Types of camp

Working with hundreds of summer camps located all over the USA, Camp America offers a huge range of work placements to everyone. From lively private camps to rewarding special needs camps - whatever your skills or interests, we're bound to have a camp to suit you! 

Private Camps

Private Camps are set up by families or companies to run as a business, so they make money by charging parents a fee for campers to attend. These camps usually have an extensive range of activities on offer including; Landsports, Watersports, Arts & Crafts, Outdoor Adventure, Performing Arts, Media and Music. They will also have the classic summer camp traditions such as; campfires, overnight camping, special events and off-camp trips. With so much going on, these camps are very busy - so be ready for a fun-filled summer!
On Private Camps you can expect to have campers not just from the USA, but from all over the world!  They will range in age from 7-17 and campers will stay overnight and be on camp anywhere from 1-8 weeks.

Single-Gender Camps

This will be a camp that caters for a single gender of campers - it's as simple as that! Single-gender Camps will also fall under another Camp Type, so for example you could work at a boys only Under-Served Community Camp or an all-girls Private Camp - so this category applies to lots of different camps in the USA! The campers will vary depending on the type of Single-gender Camp it is however you can guarantee that the campers will all be of the same gender. They will be aged between 6-16 years old and will come from anywhere in the US and even overseas.

Girl Scout Camps

You've guessed it...they're camps just for girls! Girl Scout Camps are operated by the Girl Scouts of the USA, whose aim is to help girls discover the fun, friendship and the power of girls together. Camping is a great way for girls to explore leadership, build skills, and develop a deep appreciation for nature, so this is exactly what these camps offer.
The girls are generally from the local area and sessions usually run from Monday to Friday, so it's likely that you will have new campers each week. They will range in age from 5-17 and there's a real family feel to these camps with everyone getting involved in group activities. Campers will learn how to cook in the outdoors, so there's lots of camp fires, toasted marshmallows, camp songs and stories under the stars. There is a fun tradition on most Girl Scout Camps, that the campers can't know your real name! So, you'll be given a nickname when you arrive and you'll be known by this name for the entire summer!

Under-Served Community Camps

Most summer camps require parents to pay for their children to attend...but what about the kids in the USA that aren't lucky enough to come from families who can offer them this experience? Thankfully there are local authorities and charities who believe that every child deserves to experience summer camp, so they work hard to run Under-Served Community Camps to give kids from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to go to camp. The sole purpose of these camps is to allow children to enjoy being children, as they may not get this opportunity in their daily lives.
These children can come from difficult backgrounds and some may be homeless or orphans. For a lot of campers, it will be the one time in the year that they get a chance to get away from their home life and just enjoy being a child in a supportive and safe environment. As a result of their hard childhood, campers may have learning needs, attention deficit disorders or at the very least a tough personality! But even if they appear tough on the outside, they're still children who simply want to make friends and have fun - and you help make this happen! 

Special Needs Camps

These camps cater for children and adults who require a specific type of care due to a disability. We work with a wide variety of camps that look after campers with learning and emotional needs as well as physical and mental disabilities. Some camps may specialise in severe physical disabilities, whereas others will be for campers with behavioural disorders such as ADHD or autism. These camps offer both the camper and their parents a break from their day to day routine, so knowing that you are helping not just the campers but their carers as well, provides you with an incredibly rewarding experience!
Special Needs Camps provide a summer camp experience for campers with additional needs who can be aged anywhere from 8-80 years old! The ratio of Counsellors to campers is usually higher on these camps, due to the personal care and attention that the campers will require. The best thing about this is you get to form amazing bonds with your campers - which provides you a unique and rewarding experience. Campers will usually come from the local area and normally stay for 1-2 weeks with many of the campers returning year after year. Longer training is normally provided as you will need to learn all about your campers and the support they need.

Jewish Camps

Summer camp has been a tradition with Jewish families in the USA for a long time, so a lot of camps have some kind of Jewish connection. This could mean that the camp was started by a Jewish family, so it's based on Jewish tradition, or it could be a camp that is run by an American Jewish organisation, so Jewish tradition will play a big part of how the camp runs. All campers will come from a Jewish background and will have a variety of Jewish commitment. Campers will vary in age from 6-16 years and stay anywhere from one week to 4 weeks or even the entire summer (8 weeks).
You do not need to be Jewish to work on a Jewish camp, however, if you are Jewish, you can apply through Jewish Camp America which offers guranteed placements to Jewish applicants working on a Jewish camp (if you meet the T&C’s)

Christian Camps

A wide range of summer camps are associated with Christian organisations. Christian camps, along with being traditional summer camps, will incorporate faith into camp life through services, Bible Study sessions and activities and will follow Christian values. We work with a large number of Christian camps, some which will be more focused on religion, and how religious you are will determine which camps we send your application to.
Working on a Christian camp is just like working at most other camps and if you have a religious background this could be a great match for you! Most Christian camps welcome staff from all walks of life and as long as you have an open mind and are respectful of the camp values then it’s well worth opening your application up to these camps!