Camp Counselors R Cool

Whenever I get the chance to interview a prospective counselor, I enjoy getting the chance to tell them about camp.  It’s a huge responsibility and an incredible opportunity to work at camp.  I never miss the opportunity to let these interviewees know that a camp counselor is what I have always considered an Automatically Cool Person.  There is nothing else in the interview that brings so many tilted heads and barely concealed confusion.  But it’s absolutely true: a camp counselor is automatically cool in the eyes of their campers.  Just think, a camp counselor is an adult, but they’re a fun adult.  Adults don’t usually wear tie-dye five days a week, or sing the Weewee song with operatic intensity, or dance to Send Me on My Way while wearing a tutu, but camp counselors do. 

I think often about my camp counselors and what I loved about them.  They were funny, they were compassionate, they wore silly clothes like they were the most fashionable outfits in the world.  They answered our questions, they learned about our lives, they immediately welcomed us and waved goodbye.  I can’t remember an exact moment when I knew my counselor was cool, but I know that I left camp at the end of the week wanting nothing more than to be a camp counselor. 

Not only can camp counselors be silly and funny and loud, but they care.  They make their campers feel heard and understood.  They model healthy friendships.  They encourage self-care and good hygiene.  Most importantly, their job is to encourage, rather than deny.  In a world where there are so many expectations that kids are expected to meet, how great is it that camp counselors give them the chance to just be themselves?  We often talk about how we could hold camp in a parking lot, and I know that it’s absolutely true.  Take away the activities, the cabins, the creek, the games, and camp is still camp because of the people that are there.  Being an Automatically Cool Person gives you the chance to be a role model, to show everyone that you can be accepted just by being yourself.

Lauren Owen
Assistant Camp Director