team. They were the favourites of the children, over and above the British or European camp counsellors. This meant there was a “them & us” divide between some of the camp counsellors. Not all the American counsellors were former campers, I would say about 1/3 were, which was a significant minority.
• The timetable had A & B days, you worked a block of 4 of each before getting a day off, which means 1 day off in 8, or less than 1 day off a week.
• the work is mentally draining and can be physically draining, depending which area/sport you are leading on. I considered myself fortunate to teach arts & crafts in the morning and swimming in the afternoon, as “a change is as good as a rest” & I had the water to cool off in. Those teaching tennis all day, in the hot sun, for example, weren’t so fortunate.
• when not teaching, you & 2 other camp counsellors were responsible for every aspect of welfare for the group of children in your cabin. If they didn’t sleep well, this meant very long days & short nights.
• the legal age for drinking, in the state the camp was in, was 21. I was fortunate that on my CA ID, my birthdate was written: DD/MM/YYYY, rather than the American way: MM/DD/YYYY. This meant it looked as if I was 21 😅. Believe me, after 8 days straight of dealing with all the above, blowing half my weekly allowance/pocket money on a cocktail seemed like a good idea!

There were good points, which I’m sure Camp America have emphasised:

• I got to spend a summer in USA.
• Best tan I’ve ever had!
• I got valuable work & life experience.
• I made the most of the time I had free between camp finishing & my flight home, seeing American relatives & then going to New York. This depends on you having money though. It’s unlikely you’ll earn enough to fund much travel in your free time.
• I made long lasting friendships with 2 English counsellors working there.

Tbh with how social media is these days our kids that are going for the first time have done all the research they need to do to help them decide if it is for them. Really then for those that are going for the first time fair play to them for sticking to it even after finding out most of what you have stated above.

Out of all the people we know that have gone have never just done it the once and for me that says it all. There are always going to pros and cons but it really does seem people go nack year after year because of how great it was.

Thanks for all the info though, it has helped me realise it is definitely for my daughter.

Ah yes, no social media back then. I could have done with it as I could have declined that camp and gone to another one. I wouldn’t have minded staying in tents, for example, for a more humane experience. Horses for courses & all that.

Yes they are all over tik tok and instagram with info on camps. Some obviously influencers to recruit people but we’ve watched a full 2024 YouTube video of camp dd going to and it looks fine accommodation wise in wooden cabins. They also have a cllr chat already with returners and newbies on and had a teams meeting with everyone. She declined one camp that was more remote and religious.

Just going through the packing list with DS2. Frustrated that he has to buy bedding and towels out there and leave it behind.

is this standard for Camp America?

@lorn195 Not at all. The camp should provide bed linens for international staff