About Summer Camp

History

The concept of summer camping in the USA first began about 125 years ago, when schools
and other organizations began taking groups on retreats in a back-to-nature trend aimed at
pastoral rejuvenation. William Frederick Gunn, headmaster of the Gunnery School in
Connecticut, is documented as having organized the first summer camp in 1861 for his pupils.
Since that time, over 10,000 camps have sprung up across the USA, many with long histories
and revered traditions. Summer camp is now a way of life for most American children, with the
American Camping Association (ACA) reporting that approximately 10 million children now
attend camp annually.

Location & Size

There are literally thousands of camps across the US, from the Catskill Mountains of New York
to the Arizona desert and even in the Alaskan wilderness! Camps range from small
independent programs with under 100 campers to large, specialty programs with hundreds of
staff and campers.

The Campers

The primary purpose of many camps is the educational, physical and social development of
campers. Children are encouraged to try new things in safe surroundings. Summer camp is
often the first time that many children spend an extended period of time away from home and
parents. As such, a great deal of trust is imparted to the camps to provide a nurturing and
holistic environment.

The Staff

At most camps, the adult supervisors are referred to as counselors and they are assigned to
small groups of campers, called "bunks", "cabins", or "units". Counselors often share living
accommodations with their campers or other counselors. Camps also recruit support staff to
work in areas such as the camp office or the kitchen and these roles are just as important to a
thriving camp environment. Camps hire staff from all over the US and many camps also
choose to hire international counselors, who can provide a first-hand cultural experience for the
campers and add value to any camp program.

Camp Activities

Although still true in many respects, the traditional view of a summer camp as an outdoor
environment with hiking, canoeing, and campfires is evolving. In order to meet the ever-
expanding interests and needs of campers, more and more summer camps are offering a
wider variety of specialized activities. There are camps for the performing arts, rock music,
magic, computers, languages, mathematics, persons with special needs and weight loss, just
to name a few!
Whatever you are looking for this summer, we have a camp that will provide you with an
amazing adventure and a life changing experience.

The Way Camp Works

It takes a lot of energetic and passionate people, in a variety of roles, to ensure that camp runs
successfully each summer. Your first year at camp, you will be in counselor or support staff
(depending on which you role you have applied for) and will play an integral part in the
structure at camp.
You may be surprised to find the camp director or owner heavily involved in the day-to-day
running of camp. Unlike the managing directors of most businesses, the camp director will
often be found doing their part, sweeping or painting for example. They lead from the front,
because they love camp and want to see it looking and running at its best. It's hard not to
respect someone who has chosen to spend so much of their life counseling and creating
memories for others.
The first year at camp is always memorable, due to new friends and experiences. However,
many returning staff find that their successive years at camp are each unique and provide
immense satisfaction in many ways. For example, new roles or greater responsibility allows
them to get to know a wider variety of people and further develop skills. Returning staff, some
of who have been at camp for many years, will usually be in positions of increased
responsibility. This is something you may wish to aim for yourself!

Camp Hierarchy

The smooth running of the camp relies on many people with differing roles. Some of these
roles are described below:
Camp Director
He/she is often someone with many years of experience at camp and may also own the facility.
The Camp Director has the ultimate responsibility for running the camp and will deal with all
major issues.
Program Director
Typically he/she is the person that organises and oversees all the activities at camp. They
schedule the campers into their selected activities and provide guidance to the activity
specialists. In many cases they do not have direct responsibilities to the children, but act as a
stepping-stone to the Camp Director if there is a problem with a camper.
Head Counselor/Division Head/Unit Leader
Most camps are divided into groups based on age and gender. For each group there will be a
head counselor, division head or unit leader who is responsible for the counseling staff and all
the children in that group. These leaders have often been counselors at camp themselves for
many years and as such will understand the day-to-day needs of the campers. Their role is to
co-ordinate all programs in their division or unit and they are often the first place you can seek
help if there is a problem.
Real or Satire? Hard to Tell in Bizarro
Election Year
Jon Stewart to join Stephen Colbert for coverage of both conventions
Jul 18, 2016
While every major news outlet in America is covering the Republican National Convention in
Cleveland as a way to frame the national debate around vital issues that face America, Stephen
Colbert and The Onion will use comedy as a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.

Of course, in this bizarro election year, it might be hard to tell the satire from the real thing.

Comedian Colbert crashed the convention stage Sunday night dressed as "The Hunger Games"
character Caesar Flickerman.

"It is my honor to hereby launch and begin the 2016 Republican National Hungry-for-Power games,"
Colbert said. "Look, I know I’m not supposed to be up here, but neither is Donald Trump."

Satirical news publication The Onion said it plans to cover the conventions in a way "that you won’t
be seeing on any other network — the speeches that other outlets are afraid to cover."

A live stream of site's coverage from the convention floor will be broadcast on its homepage,
YouTube channel and Facebook page.

"America's Finest News Source," as it calls itself, will have editors on the ground from Tuesday
through Thursday to help provide their insights on what is going on during the GOP convention.

The farcical news outlet will also offer live coverage of the Democratic National Convention in
Philadelphia next week, along with "original video content from some of the greatest comedic minds
in the world."

Meanwhile, Jon Stewart, the former host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," will be joining
Colbert on "The Late Show" this week to help cover and satirize the Republican convention.