Saidbh's Camp Canada Journey
My name is Saidbh and I’m from Cork in the south of Ireland. I got to spend two summers working at an overnight summer camp in Ontario as a canoe tripper, counsellor and instructor. Here’s my summer camp story.
As someone with an education degree, I’ve done my fair share of placements in my time - schools, babysitting, Girl Guides, you name it. But after seeing an advert for Camp Canada in the fall of 2017 I realised that I could get out of Ireland and see the world, while still working with children all summer - score!
I knew the minute I started my application that I had made a great decision.
The process was super simple to follow and I had support from the Camp Canada team every step of the way. After uploading my personal video essay, I had a placement within a few days. I spoke to the camp director and was hired on that same Skype call - I was going to Canada!
Specifically, I would be going to a camp in Ontario to work as a canoe tripper. Not gonna lie, I was a little bit terrified at the prospect of being in the Canadian wilderness but it ended up being the best summer of my entire life. I got to take campers of all ages on day trips, overnight trips, and my favourite of all, the LIT (leader-in-training) 6-day trip to Algonquin Provincial Park. Every corner we paddled around brought a new jaw-dropping experience - whether from the natural beauty of Canada or from the bear outside our tent at 2am…
I got to spend my days running activities like guitar, mosaics, paddleboarding and drama.
Getting campers excited about learning new skills was so rewarding - especially when they got to show their skills to their cabin-mates, or when they got awards at the end of the session.
Camp can be overwhelming as an international staff member, but my advice would just be to go with the flow. You’ll pick up the hundreds of dining hall cheers and camp traditions in no time, and you’ll never feel like you spent a summer doing anything different. Even when you get overwhelmed or exhausted, you just look around and realise that you’re here for a reason - having fun, bonding with your campers, and making a difference. There aren’t many opportunities in the rest of your life where you get to throw yourself into a lake, or cover yourself in green paint and sing as your job, so take advantage of them!
Coming to Canada and to camp changed my life.
So much so that I now live in Toronto and work in the Camp Canada office helping new participants with their work permits and immigration questions.
My advice for anyone thinking about the Camp Canada program? Just take a leap of faith and go for it - you are guaranteed to have an absolutely unforgettable summer and make the best friends of your life.
