Abstract
All summer camps go through an accreditation process, and an integral part of what the American Camping Association (ACA) looks for when accrediting a camp is how they train their staff through what is widely called Staff Orientation. Each camp structures its orientation differently, to tailor it to the mission of the camp and the goals for the overall staff and specific roles. While staff orientations are used at all camps accredited by the ACA, there is a lack of academic writing and analysis of camps’ orientation and intentional staff education. The purpose of this thesis is to take a deep look inside two camp orientations, those of Tamarack Camps and URJ OSRUI, to highlight the core pillars and compare their differences, including schedules, themes, and intentionally of certain content. Along with staff orientation, many camps have a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program to prepare participants for their future roles as camp staff. I also look at the makeup of each camps’ CIT programs, as well as its efficacy in training leaders at camp, transferring learned skills back home, and preparing the participants to make a natural progression to staff the following year. My findings conclude with recommendations for camps to elevate the effectiveness of their staff trainings. I propose a new learning structure for camps that blends staff orientation and the schedule of CIT programs for a prolonged staff learning that occurs during camp and when staff return home.