The Skills You Gain Working at Chi
So far we’ve provided an overview of working at Chi, and we’ve given you some key reasons to join the staff team. This month we are going to focus in on how working at camp can benefit you. We’ve surveyed our recent and not-so-recent staff about their experience and they overwhelmingly agreed- working at Chi gave them skills that were applicable in college, in their personal lives, and in their professional lives too. We’ve grouped their responses and hope you will consider joining the Camp Chi staff team this summer! So what are the skills you gain from working at Chi?
CREATIVITY & PROBLEM SOLVING
Thinking outside the box is a core competency of any camp staff. What do you do when you the water balloons meant to last the whole hour are used up in 5 minutes? What about when the water balloons won’t break? Or everyone accomplishes the goal that was supposed to take an hour in 30 minutes? It’s these times our staff shine! They are quick to look around, assess the situation, and start a game, impromptu program and keep everyone engaged. What about when two campers aren’t getting along? Again that creativity comes through in how the issues get addressed and how to create a situation where everyone walks away feeling like they’ve won.
TEAMWORK & LEADERSHIP
No matter your role at camp, you learn to both depend on others and delegate to those around you as well. Whether it is planning a program, cooking a meal, leading a specialty, or just living in a cabin, teamwork is an essential skill at camp, and it translates to pretty much any field professionally. At camp, you learn how to work with others to ensure success for those around you. And you rely on one another to carry out the plans both independently and together. In every situation, there are leaders and there are those who support and follow the leader. And no one is a leader all the time. The staff at camp who really learn and embrace teamwork and leadership know that they can achieve so much more by working together and use that to flourish at Chi and beyond.
CRITICAL THINKING & MULTI-TASKING
Camp is all fun and games, right? It’s just making s’mores, jumping in the cove, getting messy day-after-day, yes? Well, that is what it should look like on the outside, but it takes a great deal of intentionality and purpose to make it all work, and that takes some critical thinking. By having the critical thinking, staff can know the emergency procedures and how to approach situations, but also have the ability to live in the moment and look ahead and prepare for what is coming next.
And then some: the fun ones
Some of the skills we learn at camp only help professionally in certain situations and in others are there just for fun. Where else can you learn to ride a horse? How to do the butterfly stroke in the pool? Belay someone on the ropes course? Where else can you learn 50 different variations on rock, paper, scissors? These skills are the sprinkles on the sundae- the sweet add-ons that just make the camp experience that much better.
There are countless reasons you should work at Chi and the benefits working at camp can give you are limitless. These are just a sampling of the skills you leave with at the end of a summer at Chi.
Want to Create Adventures This Summer?
We scour the globe for the most skilled, dedicated and passionate individuals who can embody the Chi values of kindness, community, and respect. We hire only the best staff – people who are enthusiastic, good listeners, patient, nurturing, trustworthy and know how to have fun. Most importantly, our staff are deeply committed to providing the best summer possible for a fantastic group of children- our campers.
Are you ready to join our team? Click here to apply to be part of the 2020 Staff Team.