NEW YORK, March 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey, a not for profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of the summer camp experience, believes there is no other job that can better prepare today's youth with the life skills and experiences they will need to be successful in the professional work environment than spending the summer as a camp counselor.
Last week, President Obama announced the Summer Opportunity Project, encouraging businesses to give American youth the opportunity to get their first summer job and support them through a summer job opportunity. For generations, summer camps have been providing American young people with their first jobs as camp counselors and giving them hands on job experiences that help them become successful adults in the workplace. A 2012 Economic Impact Report conducted by Planning Decisions, Inc. on behalf of the American Camp Association found that 7,000 camp programs in the Northeast employ 190,000 people seasonally, with the 16-to-24 age group holding most of the seasonal jobs.
At camp, counselors gain skills that most employers will find valuable when teens and youth look for future employment. Counselors gain leadership skills by leading a group of children; time management skills while helping children get to activities on time; communication skills and team work through working with camp leadership staff to create the best possible camp program for children; problem solving when the day doesn't go as planned and the schedule needs to be changed; and responsibility by being in charge of children and having to be there each day for them, among other skills.
"Forget the summer office jobs and internships, being a camp counselor provides youth with invaluable skills that can't be learned in any other work environment," says Susie Lupert, Executive Director of the American Camp Association, NY and NJ. "Working at a camp can help fill the 'opportunity gap' for youth while providing them with a first summer job experience that will provide connections for them and an edge in the workforce."
To find a summer camp job, please visit the American Camp Association, NY and NJ's Find a Camp Job at www.aca-nynj.org.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN CAMP ASSOCIATION, NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
The American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey is a not for profit organization dedicated to promoting and improving the summer camp experience for children.
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SOURCE American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey
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