It’s time to meet Jess, one of the USA Summer Camp team who’s worked at a Girl Scout Camp in America.
We have a wonderful bunch of people who work had to help make the best summer of your life a reality.
In this series of blogs, we’re shining a spotlight on the staff at USA Summer Camp.
I’m Jess, but I go by DooWop at Summer Camp. It’s a Girl Scout tradition to have a nickname.
Everyone calls you by your nickname, even the other staff, and it’s part of the camp magic.
At the start of training, we have a naming ceremony where we write down our real name and then burn the paper in a fire.
The idea is that you forget the real you and start afresh, leaving real-world issues behind. I’m a completely different person at camp!
My favourite work memory is from the Job Fairs that we run every year.
Helping our applicants get hired on the spot by the camp of their dreams is the best feeling ever!
The fairs also a great way to meet the applicants that we speak to on the phone all the time.
Proof-reading, singing, and organising.
My favourite place that I’ve travelled to is the Seychelles. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
I worked on a conservation project there for a month, collecting data on turtles, tortoises, birds, and a couple of species of trees.
The island I stayed on had no running water or electricity, so it was completely out of my comfort zone.
I had the most incredible experience and met some of the best people ever.
It was this experience that helped me get ready for camp and changed my mind on my career path.
I’ve been to camp five times. I work at a Girl Scout Camp in Maryland.
In my first summer in 2014, I was a General Counselor so I got the girls up in the morning, took them to activities, and got stuck in alongside them.
During my second summer, I was STEM Manager, teaching science, technology, engineering, and maths activities to the girls.
This was a really fun role because I got to interact with all the campers in each session. I was also Kayak, Canoe and Archery trained.
Summers three and four were spent building our Leadership programme for our oldest girls. I absolutely loved this role!
I got to work with some of the most incredible campers and really help them develop into the fantastic young women they are now.
This year, I was a Youth Leadership Manager. The role was split between the Leadership programme and running camp.
The best thing about camp is meeting so many incredible people from all over the world.
Being able to see some incredible girls flourish into powerful young women is really rewarding.
My favourite place in America is either Yosemite or Acadia National Park.
I’ve camped in both of these places and I’m pretty sure a bear nearly joined us on a few occasions!
We went to Yosemite just after the Grand Canyon and the contrast between the two made Yosemite even more incredible.
I just love being outside and in nature, so any National Parks are ideal for me!