Get a real job research.A former staff member called to inform the camp director that he couldn't return to camp for the coming summer. His parents had finally insisted the he get "a real job." While research continues to suggest that there are multiple positive outcomes associated with a summer camp experience for campers, the amount of research conducted to assess the impact of the summer camp experience on staff members is quite limited. The research highlighted below suggests that summer camp counseling is in fact "a real job," with the ability to help staff members develop and enhance skills that will contribute to their personal and professional success. Alumni Perceptions of the Ohio 4-H Camp Counselor Program Theresa M. Ferrari, Ph.D.; Janel K. Digby, M.S.; and Niki Nestor McNeely, Ph.D., Ohio State University Ohio State University, main campus at Columbus; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1870, opened 1873 as Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, renamed 1878. There are also campuses at Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark. Research Highlights 4-H camp counselor alumni report that camp counseling is the "experience of a lifetime" because: * Campers viewed counselors as role models. * Counselors gained leadership skills. * Camp influenced counselors' future career choices. Purpose Ohio 4-H invests significant resources in its camp program. Most research has examined camper outcomes rather than those for camp counselors. 4-H camp counselors are teens who are highly engaged in their camp counseling roles (McNeely 2004), and it is expected that the skills they learn in these roles are applied to other contexts of their lives. However, research studies examining the connection between camp counseling skills counseling skills, n the acquired verbal and nonverbal skills that enhance communication by helping a medical professional to establish a good rapport with a patient or client. and their application to other contexts have been mixed (Brandt 2005; Forsythe, Matysik, & Nelson 2004; McNeely 2004). Ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner 1979) and transfer of learning (Haskell 2001) informed this study. The goals of the research were to examine the following areas from the alumni perspective: (a) their experiences as a 4-H camp counselor; (b) the life and workforce skills gained through their experience; (c) the impact the camp counselor experience had on their career choice; and (d) the unique aspects of being a 4-H camp counselor as compared to the rest of the 4-H experience (Digby 2005). Four focus groups were held in three geographic locations using procedures recommended by Krueger (1994; Morgan & Krueger 1993). Thirty alumni participated in the focus groups, with the average age of twenty-two years (ranging from eighteen to twenty-six). The average number of years the alumni were counselors at Ohio 4-H camps was four years. The sample was two-thirds female. Initially, open coding was used to analyze the data (Strauss & Corbin 1990). Then, two frameworks were used to categorize cat·e·go·rize tr.v. cat·e·go·rized, cat·e·go·riz·ing, cat·e·go·riz·es To put into a category or categories; classify. cat the data: workforce skills (SCANS 1991) and developmental experiences in organized youth activities (Dworkin, Hansen, & Larson 2003). Results and Discussion Overall, 4-H camp counselor alumni felt their experience was fun and enjoyable, yet challenging. They believed they developed leadership, decision making, planning and organizing, communication, interpersonal skills "Interpersonal skills" refers to mental and communicative algorithms applied during social communications and interactions in order to reach certain effects or results. The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a person's ability , and teamwork skills. These skills are consistent with other studies examining camp counselors' skill development (Brandt 2005; DeGraff & Edginton 1992; DeGraff & Glover Glov´er n. 1. One whose trade it is to make or sell gloves. Glover's suture a kind of stitch used in sewing up wounds, in which the thread is drawn alternately through each side from within outward. 2003; Dworken 2004; Forsythe et al., 2004; Garst & Johnson 2003, 2005; James 2003; McNeely 2004; Purcell 1996; Toupence & Townsend 2000; Weese 2002) as well as organized youth activities (Dworkin et al. 2003). They are also reflective of those needed in the workforce according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the SCANS Report (1991). Not only did alumni learn these skills, but the skills also transferred from one setting to another, such as student, employee, or community member. Leadership was reported most often as the skill that had been applied to other contexts. Other skills included communication, teamwork, organization, interpersonal, time management, flexibility/adaptability, and responsibility. Alumni believed they learned by being actively engaged in their roles. Being trusted with the responsibility as a teenager for leading and teaching activities for younger campers was important to them. Several felt that reflection activities at the conclusion of camp helped them think about the skills learned as a camp counselor. However, it did not appear reflection activities were included in all camp experiences. The experience had both indirect and direct impacts on their choice of a career. Indirect impacts included considering what type of job or work environment they would like in their future. Direct impacts were that alumni decided they enjoyed working with children and looked for a career that would enable them to do so (e.g., teacher). Unique aspects of being a camp counselor compared to other experiences in 4-H were that camp takes place in a different environment where there is little competition. Teens also have the opportunity to be role models and develop a sense of identity. Practical Applications This study suggests that camp counseling provides a challenging, meaningful role through which adolescents develop their identity and career potential. Camp counseling translates into pathways to a positive future, as skills are transferred to other contexts, such as work and community life. There are many practical applications for those who work with camp programs: * To raise awareness of skills needed for the workforce, the topic of life and workforce skills should be included as part of camp counselor training. Specific opportunities for reflection on skills developed or enhanced throughout the summer would enable counselors to understand that they had developed these skills through their camp experiences. * To ensure that transfer of learning is intentional in·ten·tion·al adj. 1. Done deliberately; intended: an intentional slight. See Synonyms at voluntary. 2. Having to do with intention. , incorporate specific strategies when designing counselor training. For transfer to occur, experiences that are real and meaningful are needed. * Adults need to give youth ownership over their roles and responsibilities in order for significant development to occur. In addition, they need to provide appropriate structure and guidance to teens. * To ensure increasing levels of challenge, camp directors should consider expanding youth leadership roles. * Many jobs available to teens do not provide opportunities for developing initiative. Because camp does provide such an opportunity, camp directors should be aware of the importance of initiative to adolescent development. * Communicate to stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. that camp counseling prepares teens with valuable workforce skills. References Brandt, J. (2005, November). The effect of participation of youth in camp counselor programs. Presentation at the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents annual conference, Seattle, WA. Retrieved from http://nae4ha.wsu.edu/abstracts/A_yd32.htm. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press The Harvard University Press is a publishing house, a division of Harvard University, that is highly respected in academic publishing. It was established on January 13, 1913. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. . DeGraaf, D., & Edginton, C. (1992). Work motivation and camp counselors. Journal of Parks and Administration, 10 (4), 37-56. DeGraff, D., & Glover, J. (2003). Long-term impacts of working at an organized camp for seasonal staff. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 21(1), 1-20. Digby, J. K. (2005). "The experience of a lifetime": Alumni perceptions of the development and transfer of life and workforce skills in the Ohio 4-H camp counselor program. Unpublished master's thesis, The Ohio State University, Columbus. Dworken, B. S. (2004). The unique contributions and impacts of the camp staff experience. Retrieved May 31, 2005, from the American Camp Association Web site www.ACAcamps.org/research/CRS_handouts_2004.pdf. Dworkin, J. B., Larson, R., & Hansen, D. (2003). Adolescents' accounts of growth experiences in youth activities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32(1), 17-26. Forsythe, K., Matysik, R., & Nelson, K. (2004, May). Impact of the 4-H camp counseling experience. Retrieved from the University of Wisconsin Web site. Garst, B. A., & Johnson, J. (2003). Impacts of residential camp counseling on adolescent leadership skills development. Retrieved from the American Camp Association Web site www.ACAcamps.org/research/03symposium.pdf. Haskell, R. E. (2001). Transfer of learning: Cognition cognition Act or process of knowing. Cognition includes every mental process that may be described as an experience of knowing (including perceiving, recognizing, conceiving, and reasoning), as distinguished from an experience of feeling or of willing. , instruction, and reasoning. San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , CA: Academic Press. James, J. J. (2003). The threshold for staff transformation: An ethnography ethnography: see anthropology; ethnology. ethnography Descriptive study of a particular human society. Contemporary ethnography is based almost entirely on fieldwork. of Girl Scout camp staff. Retrieved December 4, 2003, from the American Camp Association Web site www.ACAcamps.org/research/03symposium.pdf. Krueger, R. A. (1994). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , CA: Sage. McNeely, N. N. (2004). The Ohio 4-H camp counseling experience: Relationship of participation to personal, interpersonal, and negative experiences. Unpublished doctoral dissertation dis·ser·ta·tion n. A lengthy, formal treatise, especially one written by a candidate for the doctoral degree at a university; a thesis. dissertation Noun 1. , The Ohio State University, Columbus. Morgan, D. L., & Krueger, R. A. (1993). When to use focus groups and why. In D. L. Morgan (Ed.), Successful focus groups (pp. 1-19). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Purcell, L. E. (1996). Does participation in the Georgia 4-H 4-H was founded in 1904 by G.C. Adams in Newton County Georgia as the Girls Canning, and Boys Corn Clubs. Known nationally for its Clovers and Company performing group, and Camping Program Georgia 4-H is funded by the University System of Georgia. counselor program increase leadership life skills development? Unpublished master's thesis, The University of Georgia Organization The President of the University of Georgia (as of 2007, Michael F. Adams) is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents. , Athens. Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). (1991). What work requires of students. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research Qualitative research Traditional analysis of firm-specific prospects for future earnings. It may be based on data collected by the analysts, there is no formal quantitative framework used to generate projections. : Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Toupence, R. H., & Townsend, C. D. (2000, January). Leadership development and youth camping: Determining a relationship. In L. A. Stringer string·er n. 1. One that strings: a stringer of beads. 2. Architecture a. A long heavy horizontal timber used as a support or connector. b. A stringboard. , L. H. McAvoy, & A. B. Young (Eds.), Coalition for Education in the Outdoors Fifth Biennial biennial, plant requiring two years to complete its life cycle, as distinguished from an annual or a perennial. In the first year a biennial usually produces a rosette of leaves (e.g., the cabbage) and a fleshy root, which acts as a food reserve over the winter. Research Symposium Proceedings, Bradford Woods Bradford Wood may refer to: Politicians
Weese, M. A. (2002). The effects of the Jefferson County Jefferson County is the name of 25 counties and one parish in the United States. The following are named for Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States:
1. ^ [1] 2. ^ [2] URL accessed on June 8 2006 3. , Louisville, KY. Consulting Editors Jeff Jacobs has thirteen years of experience as a camp director and currently serves as an associate professor at California Polytechnic State University This article is about the university in San Luis Obispo, California. For Cal Poly Pomona, see California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. California Polytechnic State University, commonly called Cal Poly . His research and teaching focuses on outdoor and camp leadership. Barry Garst is an assistant professor and extension specialist in 4-H youth development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, at Blacksburg; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered and opened 1872 as an agricultural and mechanical college. with over fifteen years of experience in the camp setting in programmatic pro·gram·mat·ic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or having a program. 2. Following an overall plan or schedule: a step-by-step, programmatic approach to problem solving. 3. and administrative capacities |
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