The Importance of Role Models
One of the most heart warming parts of a Camp experience is watching the special bond that forms between our Campers and Staff Team. But why do Camp Staff make such great role models?
In today’s world, it matters who your child’s role models are. Everyone knows that role models are important, but having different types of leadership is equally crucial. For most children, adult mentors are limited to parents, coaches and teachers. Michael Thompson’s article explained that ‘ children love to learn but they get tired of being taught by adults. Children want to learn from older children’. This is where the importance of Camp staff comes in. Camp staff possess a different kind of authority due to them often being closer in age to children than a parent or teacher.
Our Greatest Asset
At United Education our staff are one of our greatest assets. Our recruiting standards and expectations are incredibly high. We understand that in order to be an exceptional role model for our campers, our staff need to possess the skills, qualifications, passion and training necessary for working with children.
What makes a good Activity Leader
A good Activity Leader will model positive behaviours for their campers. These include; being a good team player, a good listener, and a caring and enthusiastic leader. Being around people like this has a positive effect on our Campers as they inevitably try to emulate these behaviours. Not only do campers enjoy countless fun experiences and memories with their activity leaders but they also take steps on a developmental path that will lead to a healthy, happy future. Children desire a summer filled with growth and change and Camp staff can help reinforce important formative ideologies like the importance of sharing, kindness and honesty.
We provide a support system that loves, encourages and guides your children to be the very best they can be. As a result, our Activity Leaders are often the inspiration behind many campers’ decisions to work with us when they are older. They teach them about the importance of having a good work ethic. Helping them develop a skill set which they can use in the future. We also offer a free volunteer Trailblazer Program for 15-16 year olds throughout the summer. This provides Teens with an insight into what it’s like to work on our Adventure Camps. We know that teenage years are a transformative period and so we designed our Trailblazer program with this in mind to help teens feel valued and positively engaged. You can learn more about our Trailblazer program.
A symbiotic relationship
Of course, Campers are not the only ones who reap the benefits of these relationships, this relationship is symbiotic. We find that the staff often find as much value in the summer camp experience as the campers do.
