Essay on Statement of Educational Goals and Philosophy

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.

Over the summer one can envision the future that lay ahead. Each day we made each other happier than the last. Sharing a similar sense of humor can create inside jokes that the two of us shared that brought us closer together; when we referenced one our friends looked as though as if I had grown a second head. But I did not care what they thought, all that mattered to me was that I had the heart of the boy that I loved.

The rest of the week went extremely quickly; I’ve never learned more about my spiritual relationship with God. Not a single day at Gull Lake Ministries was the same. There was always a new adventure to discover. Whether it was making friends, playing games, or jumping off a one-hundred-foot tower, camp was always entertaining and fun. I found that the “camp high” that my friends had told me about was real, and it changed me for the better. My first year at camp had been made a success through the combined efforts of the counselors, the staff, and my newfound friends. I have returned to Gull Lake six times since my first year, and

I became involved in camp counseling three years ago after joining my local 4-H and Federation clubs, both of which have presented me with exceptional opportunities to become involved in my community. I had two main motives for joining these clubs: to become a more outgoing and profound leader, and to give back to those who have helped me

The first week in June. The most anticipated week. The week of camp. But not just any camp—4-H Camp—where campers learn valuable skills, grow more self-esteem, heighten confidence levels, and experience the best week of summer. In four days, the whole camp is alight with joy, happiness and laughter. It is here where I was shaped into the person I am today. I gained responsibility and the impact of someone wanted what is best for all campers. As a camper I have experienced a growth in self-esteem and confidence which leads to meeting new friends.

When I became a camp counselor at age fourteen, I never thought of it as anything more than a job. Sure, it was a fun job, but still just a job. Now almost three years later, I realize that I could not have been more wrong. Camp gives me a chance to show my true identity, and has shown me some of my own talents that I never knew I had. It is the one place where I can be myself, and not hide a single part of who I truly am.

To start off, all the campers were asked to grab 1x1 piece of thick plywood from the back of the room. On the board, we were asked to write an activity, thought, or phrase that we no longer wanted in our life. Our director then turned on loud music, and we were told to jump, dance, and get energized. Once the energy could be felt buzzing through the room, our counselors began grabbing chairs and setting them next to each other. One of the counselors set her board between two chairs and broke it in half with her bare hand. We all watched intently and began cheering as she succeeded. We followed her example, and by the end of the activity, everyone had broken their board using their hand or foot. This was such an empowering activity for me. I got to see raw power extracted from everyone in the room, and used in a positive and uplifting way. I felt the support and love of every single person around me, which created the most sanguine environment I have ever seen or been a part

The frightening statistics of summer learning loss. Do not fear, you CAN do something about it!

Which made my experience there even more exciting and enjoyable. So I decided this past summer to sign up to be a CIT, Counselor In Training, which was the best camping experience that I have ever had. The CIT program ran for two 2 week sessions. In the first set of the two-week sessions, I underwent training on how to guide the girls, interact in different situations, as well as how to resolve different problems. In the second set the two-week sessions, I was placed under a mentor for the different weeks and assisted them with directing and supervising the girls. The second part of the program was the best because I was able to interact and get to know the girls more the in the first part of the program. Another interesting part of the program was in between the second two-week set, in which CIT’s from my Camp’s Sister Camp came over for the weekend and we all learned first aid

Over the summer I spent the entire month of July as a leader in training at a Girl Guide camp. I learned many essential skills for being an effective camp counselor, but not all of those skills were applicable in non-camp life. Yet there was one lesson I learned that has stuck with me; and I try to keep it in mind everyday.

Instead of going to school for the first week of October I got to go camping at Dark Lake with roughly 150 5th graders at Camp Tamarack’s outdoor school as a student leader. I taught on turbidity, macroinvertebrates and the hydrologic cycle. However, all of these topics were fairly new to me. I was also held responsible for the ten children in my cabin. I was completely shoved out of my comfort zone. But in just a week, I developed into a new person. I gained new skills, gained more confidence and had to establish how I want to be perceived by others. Camp Tamarack served as a fresh start for a week where I could be whoever and whatever I wanted. I left behind shy and reserved Olivia who prefers her comfort zone and became Lotus, which was

Although I didn’t like the cliquey teenagers, I did enjoy my campers and worked hard to make each one feel like part of the group. While I never made inroads with the other staff, I eventually overlooked the negatives and started to appreciate the experience I was getting. I'll remember this summer for a long time, but not for the reasons I thought. I worked hard in less than perfect conditions but stuck with my commitments and made the best of a bad

Ever since I was three, sitting in church pews with other kids from Sunday School, I had been hearing the sermons and conversations of the “big kids” at my church and how they all had so much fun and were changed so greatly by the experience, and I set my heart on going. When a couple of the leaders came to talk to the youth group one night about Camp Hope, I couldn’t believe I was finally old enough to attend and was overjoyed.

The golden July sun peeked through the clouds on an early Monday morning. We piled bags, full and overpacked, into the trunk of our car. As preposterous as it sounds, a weeklong overnight stay at a summer camp was a declaration of my independence. I was eleven, almost twelve years old, and about to enter middle school. Like most of kids my age, I was eager to be mature and independent, and this trip with my two closet dance friends seemed like a perfect way to begin the rest of my summer. After what seemed like a lifetime, we finally

noticing things I didn 't like about the camp right away, the first being that there was no internet. I had brought my tablet, but it would have much less use without the internet. This obviously annoyed everyone at the camp, not just me, of course. Another thing that my classmates and I realized was that the classes were hard. Extremely hard. Not to brag, but I was in the top five of the class and I would have failed it if it had counted for school. A third thing I had noticed was that the activities did not seem well organized. The tennis courts only had six balls, the swimming pool didn 't have any equipment, and the indoor soccer field was played on a field hockey pitch. One of my friends had left on the third day because of this, and this had shaken me since he was my closest friend at the camp. When we first met, the first thing we talked about was the faults of the camp. Building on this subject along without other similarities had allowed us to form a friendship. However, I never thought that the reason for our friendship would be the same exact reason I will probably never see him again. I was thinking of leaving too, but I decided