How One Summer at Camp Casco Sparked a Career Change

2024 Sibling Camp

Camp Casco isn’t just life-changing for the kids, it transforms our volunteers, too. The magic of camp, the deep connections, and the sheer joy of making a difference can ignite new passions, reshape perspectives, and even inspire career paths. For one counselor, a summer of laughter, learning, and love sparked a calling she never expected, which would shape her future forever:

Camp Casco’s Life-Changing Impact For One Camp Counselor

After volunteering at Camp Casco’s Sibling Camp in 2024, I realized that I wanted to switch careers from research to teaching full-time!

Part of my decision was to remember how much I love working with children and that this is the path for me. The energy, the good-naturedness of the kids, and the positivity in the whole camp made the stars align for me, and I was like, oh, this is the happiest I have been all year, compared to the work I am doing in research.

As an organization, I felt that the other adults [Camp Casco] recruited for the experience were hand-picked with care. It felt like every person there was there for the same reasons as me, and that made me feel included. I felt supported, and it meant we all had a good time and worked well together as a team. I have never felt that kind of cohesion with a team of people at any job so quickly! Especially considering that we needed to bond and work together well within a day or two to make the week about the kids, that's quite a feat! All the admin staff were kind, helpful, supportive and open-hearted. I felt safe at camp, I could be myself and that was freeing. The kids were grounded because of their personal experiences and so I didn't really have to teach them to behave kindly or guide them on how to work together, we could focus on creating joy and enjoying each other's company!

At other camps, we were taught how to guide the kids through a "storming" period where they might not get along, they might fight and get in each other's space, to a "norming" period where they connect, get along and can have fun. But at Camp Casco we didn't need to do that, they had already "stormed" so to speak, enough in their own lives, they were just looking for normal. I think I was so overwhelmed with emotions at camp because I felt and saw the love, the unique appreciation for life, the creativity of kids and counselors alike and I couldn't believe all that could exist. I had forgotten. I think that's all you need for a successful experience.

Camps I've been to before didn't always focus on the individual kids, or the admin were caught up with their own problems that they were not supportive of the counselors. I felt more on my own, driven more by my own motivation to teach the kids something but I could have gotten away with slacking. At Camp Casco, I felt supported by my co-counselors within days of knowing each other and I trusted them.

These are the reasons I would like to come back and be involved. Even if we can't make this year work, I will definitely come back in future! Especially if I'm a teacher, at that point my summers will be free.