A Kid Works at Summer Camp
Working at Jewish Summer camp was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned an incredible amount about myself, working with others, how to deal with, and not deal with, others in difficult situations, the need for flexibility and creativity in the workplace, and, also, how organizations can do what they want to get what they need and don’t concern themselves much with the desires of individuals.
An introduction to this camp and my relationship with it is important. First, it was, still is, in Mississippi. And remember, I grew up in Washington, DC. I started going to this camp because my Uncle was a Rabbi who happened to live in southeastern Alabama. My cousin had previously worked at this camp for a summer, and somehow, my mom thought it would be a good idea to send me to a Jewish camp in Mississippi.
I didn’t know Mississippi from anything, but I wasn’t totally against the idea. So, I went. And though, I was reluctant at first, it turned into an extraordinary experience for me, not just because it exposed me to a relatively secular Jewish culture with hints of religion but also to the American South, which I didn’t know particularly well, but would come to pass more than two years of my life.
I started my camp work experience after being a camper there for four years. I was 16, almost 17, and it was 1993. I received no money for this work. I paid for it. Now, let me make this clear, this was not a vacation.
I did more work during that time than most people who were being paid to be counselors. I had the same responsibilities inside the cabin, ensuring the campers’ safety and security, ensuring they bathed, ate, and went to their activities. I wrote programs, wrote and participated in humorous skits to entertain campers, went to activities, lifeguarded, and worked as a steward during mealtimes.
I worked my butt off. All of us who participated in the program did. And none of us did it for the money. We did it because we wanted to hang out with each other. We did it because there was a belief that we were there for the culture, for something more, for the future and Judaism.
Because I had a great time that summer, I re-upped for another year after graduating high school. I took the same approach to that summer’s work: I went all in. I gave everything I had. I worked night and day, had fun, and, I think, forged strong friendships.
From that moment, I believed that I was a part of something bigger, that the work I’d put in for little money made me a part of the community. More than religion, because I was not personally very religious, I was a cultural Jew. Still, my involvement with Jewish summer camp made me feel a greater affinity for that culture.
When I returned the following year, making fifty dollars more for the entire summer than I had before, I assumed my hard work would be rewarded by giving me some influence over my employer’s decisions. I wanted to work with a particular group, and I thought that my previous experience working with that group and my hard work and dedication would force my employer to accept my request.
However, that turned out not to be true. Then I realized that no matter how much effort I put in, it didn’t matter. The organization had its own needs that were unrelated to my own. I didn’t get to work with the group I wanted to work with.
I was unhappy and let it impact my performance, at least for the first part of the summer.
I was frustrated watching others I knew to be less qualified and hardworking assuming the position I should have had.
Life isn’t fair. I didn’t have any illusions about that even before this experience. However, I did believe that through one’s hard work, one could gather power in an institution or have influence over an institution. This was the first time I learned this wasn’t true, or rather, it might not necessarily be true.
And still, I returned one more time, just after graduating college. This time I returned as a Unit Head or supervisor of an entire group of campers and counselors. Think of this role like a senior manager, perhaps just below the C-level, which was, I would say, the Director and Assistant Directors.
This was another challenge, though one without the need to oversee the daily needs of campers. Instead, this role was more about strategically managing and organizing, planning long-term activities and schedules, and plenty of meetings. This was a different job, challenging me but allowing me to learn managerial skills.
I couldn’t say I succeeded, but I did well overall. Further, I gained some insight into how to manage and not manage people in a hierarchical organization, deal with a diverse set of actors, and how fall asleep at will.
My camp experience was wonderful. I wouldn’t trade any of it. It was life-changing. But it was the first of many times that I found organizations and the leaders of organizations are not necessarily profoundly invested in the individuals that make up those organizations. This isn’t to say that they don’t care at all, merely that their interests are in preserving or augmenting the work and prestige of the organization.
None of my complaints, however, hold a candle to my feeling that this was one of the best jobs I ever had. It was great because, as a creative, I threw myself into everything I did. I didn’t hold back anything in terms of energy or thought. In return, I didn’t receive money. But I did obtain satisfaction. And, honestly, satisfaction is as valuable to me as any amount of money.
