A Meaningful Job
Working at Camp
Transcript – Camp Staff Video
Rockbrook is beautiful. It sits in a beautiful space. But it’s absolutely nothing without the campers and camp counselors, because they are really what creates the community.
You’re a Rockbrook Girl even if you’ve only been here for a day or if you stay here all summer.
Being a staff member at Rockbrook is amazing. Everyone loves to be here. Everyone is completely invested in helping each other have fun.
I don’t think many jobs exist in the world where you get to meet and love and connect with literally hundreds of different people each year. Not only do you get to make a difference in the lives of campers, but they will make a huge difference in your life.
Rockbrook creates an environment where we feel things so deeply. So our campers truly experience what it means to be happy. And our staff truly experiences what it means to make a difference.
How to be an Ideal Rockbrook Camp Counselor
You certainly get hired at Rockbrook for a particular purpose. You will work with a certain age group and you’ll teach a certain activity. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. You will find yourself helping in so many different ways to make the community happy and a fun place to be.
A camp counselor is someone who can fill multiple roles. She can be a parent, a cheerleader, a coach, a big sister, cool aunt, friend, mentor. She can just be so many things within a single moment.
Energy and enthusiasm have every effect on the kids, because that makes them enjoy what they’re doing. If the counselor is having an awesome time, and if the counselor is having fun then the kids will have fun.
It is a 24/7 job. You’re here every single day and you never stop doing your job. Even when I’m asleep I could get woken up by a camper.
Our staff members are acting as parents for two, three, and four weeks at a time. But at the same time you do have to humble yourself that you are working with children. And that requires you to get silly and get goofy and get messy and to play and laugh and sing.
We do a ton of really, really crazy activities at Rockbrook. It’s all about the costumes. And the kids do skits every night and they wear the craziest costumes. So other activities we do are shaving cream fights. We have Banquet, which is a big-themed dinner at the end of the session. We had a wet and wild carnival recently.
It’s an incredible rewarding job to be a camp counselor. But there are a lot of challenges along the way. Nothing is ever in a perfect little box. You don’t know what you’re going to see every day.
It’s not for girls who like to shower daily and smell like roses and have their pedicures and manicures. Closest thing to a pedicure you’ll get is a bottle of nail polish and a six-year old. I have that.
Someone who’s “glass half empty” might have a hard time dealing with all the challenges of the job. And in that vein someone with a good sense of humor about themselves and about messy situations. You have to be sensitive and deal with issues appropriately. But, also, at the end of the day be able to sort of laugh about the messy stuff.
The special events, and the activities and the program areas at Rockbrook are very important. But they definitely take a backseat to the culture that we are trying to create for our campers. For us, it’s much more important to have a counselor who can love and support and empower rather than to teach girls how to become an Olympic kayaker, or how to build a perfect pot in pottery.
How to Join the Rockbrook Camp Family
I think Rockbrook teaches skills that are invaluable. You learn patience. You learn to find happiness within any kind of a situation. You learn how to communicate and facilitate a group and connect with people on a deeper level. I just feel like if you can work as a counselor there’s really nothing that could stand in your way outside of Rockbrook.
Camp is a place where you can really examine yourself in another setting than the one that you’re usually in. So being away from your usual friends and your usual home and being away from technology, it kind of helps you to discover who you really are.
It kind of reminds you what you’re doing with your life, really. Just thinking positive, looking out for others, being thoughtful, being present.
It’s hard to describe exactly how rewarding it is. But just getting to know these campers and learning about them and watching them have a happy, healthy camp experience, is probably the best reward.
You will get to love these campers. You will love this camp and everyone you work with. I mean it won’t be like anything you’ve ever done before.
It’s not just being a camp counselor. It’s helping girls develop skills, self esteem, confidence, and helping them be happy and free. Especially in the world we live in today where there’s a lot of pressure on all of us to feel like we have to be a certain way. You can help girls come to a place where they can be who they want to be.
I think if anyone wants to make their summer better and feel fulfilled and just become a better person, they should come here.
Rockbrook— It teaches you to really slow down, and to really notice and connect with the people, the places, the events that are happening in your life. And they can ultimately shape you and make you the absolute best version of yourself.