I'm going Camp Fitch YMCA this summer in Pennsylvania and honestly I'm so glad I'll be right next to Lake Erie because the heat is going to be insane over there 😵💫
I am going to camp robin hood in June in New Hampshire. This video was very helpful. It is deffo gonna be a weird experience at first especially after you talking about the weird rituals and the constant noise. How long did it take for you to get used to it and was there ever any times where u actually hated camp ? or just wanted to get out and leave ? PS the insect is a robber fly, completely harmless to humans but are big and hunt other insects !
That's so cool, very excited for you and I'm glad you found it helpful! :) It honestly didn't take me too long to get used to everything except, I'm generally a more quiet reserved person so the constant enthusiasm honestly took weeks to get used to lol. There were definitely times that I was sick of it and just wanted to go home, towards the middle of my time there - I think it happens to everyone because it's just so exhausting but then something amazing happens and you remember why you went and how cool it is that you're there aha. Oh and thank you, honestly knowing that it hunts somehow makes the fly more scary regardless of what it hunts lmao, thing was MASSIVE!
As an American there are definitely bears in Pennsylvania also lots of other critters like raccoons opossums, rabbits, gophers, etc but just by the way if you see a brown bear speed walk away if it’s black you can just yell at it and it’ll usually get scared, for the other animals just ignore them because they’re usually scared of you
At my camp we would get up around 7:30-8:00 and then some days would be lay-in days so we would have slower mornings. It is very dependent on the camp though of course! As for food, I found that my camp was rather carb heavy as they were trying to keep kids and counsellors full of energy, there was less fruit/veg than I was used to and Americans add sugar and random stuff to EVERYTHING, so that was an adjustment lol. It's not bad by any means but definitely different to what most are used to outside the US aha :)
Thank you for this video! I'm from Germany and I want to go to Camp America in 2025. I hope the language won't be a big obstacle because english isn't my mother tongue...
I’m sure it won’t be an issue! At my camp we have had a few people from across Europe and they’ve had a great time even without English as a first language, we’ve even had a few kids from Europe so it was actually helpful at times! :)
Such a helpful video !! When would you recommend applying for Camp America as I've only found about the program now and a bit worried that I'm too late?
I would say always the earlier the better, I know a lot of camps have stopped hiring earlier than usual this year but when I first applied I got placed in January and there were still people getting hired into the spring. I would just apply now anyway because there’s always an possibility that there will be more openings later if there aren’t now :)))
Are you able to choose a Special Camp? I thought Camps are choosing out of applicants. Or is it just, because you have already been there (Talking about „your camp“)? ❤
Yes, when I say my camp it’s because that’s where I’ve been the last couple years. They obviously do pick out of applicants, though when they offer you the job you can of course choose to decline in hopes of somewhere different. Also when at the employment fairs you can choose which camp you want to approach and interview with :))
Hey random question, when you say nights on duty and off duty, how do you mean by this, does that mean at night you need to stay awake to make sure everything is ok etc?
Yeah, that’s exactly it. So at my camp there’s a rota so that counsellors take turns to sit on duty in the cabin from 10pm-12am and make sure they’re okay and they get to sleep etc.
Aha, that would be so fun! I am making a Camp Counsellor Bucket List video, so I will definitely take suggestions, need to check if I can film during orientation though to see if I can vlog but I'll see what I can do lol
@@lilyjmerrick ever play the game at camp where you and someone hold a hand and go back and forth slapping it with your other hand until someone lets go. we play that around the campfire lol
Yeah I'm pretty sure they do, so like when we have dances and stuff in the evening the younger groups (like 6-9) go to bed first then like 10-13 and so on. And I think the eldest (15-16) only have to be in their cabins by 12 but I could be wrong aha, I had 11 year olds so I can only speak for them for definite x
aha yeah, at first I was so worried about that lol. Turns out they are wayyy more tired than they think they are so they spend about 20-30 minutes telling you they can't sleep and doing anything but what you ask them to do and then all of a sudden they're just passed out in bed, like magic. That was my lot anyway, I'm sure some others are wayyyy harder than that lmao x
how old were you the first time you went? I'm really interested in going either when i finish college or the year after so i'll be 19/20. did you get homesick much? i've been away places a few times but get homesick really bad because i'm generally quite anxious. ive gotten a lot better with my anxiety & confidence in the past 2 years so im sure 2 more years itll be even better. do you get paid much too?
I was 20 when I went and I did get homesick but not too bad, you’re simply so busy that I didn’t have much time to be homesick 😂 I also have struggled with anxiety a lot and I think camp was the best thing I’ve ever done for it, I grew so much from it. Of course it can go both ways, but you can give it a chance - I would say if you’re able to, give it a chance and if you need to you can fly back of course. And you don’t get paid much, it’s a lot more about experiences than pay but of course different camps and counsellor roles will pay differently. If I hadn’t travelled I would have broken even with what I spent to get there and what I earned xx
@@lilyjmerrick that’s so good bc a lot of the trips i’ve had hours on a coach to think about home. plus you seem very busy so it’s good that i’d be distracted. i wasn’t worried about the money bc i just want new experiences, to travel, make friends and grow my confidence :)) id defo give it a chance as i would most likely do it before uni as i wanna move away for it. so if i couldn’t hack the homesick at camp then i’d know not to go far for uni 😅 (although they’re v different things) how much free time did u get? could u always have your phone too? i do photography so i need lots of pictures!! sorry for so many questions but i’m so interested in this ahah. was there a lot of other british counsellors at your camp?
@@lucyroffey05 ahh that makes sense yeah, if you can do America you could do uni for sure 😂 Free time depends from camp to camp, for me I had 2 nights off duty and one on duty (staying in the cabin with the girls) every three days so when you were off duty you could do whatever from 10-12pm. And then we had four days off which were 24hour days so we could go away for the night. Oh and also an hour off each day for a period. You could go on your phone in these times but aside from that we weren’t allowed them, which I kinda appreciated oddly because it’s better to be in the moment - especially if you’re getting homesick. As for pics tho, you could ask your camp about using a camera but also every camp will have a photographer there ALL THE TIME 😂 even when you rly don’t want your picture taken lmao so you’ll leave the summer with MANY pics even if you’re not allowed to take them yourself. There were a lot of British counsellors at my camp but also a lot of American counsellors and Aussie and French/Spanish. Don’t apologise for asking! Ask away, I’m happy to help xx
@@lilyjmerrick defo aha camp would be a good test cus it’s long but not like 4 years like uni. was the 4 full days off just the once across ur whole time there? what like times did u get up and then go to bed? i get what u mean about it being nice not being allowed on ur phone. i mean ur working rlly and i wouldnt go on my phone at work so i wouldnt expect to there either. oo that’s so cool that there’s a photographer - maybe i could apply for that cus i’d have even more experience then. but i’d defo ask to use a lil camera or something as i can’t help myself 😅 thanks for answering!x
So for the days off it was four days which was the whole 24 hours and they were pretty much one a week for the middle portion of camp. At my camp they don't really want days off at the beginning because you are just getting used to the culture and getting to know your kids and then at the end is usually colour war and things like that so there isn't really time for days off. For my camp, we got up around 7:30 ish, actually I think it was 7:25 and then bedtime for my division was like 10pm (but that just means to be in the cabin and getting ready for bed, it was kinda up to us counsellors to set a time for lights out and all that at my camp). And yeah absolutely you could be a photographer! It's a great role because you get to go around camp all day and see everyone :))) & no worries, I'm glad I could help answer them xx
@@jimbob-eo4ks just seen this sorry! Ticks are around and we do have to check every so often, I know people who work on high ropes in the woods tend to be more alert about them, I have known people to have a tick at camp but it’s not a massive issue :))
@@lilyjmerrick thanks! Btw when you’re at camp do you come up with the activities as a specialist yourself or does the camp help you with plans for the sessions
@@jimbob-eo4ks from what I know (I was always a general counsellor) you pretty much plan everything yourself, or at least at my camp anyway, but you can definitely have guidance by upper staff if you want/need it :)
I'm plus size so my biggest worry about camp is showing off my body, im going next summer and i usually avoid shorts/swimming costumes etc but im trying to get out of my comfort zone. I want the kids to see that different sized bodies are normal
I love this! In my experience, I only felt more comfortable since going to camp, it was such a great experience and my body confidence grew so much. I hope you have the most amazing time :)))
i feel like the language barrier of saying words differently, instead of them doing the conversion themselves they just make it your mistake 😭 they rly need to realize we aren’t all american
@@Latte-girly90 theres ppl like that yeah, but if someone doesnt understand powder room means bathroom im not gonna be like "well u should know better" i'd explain tbh
I would say that it entirely depends on the camps themselves and at our camp we have had counsellors around the 23-27 age. Of course, usually the majority of counsellors are beteween 18 and 21 because its really popular for like gap-year ages but there are definitely older (not to call you old lmao) counsellors too! x
Hands down one of the best "before you go" style videos for camp I've watched. Thank You for this.
I’m so glad!! Nws! Hopefully I’ll make some more helpful ones ☺️
You bin CAMP??? Was good?
i agree
this video was so helpful!! i’m going to my first summer camp ever lol and now i feel i have other things to feel prepared for 😎 thank u!!
I’m so glad you found it helpful! If you need to know anything else let me know! x
Dunes cabin song will forever be stuck in my head 🫡
Rollin' with the homiesss
I'm going Camp Fitch YMCA this summer in Pennsylvania and honestly I'm so glad I'll be right next to Lake Erie because the heat is going to be insane over there 😵💫
Aha yeah, the heat is pretty mad to be honest - a big body of water is very much appreciated 😂😂 x
We had wild skunks at our camp so that might be another thing to be aware of 😂 some kids got sprayed
Oh my goodness. I actually cannot imagine that, that is so crazy lol
My brother had the same issue in upstate New York
Hey!! Love your videos. These are so helpful but also very enjoyable!! Keep going :)
Thank you so much! That's so kind, I'm so happy you're enjoying them :))
I am going to camp robin hood in June in New Hampshire. This video was very helpful. It is deffo gonna be a weird experience at first especially after you talking about the weird rituals and the constant noise. How long did it take for you to get used to it and was there ever any times where u actually hated camp ? or just wanted to get out and leave ?
PS the insect is a robber fly, completely harmless to humans but are big and hunt other insects !
That's so cool, very excited for you and I'm glad you found it helpful! :) It honestly didn't take me too long to get used to everything except, I'm generally a more quiet reserved person so the constant enthusiasm honestly took weeks to get used to lol. There were definitely times that I was sick of it and just wanted to go home, towards the middle of my time there - I think it happens to everyone because it's just so exhausting but then something amazing happens and you remember why you went and how cool it is that you're there aha.
Oh and thank you, honestly knowing that it hunts somehow makes the fly more scary regardless of what it hunts lmao, thing was MASSIVE!
I am sp excited to go to camp this year!
Ahhh ditto & I'm so excited for you!
the frogs are so crazy at camp haha
lol aren’t they
@@lilyjmerrick I'm always afraid I'll step on one haha!
@@z.w.4445 omg same, someone did once, it was horrific lmao
@@lilyjmerrick oh no! that would definitely be gross haha (i would also be traumatized for life fs)
@@z.w.4445 oh for sure 😭
As an American there are definitely bears in Pennsylvania also lots of other critters like raccoons opossums, rabbits, gophers, etc but just by the way if you see a brown bear speed walk away if it’s black you can just yell at it and it’ll usually get scared, for the other animals just ignore them because they’re usually scared of you
wow, thank you for clarifying that. I will now be about 100% more aware of my surroundings when we go hiking lol x
i’ve heard play dead with a brown bear now i’m confused? which is better
@@emilygilmore-ej8bt ive heard "if it's brown lay down, if it's black fight back"
Am going camp lohikan this year in Pennsylvania in the area bears and 2 poisonous snakes 😂
What time does everyone in camp usually wake up? And what kinda of food were you fed?
At my camp we would get up around 7:30-8:00 and then some days would be lay-in days so we would have slower mornings. It is very dependent on the camp though of course! As for food, I found that my camp was rather carb heavy as they were trying to keep kids and counsellors full of energy, there was less fruit/veg than I was used to and Americans add sugar and random stuff to EVERYTHING, so that was an adjustment lol. It's not bad by any means but definitely different to what most are used to outside the US aha :)
Thank you for this video! I'm from Germany and I want to go to Camp America in 2025. I hope the language won't be a big obstacle because english isn't my mother tongue...
I’m sure it won’t be an issue! At my camp we have had a few people from across Europe and they’ve had a great time even without English as a first language, we’ve even had a few kids from Europe so it was actually helpful at times! :)
Such a helpful video !! When would you recommend applying for Camp America as I've only found about the program now and a bit worried that I'm too late?
I would say always the earlier the better, I know a lot of camps have stopped hiring earlier than usual this year but when I first applied I got placed in January and there were still people getting hired into the spring. I would just apply now anyway because there’s always an possibility that there will be more openings later if there aren’t now :)))
Are you able to choose a Special Camp? I thought Camps are choosing out of applicants. Or is it just, because you have already been there (Talking about „your camp“)? ❤
Yes, when I say my camp it’s because that’s where I’ve been the last couple years. They obviously do pick out of applicants, though when they offer you the job you can of course choose to decline in hopes of somewhere different. Also when at the employment fairs you can choose which camp you want to approach and interview with :))
Hey random question, when you say nights on duty and off duty, how do you mean by this, does that mean at night you need to stay awake to make sure everything is ok etc?
Yeah, that’s exactly it. So at my camp there’s a rota so that counsellors take turns to sit on duty in the cabin from 10pm-12am and make sure they’re okay and they get to sleep etc.
@@lilyjmerrick12 midnight or midday?
You might have mentioned this in one of your videos, but which camp did you go to?
I went to Camp Green Lane :))
Fun channel! Do you take challenge requests to do in camp vlogs this summer??
Aha, that would be so fun! I am making a Camp Counsellor Bucket List video, so I will definitely take suggestions, need to check if I can film during orientation though to see if I can vlog but I'll see what I can do lol
@@lilyjmerrick ever play the game at camp where you and someone hold a hand and go back and forth slapping it with your other hand until someone lets go. we play that around the campfire lol
lmao I have never heard of that, sounds.. painful
@@lilyjmerrick oh lol it stings but its fun lol
would you mind sharing what camp you went to? i’m looking into quite a few right now to apply to for the future xx
Of course! I’m at Camp Green Lane x
tysm!!
@@lilyjmerrick are you going to the same one again this year? :)
Yeah! back to the same one again this year :)
@@lilyjmerrick is it a jewish camp? when i was looking at the website i got a bit confused if it was or not 💕
An American here do they got different Age Groups and Different Sleep Schedules for the Children Never been to camp or camping before
Yeah I'm pretty sure they do, so like when we have dances and stuff in the evening the younger groups (like 6-9) go to bed first then like 10-13 and so on. And I think the eldest (15-16) only have to be in their cabins by 12 but I could be wrong aha, I had 11 year olds so I can only speak for them for definite x
@Lily Merrick Yeah I am wondering how y'all get all those children to sleep I can barely get my Nephews to sleep on school day
aha yeah, at first I was so worried about that lol. Turns out they are wayyy more tired than they think they are so they spend about 20-30 minutes telling you they can't sleep and doing anything but what you ask them to do and then all of a sudden they're just passed out in bed, like magic. That was my lot anyway, I'm sure some others are wayyyy harder than that lmao x
@Lily Merrick 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Sound about Right
how old were you the first time you went? I'm really interested in going either when i finish college or the year after so i'll be 19/20. did you get homesick much? i've been away places a few times but get homesick really bad because i'm generally quite anxious. ive gotten a lot better with my anxiety & confidence in the past 2 years so im sure 2 more years itll be even better. do you get paid much too?
I was 20 when I went and I did get homesick but not too bad, you’re simply so busy that I didn’t have much time to be homesick 😂 I also have struggled with anxiety a lot and I think camp was the best thing I’ve ever done for it, I grew so much from it. Of course it can go both ways, but you can give it a chance - I would say if you’re able to, give it a chance and if you need to you can fly back of course. And you don’t get paid much, it’s a lot more about experiences than pay but of course different camps and counsellor roles will pay differently. If I hadn’t travelled I would have broken even with what I spent to get there and what I earned xx
@@lilyjmerrick that’s so good bc a lot of the trips i’ve had hours on a coach to think about home. plus you seem very busy so it’s good that i’d be distracted. i wasn’t worried about the money bc i just want new experiences, to travel, make friends and grow my confidence :))
id defo give it a chance as i would most likely do it before uni as i wanna move away for it. so if i couldn’t hack the homesick at camp then i’d know not to go far for uni 😅 (although they’re v different things)
how much free time did u get? could u always have your phone too? i do photography so i need lots of pictures!!
sorry for so many questions but i’m so interested in this ahah. was there a lot of other british counsellors at your camp?
@@lucyroffey05 ahh that makes sense yeah, if you can do America you could do uni for sure 😂 Free time depends from camp to camp, for me I had 2 nights off duty and one on duty (staying in the cabin with the girls) every three days so when you were off duty you could do whatever from 10-12pm. And then we had four days off which were 24hour days so we could go away for the night. Oh and also an hour off each day for a period. You could go on your phone in these times but aside from that we weren’t allowed them, which I kinda appreciated oddly because it’s better to be in the moment - especially if you’re getting homesick. As for pics tho, you could ask your camp about using a camera but also every camp will have a photographer there ALL THE TIME 😂 even when you rly don’t want your picture taken lmao so you’ll leave the summer with MANY pics even if you’re not allowed to take them yourself. There were a lot of British counsellors at my camp but also a lot of American counsellors and Aussie and French/Spanish. Don’t apologise for asking! Ask away, I’m happy to help xx
@@lilyjmerrick defo aha camp would be a good test cus it’s long but not like 4 years like uni. was the 4 full days off just the once across ur whole time there?
what like times did u get up and then go to bed?
i get what u mean about it being nice not being allowed on ur phone. i mean ur working rlly and i wouldnt go on my phone at work so i wouldnt expect to there either.
oo that’s so cool that there’s a photographer - maybe i could apply for that cus i’d have even more experience then. but i’d defo ask to use a lil camera or something as i can’t help myself 😅
thanks for answering!x
So for the days off it was four days which was the whole 24 hours and they were pretty much one a week for the middle portion of camp. At my camp they don't really want days off at the beginning because you are just getting used to the culture and getting to know your kids and then at the end is usually colour war and things like that so there isn't really time for days off. For my camp, we got up around 7:30 ish, actually I think it was 7:25 and then bedtime for my division was like 10pm (but that just means to be in the cabin and getting ready for bed, it was kinda up to us counsellors to set a time for lights out and all that at my camp).
And yeah absolutely you could be a photographer! It's a great role because you get to go around camp all day and see everyone :))) & no worries, I'm glad I could help answer them xx
So true hahaha people chanting and screaming all the time
alllll the time 😂
Just dive in. You only have the summer.
Absolutely 🥰
im pretty sure there are black bears spotted in Pennsylvania not to scare you haha but personally im more scared of ticks
That is by far the more logical fear, but the bears still live in the back of my mind 😭
@@lilyjmerrick are ticks a big issue? feel like i never see them in UK so just wondering aha
@@jimbob-eo4ks just seen this sorry! Ticks are around and we do have to check every so often, I know people who work on high ropes in the woods tend to be more alert about them, I have known people to have a tick at camp but it’s not a massive issue :))
@@lilyjmerrick thanks! Btw when you’re at camp do you come up with the activities as a specialist yourself or does the camp help you with plans for the sessions
@@jimbob-eo4ks from what I know (I was always a general counsellor) you pretty much plan everything yourself, or at least at my camp anyway, but you can definitely have guidance by upper staff if you want/need it :)
now.. imagine being Canadain and going to Camp America
aha, thing is I'd imagine the culture shocks to not be so bad because geographically you're so much closer lol x
I'm plus size so my biggest worry about camp is showing off my body, im going next summer and i usually avoid shorts/swimming costumes etc but im trying to get out of my comfort zone. I want the kids to see that different sized bodies are normal
I love this! In my experience, I only felt more comfortable since going to camp, it was such a great experience and my body confidence grew so much. I hope you have the most amazing time :)))
i feel like the language barrier of saying words differently, instead of them doing the conversion themselves they just make it your mistake 😭 they rly need to realize we aren’t all american
You do that to Americans when they’re in your country too probably 😂
@@Latte-girly90 theres ppl like that yeah, but if someone doesnt understand powder room means bathroom im not gonna be like "well u should know better" i'd explain tbh
what about the boys, have a lad throwing in
What was the average age for counsellors? I turn 24 this year and just about to start my masters, so I can't go until summer 2026 🥲
I would say that it entirely depends on the camps themselves and at our camp we have had counsellors around the 23-27 age. Of course, usually the majority of counsellors are beteween 18 and 21 because its really popular for like gap-year ages but there are definitely older (not to call you old lmao) counsellors too! x
@@lilyjmerrickcongratulations to you I am from Tanzania please you can give site to apply for America summer camp