Meet Belle Perrin ~~ Welcome to the USA!

I asked Belle to give me a write up about coming to CIC for her 18 month visa.

After spending two amazing summers working for Catalina Island Camps I was honored to be offered an 18 month visa to come and work for the camp. At first it was a scary prospect, leaving my friends, family and life in England and moving to another country, but it was an opportunity and adventure which I couldn't pass up. I knew that I would have a great group of people working around me, all with the passion to make camp the best place possible for the kids, and friends from previous summers all over the country who I knew would be there if I needed them. During my time here I hope to fully experience America and its culture and learn as much as possible about camp and all the things which happen behind the scenes that make it the incredible place it is for both the children and staff. Up until a few years ago summer camps did not exist in the UK and even now there are only a few scattered around the country. I really feel that kids are missing out on something amazing and I would love to take my experiences back to my home country and promote the benefits of camp and someday use everything I have learnt to set up a camp of my own.

Belle's Trip to the American Camp Association Conference

On Wednesday 14th March, four Catalina Island Camps staff headed to Las Vegas for the annual CampWest Conference. This is an event where different camps and industry experts can come together and share their knowledge and experience about camp.

The four day schedule included a mix of lectures, workshops, exhibits and guest speakers, all with various subject matter, but all insightful and interesting in their own way. The presentations covered an abundance of topics under the general Conference title of ‘The Social Landscape of Camp: Building Positive Relationships’. I found that whatever your specific interest, you could find an appropriate session to attend, whether it was about new ideas for staff training, overcoming issues of gossip and bullying at camp or even learning the art of speed-stacking!

One personal highlight of mine was the Dancing in Lines, Squares and Circles workshop with Jim Cain, not only because I had so much fun, but I found that it really identified what an important part music and dancing can play in building a community and creating bonds between people.

Another lecture which I found extremely engaging and inspiring was ‘The Power of One! Make a Difference in Children’s Lives’ led by Dr. Stephen Sroka. He spoke openly and honestly about his own experiences working with children and made me realize just how much impact we can have not only on the children who come to camp, but every person we come into contact with in our lives.

For me, attending the CampWest conference was an extremely valuable and enjoyable experience. I learned things which will not only help me in my work at camp, but other aspects of my life. I hope to be invited back next year!

Volunteers at Camp

Each spring CIC hosts college students to do volunteer work at camp as part of their Alternative Spring Break program. This year we hosted James Madison University, University of Texas and Colorado State University. The students who participate choose to do this instead of a spring break trip to Florida, the Gulf Coast or other destinations.

While at camp the volunteers help with landscape projects, trail building, invasive plant removal and other labor intensive projects. They also get a chance to participate in recreational activities at camp like kayaking, snorkeling, hiking and the ropes course.

Several student volunteers have become CIC summer staff. Your campers might remember Nature Mike. His first trip to camp was three years ago with Colorado State. He then returned for two summers as one of the CIC naturalists.

Another group that comes to CIC to volunteer is Outward Bound Adventures, a Pasadena Based non-profit organization whose mission is to provide meaningful nature-based education that promotes positive self-development, environmental responsibility and outdoor career exposure for at-risk and urban youth. Each year the Youth Advisory Council makes two trips to Catalina as part of their year round program. Our staff provide leadership for work projects and recreational activities.

We are continually looking for ways to offer more volunteer opportunities at camp. If you have ideas send me an e mail.

International staff at CIC

One of the highlights of the summer for many campers is getting to know the staff at camp. One of the things many parents comment on about our staff is how neat it is to have staff from all around the world. Typically we will have between 12 and 18 international staff from countries such as Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Croatia, Sweden, Germany and South Africa.

These staff come for the summer, teach activities, live with campers and share their culture with us. When they return home hopefully they have a positive view about America they can share that with their friends at home.

We also host international staff on 18 month visa. These individuals are here on a training program to develop their skills working with children in the outdoors so when they return home they have new experiences to draw from. In December last year two staff completed their 18 month visas, Goran Vrus (Gogo) from Croatia and Courtney Howard from Tasmania, Australia.

Gogo's father operates a summer camp in Croatia, so working here will benefit him for many years. Gogo worked on the camp waterfront and in the camp office.

Courtney is also a familiar face to summer campers. He also spent several seasons leading students in the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program. Courtney hopes to return to Australia and continue teaching children about the environment. Courtney is currently on an extended backpacking trip through Central America.

Currently, Ken Meese is here on an 18 month visa. Ken was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia as a child. Ken also works in summer camp and CELP. Ken recently became a Red Cross Lifeguard Training Instructor and will help train and supervise our many lifeguards for the CELP and summer camp programs.

Finally, we welcome Belle Perrin to Catalina Island Camps. Belle was a counselor and challenge instructor at camp the past two summers. Belle arrived March 1 and will be in the camp office this spring and then on the island for the summer and fall before returning to the mainland. Belle is from England and is our first female 18 month visa holder.

This summer will bring new international staff to summer camp. It's always exciting to watch their eyes and expressions the first time they actually see camp.

We all know how much smaller the world has become with modern jet travel, the Internet, email, chat, skype and other new technologies I don't even know of yet. Our experiences with our international staff are fantastic. They bring so much energy and enthusiasm to us, the program and the campers. We hope that your campers also value meeting these people who travel half way around the world to be part of Catalina Island Camps.