4-H Camp Counseling

1
4-H Camp Counseling

• A Leadership
• Building Experience

2
The Research Study

• Conducted by the Wisconsin Youth in Public
  Leadership Issue Team
• All Wisconsin counties were invited to
  participate
• Conducted in the summer of 2003, compiled and
  analyzed fall and winter 2003-2004

3
Summer 4-H Camping Programs in Wisconsin

• 63 counties reported doing residential summer
  camps
• Those programs utilized more than 700 counselors
• Served nearly 3,000 campers
• Provided approximately 150 days
• of residential camping experience
• 61 agents reported well over 400
• hours invested in counselor training
• time statewide

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Research Question

• What do camp counselors learn from their
• counseling
• experience?

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Participation

• 44 counties (62)
• 274 completed surveys were returned from a
  possible 390 counselors in participating counties
  (Return rate 70)
• 1,899 campers were served by these counselors in
  2003

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Skills Gained from the Counseling Experience

• Leadership
• People skills/working with youth
• Communication
• Patience/tolerance
• Responsibility
• Teamwork
• Problem Solving
• Planning Organizing

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Counselors said

• As a result of being a counselor, I have been
  able to gain valuable leadership skills that will
  help me in the future.
• Each year I think I gain even more people skills
  with a variety of ages and I know that is
  something that will help me throughout my
  lifetime.

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Another counselor stated

• Camp counseling has given me the chance to be
  in charge of a large group and lead them in
  activities. It has taught me to deal with
  problems quickly and effectively. If an activity
  falls through, I have learned to come up with an
  alternative while still being positive.

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Leadership Skills Gained

• Planning and organizing
• - Preparing for camp, back-up plan, scheduling
• Communication
• - Dealing with camper issues, relating to group
• Teamwork
• - Helping each other, accomplish more together

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Counselors stated they will use the leadership
skills they gained at campin their local
community

• Working with children
• Taking charge in leadership roles
• Communicating/
• listening
• Planning and organizing
• Teamwork/working together on a goal

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Counselor Skills They Will Use in Future
Careers Communication Teamwork
Leadership Planning and organizing
Knowledge of how to work effectively with kids

• Working with campers really gives me an idea and
  the leadership experience I would need to be a
  teacher.

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When asked what was unique about being a 4-H camp
counselor, the top three responses were

• Understanding and working with children
• Responsibility
• Role modeling
• One counselor stated, I never had to be the
  leader of a group for three days and two nights.
  The kids always looked up to me for direction and
  support. It taught me more responsibility than I
  ever had before.

13
Training

• Training helps prepare counselors for their role
  and actively involves them in planning
  experiences for campers.
• Includes topics such as
• understanding campers needs and development
• emotional and physical safety, first aid,
  handling risks
• dealing with difficult or problem situations
• conflict resolution
• teamwork
• teaching/leading skills
• role modeling

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Results and Implications of the Study

• Counselors reported significant life skill
  development as a result of their counseling
  experience.
• Counselors indicated that these skills will be
  used in future community involvement, as well as
  in careers.
• The large amount of responsibility placed on
  counselors warrants significant expenditures of
  programming time and resources for training and
  preparation for the role.

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In Conclusion

• Counselors serve important volunteer leadership
  roles in the 4-H summer camping program.
• Campers benefit from their leadership.
• Counselors gain helpful leadership skills from
  their training and experience.

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In addition

• Besides describing in detail, and through
  examples, how camp counseling was a learning
  experience, 4-H teens also described camp as
• Awesome! Exciting! and Fun!

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• So, 4-H summer camp counseling is not only
  educational, it is also motivating, leading to
  success and positive youth development!

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This presentation was developed by the Research
Committee of the Wisconsin Youth in Public
Leadership Issues TeamJune, 2004

• Research Committee members
• Katy Forsythe
• Linda Kustka
• Robert Matysik
• Karen Nelson