Lisa - Humans of Camp America (Brand Manager)

The homesick camper. The little girl who didn't want to sleep in her tent if there was even the smallest of spiders there. The girl who was coming all on her own hoping to make new friends. Looking after these girls during the week, planning games and activities that they would enjoy and seeing them grow more and more every day was more rewarding than you could imagine. I was just like those campers. Having first come to camp completely new to camping, petrified of the dark and at the very thought of spiders or any bugs being in my tent I didn't think I would ever be okay with it. By the end of the summer, I couldn't imagine having spent my summer any other way. For me, this was the biggest change I saw in myself as a result of going to camp.

There's something about camp, especially the last night campfire that is unexplainable to anyone who hasn't experienced it themselves. Seeing little girls who are crying leaving their parents on Sunday and are now upset at leaving camp after a week proves just how much of an impact you have had on them. I never expected that I would fall in love with camp like I have, or be so emotional each week at the thought of getting one week closer to the end. Campfires are really magical.

As cheesy at it sounds, the friends you make at camp really do become your family. You spend every day with these fantastic people for 9 weeks and you can never prepare yourself for the goodbyes at the end of the summer. I am so grateful for everyone I met this summer, the internationals, the Americans and the campers. Each and every one of them taught me something I otherwise would never have learned.

I went to a Girl Scout camp, which is a more rustic experience than any other camp. Unlike other camps where the accommodation is in cabins, for the most part staff and campers sleep in tents. The outdoor living skills the girls learn while at camp are more valuable than you could ever imagine. Girl Scout Camp aims to build girls of confidence, character and courage. In my opinion, I truly believe that it does just that, for both campers and staff.

'The most important one you will meet is the one you already know, it's the person deep inside of you, that comes here to grow'

This summer I acted as a childminder, a nurse, a counsellor, a referee, a lifeguard and essentially a parent. The work of a camp counsellor, while exhausting, is the most rewarding, varied and fun work you will ever undertake.

For anyone who is considering participating in Camp America, I really couldn't recommend it enough. Camp for me is the place where I can totally be myself and be accepted wholeheartedly. Camp is where I have met some of my best friends. Camp Wood Haven is the second home I can't wait to get back to.

"Fairytales are the happiest stories we know, and great books are made of little chapters" ❤️��⛺️

Brucie x

Lisa - Camp Wood Haven (2016)