What I Wish I Knew Before I Worked At Young Life
Start writing a post
Education

What I Wish I Knew Before I Worked Crew at Young Life Camp

My advice for anyone considering work crew, summer staff, or anyone who have just recently been accepted.

2930
What I Wish I Knew Before I Worked Crew at Young Life Camp
Hannah Eklund

Work crew at Young Life camp — if you don't know — is a month long program where you serve middle school and high school campers to help them learn a little bit more about Jesus. Work crew is for high school-aged people, and the summer staff is college aged and on. There are various jobs that summer staff does, but the ones work crew can do are housekeeping, outdoor crew, dishes or "pits", and serving food in the dining hall. I worked in work crew in 2016 at the Washington Family Ranch and then summer staff the past two summers in the same place. I've learned a handful of things and these are just a few things I wish I had known before I went:

It can be hard, but rewarding

Hannah Eklund

If you have a lot of friends that have done work crew before, and you've seen them post pictures after they get back, then you probably think it's just a lot of fun and games — which is true, but the days can be long. There will be hard days, and those are the days when you'll rely on the Lord the most.

The month goes by quick

Hannah Eklund

You might think "I have all month to do *insert activity*" but in reality, it flies by and before you know it, it's the last camper week. My advice is to treat every week like its the last. Go swimming on your day off (if your camp has one), and hang out with that one person on your session you've been meaning to.

Try Not to Hope for One Job

https://tucsoncentral.younglife.org/Pages/Work-Crew.aspx

When I did work crew, I went in with an open mind. For work crew at WFR, they don't tell you your job before you get there. If you do summer staff, however, you are assigned a job that you know about before you go. My advice for work crew is to not hope for dining hall, because if you don't get it, you'll be sad about it and that can make you resent the job more sometimes. There are certain perks to each job, that I'm sure vary at every camp. One thing I liked about doing housekeeping was how much time I spent with my group, and we had a lot of time to connect while folding laundry and cleaning camper bathrooms.

You will get homesick

Giphy

Unless you're not the type to get homesick, but it was my first time ever being away from home for so long, and I did get home sick. My advice? Journal about it. Just journal in general, but journaling and also talking to your work crew boss about it can make things a lot better. To avoid homesickness, I would advise not calling home every chance you get. Fully invest in your time there — you only get 1 month!

You'll survive without your phone

media.giphy.com

Different camps have different phone rules, but most camps you'll be without your phone for some amount of time. When I did work crew they took them and put them in paper bags and i didn't even see it until our last night. On summer staff, i was able to have my phone but WFR doesn't have service anyway. Some camps will let you have it for an hour each week. All I know is, a month without my phone/wifi is actually very freeing.

GET SLEEP

Giphy

People don't believe that actually sleep deprivation is a real thing until they get to work crew. It's a lot of late nights and early mornings, so i would really advise not staying up until the crack of dawn. Depending on your work crew bosses, many will have a "lights out" time. Summer staff is a bit more lenient, so take heed. It can be tempting to be up late with all of your new best friends but I promise you, y'all will have tons of time to chat during the day.

You'll make life long friends — from all over

Giphy

This is kind of the best and worst thing. Pros: NEW LIFE LONG FRIENDS! Cons: They may not live close to you. However, you have like 20 new best friends all over the country — heck, even the world! I had a summer staff friend once from New Zealand. Plus, its an excuse to go visit them and crash on their couch for a couple days. This is currently going on with me and I love it.

Work crew and summer staff have been some of the best experiences of my life and I highly highly recommend them to anyone considering.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

49309
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

31383
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

955057
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

180305
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments