Posted by: Birch Rock Camp

The staff at Birch Rock Camp, like Waterfront Director Sebastian Tringale, are helping to cultivate the next generation of individuals who will shape our world. By providing guidance, support, and opportunities for growth and learning, the staff helps young people develop essential skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and resilience. 

These skills are crucial for success in life and will serve them well as they mature and take on leadership roles in their communities, schools, and beyond. These tasks allow our staff to take great pride in their work and feel fulfilled day in a day out, all season long. 

Keep reading to learn five ways the staff at Birch Rock Camp are cultivating leaders of tomorrow!

1. Providing Opportunities for Leadership Development

Birch Rock Camp provides an immersive experience that nurtures leadership skills in young campers. The staff at Birch Rock Camp facilitate a range of activities that aim to encourage campers to take on leadership roles and responsibilities, such as organizing a group project or running a camp activity. 

From leading group hikes to managing group dynamics during games and activities, participating in these activities can help campers build their confidence and skills as leaders. Staff also provide feedback and guidance to campers throughout these activities, helping them to reflect on their experiences and learn from their successes and challenges.

Getting the opportunity to shape the youth around them is an excellent opportunity for teens and young adults looking for employment.

2. Encouraging Teamwork and Collaboration

The camp staff at Birch Rock Camp creates a supportive environment where young people are encouraged to work together and support each other in achieving their goals. This helps build important skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation, which are essential for leadership.

At Birch Rock Camp, teamwork and collaboration are highly valued, and staff plays a critical role in fostering these qualities in campers. To encourage teamwork, the staff divides the campers into small groups and assigns them tasks and activities that require cooperation and collaboration.

Whether working together to build a fire, create a shelter, or navigate an obstacle course, the campers learn to rely on each other and communicate effectively to achieve their goals. The staff also create opportunities for campers to share their skills and knowledge with one another, further building a sense of community and shared purpose.

By fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect, the camp counselors help campers develop the skills and attitudes needed to work effectively as part of a team both at camp and beyond.

3. Fostering a Growth Mindset and Improving Confidence

Encouraging young people to take risks, try new things, and embrace challenges, allows the staff at Birch Rock Camp to help campers develop a growth mindset and a positive attitude toward learning and growth. Waterfront Director Sebastian Tringale says:

“I grew up as a camper and worked as a cabin counselor, but as

always, a new summer presented a new challenge. As Waterfront

Director in 2022, I taught swimming every day to all ages. The

entire camp is required to take one hour of swimming lessons

each day, so I’ve seen kids deal with the challenge in various

ways. The greatest feats I observed last summer were by

two campers who managed to swim just one hundred feet,

completely on their own.“

Sebastian helped these two campers to gain confidence and be able to develop and become comfortable with a new skill at the same time. This is a perfect example of how camp counselors can provide opportunities for campers to try new things and challenge them to step outside their comfort zones. Like in Sebastian’s experience, counselors encourage campers to participate in activities they might not have tried before and provide them with the necessary support and guidance to succeed. 

Through this, the camp staff helps campers realize that they can achieve things they previously thought were impossible, which improve their self-confidence and self-esteem. In addition, the counselors at Birch Rock Camp also promote a growth mindset by focusing on effort and perseverance rather than on innate ability or talent. 

They praise campers for their hard work and encourage them to keep trying, even if they initially fail at something. 

Sebastian says:

“Simply by being myself, I created powerful connections with campers and

helped them find the confidence to soar…as a

camp counselor you quickly have a profound impact on children

looking for all kinds of guidance.”

4. Encouraging Self-Reflection and Self-Awareness

At Birch Rock Camp, staff play a critical role in helping campers develop self-reflection and self-awareness skills. They do this in various ways, including group discussions, one-on-one conversations, and activities encouraging introspection.

Birch Rock Camp offers activities that help campers develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence. For example, at Birch Rock Camp, campers will get to participate in numerous outdoor activities, such as hiking and camping.

Through these activities and discussions, camp counselors at Birch Rock Camp create a supportive and nurturing environment where campers can develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their emotions, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and develop a greater awareness of their own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

Why You Should Consider Being a Counselor at Birch Rock Camp

There are many reasons why someone might consider being a camp counselor! At Birch Rock Camp, being a camp counselor offers many fulfilling opportunities to help you grow.

Being a camp counselor at Birch Rock Camp is an opportunity to develop important life skills such as communication, problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork, while also growing personally and professionally. Also, by working with young people, camp counselors at Birch Rock Camp have the opportunity to make a positive impact in their lives, helping them build confidence, develop new skills, and create lasting memories.

Camps are a fun and engaging environment, and being a camp counselor at Birch Rock Camp provides an opportunity to be part of a vibrant and dynamic community that aims to reintroduce the importance of the power of play, filled with laughter and positive experiences.

“As a recent college graduate, I realize Birch Rock has prepared

me well for the professional world. I’ve gotten invaluable

lessons in leadership, mentorship, and teamwork. I’m proud to

have helped so many campers

conquer their worries and build self-esteem. My fellow

counselors and I worked magic on campers every day, and I

grew into a more confident person through the hard but

satisfying work.” – Sebastian Tringale

Are you interested in learning more about becoming a camp counselor at Birch Rock Camp? Visit our Work at BRC page or apply for a position, today!