C. I. L. T's Influenced My Life

Working with children requires us to build positive relationships with them quickly, but also in ways that are professional.

I have worked around children both in formal and informal settings all my life. My mother babysits a lot of young kids from the neighborhood and I have the chance to help her out with that. Mainly I am the one who entertains them either through games or activities that I played when I was younger. This past year I was an intern with an organization called Nueva Vista. I interacted with middle school youth through the organization's Youth Program which consists of an afterschool homework club. In this position I helped students with their homework. At the same time, I was a mentor and a friend to them. They talked to me about things that happened to them in school and slowly they started to open up to me about their personal lives. It was a privilege working with youth in this program and supporting them through their educational journey. Additionally, as an academic mentor for sophomores this past year, I had to mentally and academically assist my students with their

I give the children the opportunity to socially interact with each other. I develop positive and secure relationships with each child. Children often participate in activities that require teamwork. I meet children’s social and emotional needs by talking and nurturing them. I tend to validate a child’s progress throughout the day. I read them books and have finger plays & flannel board activities available. I try and help

I have always known that I wanted to work with kids, even before I knew for sure which career I wanted to pursue. Being one of the oldest children in my extended family, I have had the pleasure of looking after all of my younger cousins. I really love being a positive role model in their lives and being someone they can count on. I babysit whenever I can and even watch my teacher’s children on a pretty regular basis. Knowing this, it was no surprise that I jumped at the chance to volunteer once a month in my church’s nursery. Every second Sunday of the month, I watch all the “new walkers” to two year olds during the busiest service. I really love this age range because even though the kids are just learning to walk and talk, they all have their own unique personalities. I love to watch them interact with one another. I once saw a little boy put his face right into another little girl’s face. He slowly stuck out his tongue and licked her cheek, she pulled back, bewildered, and then handed him the book she was holding. Then the little boy simply walked away as if receiving books in exchange for licks was completely acceptable, which I suppose it is when you are that age! Helping out in the nursery is very important to me because I want the children’s parents to feel free to worship in the main service without having to worry about the safety of their kids. I am very blessed to have this

I believe the experiences I have had throughout my childhood and now as a young adult would make me a great camp counselor. I have always enjoyed the outdoors. I often went hiking at Chestnut Ridge State Park and my family loved to go camping in Allegany. I’ve played many sports throughout my childhood including soccer, softball and gymnastics. In high school I started working as a gymnastics club leading workouts and creating circuits to build young children’s strength and abilities. I also became the captain of the varsity cheerleading team my senior year. Now in college, I am an early childhood/childhood education major with a concentration in math. I am a part of the education club on campus as well as Fredonia Greek Life.

Attending Troop N Camp Cadet was truly an experience that I cannot say enough great things about. The camp truly pushed me to my mental and physical limits, and because of that, graduation day was a day I will never forget. As I think back on this experience, many people stand out to me. One of the main groups of people was of course the advisors, which were helped by the junior counselors. I believe that I, being given the opportunity to be a junior counselor, would be provided with a positive experience for many reasons.

The benefits of being a CIT Director at Camp Cosby would mean so much to me; however, I know that this job carries a lot of responsibility and duty. I can name many that have had this position and I remember each of them, and certainly my CIT directors have made an impact on my life. I hope to make the YMCA a career. I want to be the difference in the world, and I feel like I can start at Camp Cosby.

Growing up a young camper, I looked up to the camp counselors so much. How they had all the words to the songs memorized, how they had their own secret hangout and how they had so much independence separate from the rest of the campers. I was beyond excited when it was finally my turn to train so I could prove to the leaders I had what it takes to with hold this new found trust and responsibility. By the end of the week when I was bridged into a camp counselor, I had no idea what I

By becoming a Camper in Training, I will be able to make Phantom Lake YMCA a better place by helping younger peers have a better experience. This is beneficial because the campers will want to come back for additional years like I

To begin I volunteer at the boys and girls club in Santa Ana, for one of my field work classes of human serivrs. Im there on Mondays and Wednesdays from three thirty to six thirty. I help them with everything, from homework, to lecturing them at times, monorting them, and making sure they’re on task of what they are suppose to be doing during class time. The children I volunteer with are from first grade to six grade so from five to ten year olds. Ive been doing this for about three months now and its crazy but fun at the same times yet the stuff you’ll experience here is surprising.

There are a large number of diverse camps in the world today. There are overnight camps, day camps, religious, themed, athletic and academic camps. No matter what type of camp you go to, there will forever be one significant aspect: Counselors in Training. Do not let the "in training" fool you. CITs are a valuable and important part of every camp. They are role models for campers and the future leaders of the camp. CITs can be as young as 14 and as old as 16 in some cases. Either way, it is critical that they obtain the correct training in order to grow and eventually become a superb counselor one day.

Over my time with doing Catechesis at my church, and as a Teacher Assistant with dance, I have spent quite a lot of time with children of all ages.

In the future, I plan to become a licensed clinical social worker for military children after mentoring a student at Bell Elementary. The student I currently mentor has parents that are both in the air force, and were deployed simultaneously, so she was struggling in school. I was able to help her through my own experiences as a military child, which drove my desire to help military children in my future career. An undergraduate education in psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln would help me obtain the skills I need to move on to a master's degree and to develop the skills I need to properly help other people in my future career. Currently, I am also involved in a variety of other organizations where I regularly volunteer with and

CIT summer is something I’ve always looked forward to in my time at camp. It is a summer where you’re still in a cabin with your friends, but you don’t have the full duties of being in charge of a cabin. This a great learning experience for anyone who wants to be a counsellor, because it is extremely difficult to jump right into a job without doing the training. I feel being a CIT is similar, but also very different from being a camper. You have new responsibilities, for example land duty, covering cabins, working at activities, and possibly taking out a canoe trip, which is something I feel I’m ready to do. I have grown up a lot since I’ve started coming to camp, and I’m mature enough now to recognize that. I hated canoe trip so much when I was a Trailblazer and Pioneer, but after going on my first long trip, 13 day, I think it is crazy that I used to dislike it so much. As a CIT and someday a counsellor, I feel it is my obligation to change the minds of so many campers that dislike canoe trip, just like my staff did on 13

I worked as a sailing coach last summer at the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club in Long Beach Island. My experiences with this job have opened my eyes to many new perspectives on how kids work. I was an instructor for the Opti 2s, 4s, and the T-7s: nine year-olds, eleven year-olds, and seven year-olds. I worked 30 hours per week for the entire summer, teaching with at least three other instructors in each of the groups. My favorite group, the Opti 2s, which I taught with Gretchen, Holly, and Kate, was still learning the basics of sailing, but they had all sailed on their own before. However, they were the least cooperative of my three groups, with kids often refusing to listen to instructions or interrupting us. The main reason I liked this