United Church of God

Camper Question: “What Is the Activity Staff Doing While We’re Not Around?”

You are here

Camper Question

“What Is the Activity Staff Doing While We’re Not Around?”

Login or Create an Account

With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later!

Sign In | Sign Up

×

I have loved camp since going as a camper for the first time at 15 and have grown fonder of it as I continue to participate as a staff member. The first time I served on the staff I didn’t fully know what to expect since I never wondered what goes on behind the scenes! Learning this new perspective on the camp experience was fun and challenging.

Then a camper asked me about what we do all day when we’re not with them during our specific activity. I decided to create a rundown of what an activity staff position entails. It is my hope this will offer some insight to those teens who have thought about what we do, or have considered being on staff when they get old enough.

1. We’re learning how to serve

It isn’t often that we’re experts in our specific activity, but even if we are, it takes a lot of prep work to get ready for camp. In the weeks before camp, we correspond with each other over e-mails and meetings to create our “lesson plans.” For example, the basketball and volleyball staff discuss various drills and learning goals, and the arts and crafts staff research an engaging craft and prepare all the materials. The dance staff picks various dances to teach and compiles a playlist of music to use. Camp only lasts a week, but it takes months of preparation beforehand to ensure that it runs smoothly. We do all of this to serve you—the campers!

The days during the camp week are full of opportunities for us to serve each other. Our specific activity only takes up maybe a few hours per day, so we have time to check in with other activities to see if they need an extra ref for a game, a stand-in dance partner, someone to demonstrate a drill, or any number of things to help the activity along. I remember running through the amazing race with some other staff ladies at Camp Cotubic so they could receive feedback to fine tune their course. Sometimes if there’s no need for help, we’re cheering and encouraging you campers from the sidelines.

We also help out with the kitchen and support staff when needed. At Camp Woodmen last year a group of activity staff volunteered to serve dinner one night so that the kitchen staff could get their food first. It was just a small gesture but can go a long way in showing appreciation. By being on staff, I learned that it is easy to find ways to serve when you look for them!

2. We're getting a much needed spiritual refresher

Camp is wonderful because it’s a little vacation from the world for everyone who participates. Many of the staff members at camp have full-time jobs or are in college, so we understand the feeling of sometimes being the only one who believes what we do, just the way you do at school. It’s so important to have strong connections with our brethren, and camp is a great place for us to fellowship with each other.

Just as it is true for campers, Christian living classes are an important start to our day as well. I am a big fan of the discussion group format at Camp Cotubic. This gives everyone an opportunity to share our thoughts and learn from each other on how to apply the biblical principles in that day’s topic. I always love coming home from camp with pages of notes to review for my personal Bible study!

3. We’re making many of the same fun camp memories that you are!

Some of us met our best friends because of camp. We hang out with other staff members during breaks, playing pick-up sports games or chatting over a snack. We stay up late to talk with new friends, or to play glow-in-the-dark ultimate, or have Pictionary competitions in the staff lounge. We perform skits and have fun at the dances. We’re there to lift each other’s spirits when things get tough, just like you do in your dorms! My life certainly wouldn’t be the same without the experiences I’ve had by being on staff, and I’m sure that anyone who has served on staff can say the same.

There is so much to be gained by going to camp. Don’t get discouraged if you only have a year left of being a camper, because you can still come back to learn more about God’s way of life, make new friends, and serve in new ways—all by being on staff.

See you all this summer—or at Winter Camp!