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One of the best ways for teenagers to develop leadership skills over the summer is also likely one of the most fun. Summer camps throughout Minnesota offer outstanding opportunities for teens 14 and older to volunteer as Leaders in Training (LITs). For many, this initial leadership experience may eventually lead to a role as a Counselor in Training (CIT), where summer camp can become a summer job throughout their college years and beyond. Camp Friendship At Camp Friendship in Annandale, the teen volunteer program has grown significantly in the past four years. Camp Friendship provides week-long resident camping experiences for developmentally disabled children and adults and offers teen volunteers a unique opportunity to learn and grow in a variety of ways. “Many of the teens who come to volunteer at Camp Friendship are looking for service hours, but also really have the desire to work closely with people who have developmental disabilities,” says Laurie “Chet” Tschetter, program director. Samantha Funk, program manager for the camp volunteers, first came to Annandale as a teen volunteer herself, intending to fill a service hour requirement as a member of the National Honor Society. “I remember that after my first year here, I really felt like I was a different person,” says Funk. “I looked at life in a different way.” This type of reaction is definitely one of the goals of the LIT program at Camp Friendship, says Tschetter. “It’s all about thinking of others first,” she explains. “We want our teen counselors to see the person first, not their disability.” The camp hosts approximately 15 volunteers per week who all stay together in the volunteer house – girls upstairs, guys downstairs. In teams of two, they are assigned to each camper cabin, based on gender, age and camper ability. “We always want to place them with a group that will be a good fit, especially if this is their first time with us,” says Funk, adding that teen volunteers also work closely with senior staff members, the ones primarily responsible for the campers. LITs also participate in daily leadership programs. “Part of the presentation is knowledge based, where they have the chance to really learn more about people with disabilities,” she says. “They also engage in team building activities as a group, so they might join together to climb the rock wall or play a game.” One of the highlights of the week for both volunteers and campers is the evening activity night the LITs plan for the entire camp. They might hold a sing-along, a dance, or “Olympic” type competition. “The volunteers plan the evening completely by themselves and we’re always amazed by the really great ideas they come up with,” says Funk. “Our campers just love those nights.” Camp Foley LITs and CITs at Camp Foley, located in Pine River, are “home grown,” that is to say they are required to be former Camp Foley campers, eager to take their role at camp to the next level. The leadership program at this historic northern Minnesota camp, founded in 1924 by Father John Foley, begins when teens are 14-year old high school freshmen and enter into the first level of leadership service called LIT #1. “This group is responsible for leading their own peers – other campers between the ages of 14 and 16,” says Alli Faricy, camp director. Every summer, the teens can move up through the LIT ranks, until they are eventually working with the younger campers, ages 8 and up. Many then continue on to the CIT program – this requires a 4 week commitment to camp whereas the LIT commitment is 2 weeks, the length of a typical camp session. Teens who are interested in becoming an LIT at Camp Foley get a taste of the leadership skills that are required from the very beginning of the application process. “Since many of our campers are from all over the country, we have recently started conducting interviews via Skype,” says Faricy. “A lot of these kids haven’t had any previous interviewing experience at all. Since we’ve gotten to know them over the years, it’s intended to be a comfortable process, but one they still need to take seriously.” LITs at Camp Foley also plan and lead events as a team which gives them the opportunity to learn how to work with younger campers. “We’re trying to empower them to find their leadership styles and learn how to co-facilitate activities with other people, similar to what they might have to do in the business world someday,” says Faricy. Many colleges are also looking for students with extra-curricular leadership experience, she adds. Faricy has been at Camp Foley almost her entire life: her grandparents owned the camp at one time and her mother, Marie Schmid, is currently the executive director. Faricy left to attend college but returned to the place that she, like so many other campers, has grown to love. “Last summer, I think almost two-thirds of our entire staff were people who had been campers themselves here at one time,” she says. Staying connected is another valuable part of the LIT experience – the popularity of Facebook has made it even easier for them to remain in touch until summer rolls around again. “We really find that the LITs use their friendships with one another to remind each other of everything they learned as leaders at Camp Foley,” says Faricy. For more information about volunteering at Camp Friendship in Annandale or their other locations at Camp Eden Wood in Eden Prairie or Camp New Hope in McGregor, visit www.friendshipventures.org. Applications are available on the site. For information about Camp Foley, visit www.campfoley.com |
Tween/Teen Times