Internships and Camp
Staffing Camps and Developing Future Camp Leaders

by Rita Yerkes, Ed.D., and Shannon Downey, M.S.

Staff Desiring Academic Credit

Hosting a student desiring academic credit can be a great fit. But, is it the right fit? It does not require you to locate and dust off your letterman’s jacket, but there is an expectation that you do your homework. Here are some tips to get you up to speed:

Why should I invest time? What are the benefits?

• Academic credit offers a target market approach to attract students in a variety of areas: health care, food service, counseling, behavior management, grounds landscaping and maintenance, as well as, program specific areas (environmental education, dance, fine arts, trail guides, etc.).
• The student really is earning a grade, so there is often a focused purpose and raised level of seriousness about their role at camp.
• You have the opportunity to prepare the next the generation of leaders (in camp and beyond) and learn from new perspectives and content areas because their school assignments often require reflection and thought about the experience; you’ll have a window into their thoughts.

If a student approaches me, what should I ask?

• What are your learning objectives and goals?
• What length of time does your school require?
• Beyond summer, what time of year is possible? Off-season marketing/recruiting, pre-season planning, post-season wrap-up and evaluation, standards preparation, budget development, etc.
• What are the specific requirements for the project and supervision (each university is different)?
• To be clear, is this a paid or unpaid experience?

How does it work from the academic side?

• Most departments have a database of possible sites, you’ll want to contact the coordinator in several academic programs and get in those databases.
• Students typically find their own site; however, the faculty member approves the parameters and learning objectives.
• The process can take less than a month for practicum and independent study, but might be three to five months for internships.
• Prepare an e-mail that can be circulated to the students. Hint: test it! Have someone forward it back to you to consider the impression it makes. Include the link to your Web site in it. School administrators are reluctant to forward an e-mail of poor quality.
• Be prepared to educate your school contact about the learning opportunities at your camp and how the scope of exposure during the experience will be different than working a job if it is a professional internship.
• There will be paperwork to clarify roles around liability, insurance, assignments, and learning objectives.
• There will be specific assignments ranging from a time sheet to a professional portfolio that will be verified by the camp supervisor and graded by the academic supervisor.
• The student will be paying tuition, and if negative performance review issues arise, there needs to be close contact with the academic supervisor.

Rita Yerkes, Ed.D., is dean of the School of Experiential Leadership at the George Williams College of Aurora University, Williams Bay, Wisconsin.

Shannon Downey, M.S., holds a master’s degree in outdoor pursuits administration from the George Williams College of Aurora University, Williams Bay, Wisconsin, and graduated in August 2006.

Originally published in the 2006 November/December issue of Camping Magazine.