A Guide to Your First Week at Summer Camp

‍On departure day, you’ll experience the broadest range of emotions. Excitement, nervousness, joy, sadness; you’ll honestly go through the wringer.

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Throw in adrenaline from the buzz you get with everyone wishing you ‘good luck’ on social media, and you’ll run through more emotions in three departure lounge hours than the previous six months combined.

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Plus, you haven’t even taken off yet. You’ll go through it all again when you come into land. Throw a eight hour flight into the mix, and your body won’t even know what day it is.

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The funny thing is, this is one of the parts you’ll look back on and miss the most. The overwhelming excitement, the thoughts of what the summer could be, the plane heading through the clouds towards your next adventure.

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It’s easy to take it all for granted or think ‘there’s so much to do or think about’. But you’re in an incredibly privileged position (for which you’ve worked very hard), and you’re jetting off around the world to make an impact with children. Make the absolute most of it, as these days don’t come around often.

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However, any time there are any pre-departure jitters, it’s because you’re entering the unknown. Although eventually, you realise this is the best possible thing, nervousness is also a completely normal and totally understandable emotion.

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Preparation and understanding go a long way to help ease some of those jitters, which then completely go after you’ve settled in the first week.

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So, to give you a better understanding, we’ve tried to paint a picture of what your first week at summer camp will look like.

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Every camp is different, as is everyone’s own adventure. Some may arrive days before, some days late. Some camps may have training weeks, whereas others may arrive and get stuck straight into the action. Everywhere is unique, but most camps follow a tried-and-tested routine for your first week at summer camp.

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Day 1

Morning: Airport arrival

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Arriving at your camp for the first time is an overwhelming experience (in the best possible way).

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There’s a lot to take in, but more often than not, you’ll be met by the camp’s management team and any staff who have got there a little early. A few staff members will be returning for another summer, so there’ll certainly be loud and emotional reunions as everyone gets off the bus. Don’t worry, though; most staff will be first-timers, so you’re all in the same boat.

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Most camps will recognise you’re absolutely knackered and keep the welcome talks to a minimum. You’ll likely get some food and be told where you’ll be sleeping. It’s about time, as you’ll be running on empty after the adrenaline wears off. And remember, so will everyone, so it’s totally normal to need to get away and get your beauty sleep.

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Afternoon: Arrival at camp

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Arriving at your camp for the first time is an overwhelming experience (in the best possible way).

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There’s a lot to take in, but more often than not, you’ll be met by the camp’s management team and any staff who have got there a little early. A few staff members will be returning for another summer, so there’ll certainly be loud and emotional reunions as everyone gets off the bus. Don’t worry, though; most staff will be first-timers, so you’re all in the same boat.

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Most camps will recognise you’re absolutely knackered and keep the welcome talks to a minimum. You’ll likely get some food and be told where you’ll be sleeping. It’s about time, as you’ll be running on empty after the adrenaline wears off. And remember, so will everyone, so it’s totally normal to need to get away and get your beauty sleep.

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Day 2

Morning: Orientation

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Being away in a new location means the first night can seem a little weird. But when you remember you’re in a cabin out in the woods, in gorgeous weather under the stars in the United States, it really does strike you how memorable the whole thing is. That’ll be your last thought on the first evening with you being as tired as you’ll be, so you’ll likely sleep right through until orientation the next day.

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Orientations help get you up to speed with your new camp, its processes, and the key things you need to do daily. This normally includes meeting the management, going for a walk around the camp, finding out where the dining hall is, staff rooms, department areas, evacuation points, and the reception/central office, amongst other things.

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There may also be some boring admin stuff that you need to sort, and this is the time to get it out of the way so you can then focus on summer instead.

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Afternoon: Meet your colleagues

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On day two, you’ll get to meet your new colleagues in person.

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So, if you’re a lifeguard, you’ll meet the department director and all the other lifeguards down near the pool or lake, where you’ll spend most of your time. Same for all the other departments. You may get a quick overview of how the department works in a regular season, but this first afternoon is a chilled introduction to your new mates.

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You’ll still likely be suffering from a bit of jet lag, so after your first full day and a big evening meal, you’ll no doubt sleep very well, very quickly.

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Day 3

Morning: Admin & setup

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By day 3, you’ll start feeling a little more settled and a little more alive. Tiredness shifts, and how good camp is starts to hit you.

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A lot of camps may vary from this point, but as a rough guide, there’ll likely be your first main introduction to your actual role. For example, I was a waterski instructor, and this is when I went to the docks for the first time. I got to see the boats I’d be driving and the key areas that will be a big part of my day-to-day summer camp life. This is as well as health and safety forms, child protection documents, and other bits and bobs.

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There was also a trip to a local government building to get your social security number and other legal essentials, so it’s one of those days that will set you up with everything you need.

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Afternoon: Icebreakers

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It’s now time to let your hair down and enjoy the opportunities presented during your first week at summer camp.

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At some point in the first week, you’ll have the chance to get involved in some icebreakers. Everyone’s different, so it’s not just a ‘speed-dating for friends’ type of setup. Initially, it’s likely to be with your immediate team, so you may just have some fun doing the actual activity you’ll be teaching. Others may go out for the best pizza in the local town.

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Whatever your social, it’s a nice opportunity to get to know some of those you’ll be spending your summer with.

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Day 4 & 5

All day: Training

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During your first week at summer camp, training is the time you’ll get right into it.

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Training days tend to be pretty intense, as every staff member has varying skill levels. You’ll be taken through everything from the very beginning to the level you need to be at. There’s no need to be nervous as it’s not to put you under pressure; it’s just to give you the base info you need to succeed. You’ll also find that once you’ve done a few actual days at camp when the campers arrive, your knowledge ends up setting in, and things become a lot smoother and easier.

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Just be a sponge and take in as much info as you can before the kids arrive, as that’s when the true bedlam starts.

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Day 6

All day: Practice in your new role

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After picking up the basics, now is the time to put them to work.

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Whichever department you’re with, you’ll now get the chance to understand shifts, responsibilities, equipment, and more. This will be as closer to a ‘normal day’ as you could have, just without leading a session of campers. Waterski instructors will take the boats for a spin, arts and crafts will get used to their new gallery, and camp counsellors will learn all the routes and hideouts around the camp grounds.

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It’s a really great day to get your feet under the table with what you’re doing whilst also learning where you could improve.

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Day 7

All day: Final training & campers arrive

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By day 7, you’ll start feeling that you really belong at camp.

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You know your way around, friendships begin to form, and you’ve decided which your favourite aisle is in Walmart. When the feeling of familiarity washes over you, you feel like you’ve made it. ‘I am a summer camp worker’, ‘I know my camp’, ‘I’m basically American’. Then the kids arrive, it is absolute chaos (in the best possible way), and you have to relearn what summer camp is about.

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The excited first week chatter of staff is replaced with a constant buzz of noise as kids see some of their friends for the first time in a year. This is their place, the place they look forward to all year, the place where they’ve had some of their most formative moments growing up. It’s incredible to see so much love for a place, and that positive energy will rub off on you.

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Once the kids arrive, summer camp comes alive. Once you’ve adapted to the new pace of a million miles a minute, you’ll understand why many consider camp their favourite place in the world.

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Your first week, in a nutshell, is incredible, organised chaos.

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You’ll go through the full range of emotions possible within the first 7 days, and it’s important to remember two things about that: 1. It is entirely normal 2. Tens of thousands of summer camp staff across the country are feeling the exact same thing.

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The adrenaline highs of arriving will be met with the tiredness of jet lag. The buzz about creating new friendships comes with missing home. The thrill of trying new activities comes with the nervousness of feeling like you should know more.

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Enjoy the incredible moments, and don’t bury the tough ones. Chat them through with your new friends, the camp, and family at home through a video call. When you learn to manage the initial emotional bumps, your first week at summer camp can be the most beautiful, impactful, and memorable setup for your summer of a lifetime.

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