"Taking the Gap"
An adventure camp experience
Are you struggling to find direction and purpose? SA Career focus advises muddled matriculants to take a Gap year. Taking a year off continues to prove invaluable to anyone who's unsure about which route to take on the career super highway.
Great movies like Cheaper by the dozen 2 and Camp Nowhere portray a snippet of the American dream, a way of life which has spread far beyond the boundaries of America. Yes, we're recommending you spend your gap year "Summer Camp" style. According to SASTS Working Adventures, Summer Camp USA is "a work (first) and travel (later) experience". The great thing is that you don't necessarily have to go to America as Summer Camps are springing up all over Europe too.
According to Camp America a counsellor is an American term which rolls brother, sister, friend, mentor and supervisor all into one and calls the experience an eye opening, entertaining, exhausting and amazing one. Most American Summer Camps are set on a lakeside or in a forest which can only add to the fantastic experience.
Before we get started; you need to ask yourself the following questions:
Are you enthusiastic about working directly with children?
Do you have exceptional communication skills?
Do you see yourself as a positive role model for children?
Are you keen on gaining a better form of understanding as well as improving your leadership skills?
Can you form new friendships easily? Remember you'll be working with people from various cultural backgrounds, very different from that of your own.
Are you recently qualified in CPR and First Aid? If not, do you have the resources to obtain these qualifications?
Are you highly skilled in one or more areas like land and water sports, performance and creative arts and outdoor education?
Would you be able to cope with the pressures of being away from your family and friends, as well as the comforts and luxuries of your home?
Have your answers been YES, YES and YES again? Then this cultural exchange programme (camp counselling) would be the ideal working holiday for you.
A general counsellor has the demanding job of supervising the campers all the time. Don't forget that campers and counsellors share cabin accommodation. They may have an area of specialisation but most of the time a counsellor's overall activity is the supervisory care of his or her group.
A counsellor who is highly skilled in camp activities like rock climbing; drama and dance; life guarding or tennis will take on the role of a specialist counsellor. This involves teaching or coaching. Therefore a specialist counsellor must have sound knowledge of the claimed skills and be confident in the capability to teach them.
If you're a very caring person with a high regard for those who are disabled you could consider the position of a special needs counsellor. This is a very demanding yet equally rewarding role. Special needs counsellors work in extremely close relation to children and adults with disabilities and their key ideal - at all times - is maintaining their camper's dignity.
There are also a number of Christian camps which offer positions for Christian counsellors. Their duties include counselling by the Christian philosophy and bible study and are not unlike those of a general or specialist counsellor.
All counsellors are expected to obey the camp rules. All camps have a ban on alcohol and most discourage smoking. However counsellors do get time off; which is specified to a day or evenings according to their programme. You need to be passionate about choosing Camp Counselling for you gap year as your nine weeks at camp will be devoted almost entirely to your duties.
Applicants must go through a placement or programme agency when applying for a position as a camp counsellor. Here are some websites to get you started:
We wish you "happy camp counselling" from all at SA Career Focus. Drop us a line and let us know how you "took the gap".
Written for SA Career Focus by Justin Augustine
Revised by Abby Mae
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