Healthy Communities • YMCA Camps and Outdoor Education • YMCA Volunteers
Lessons Learned as a Volunteer
27 April 2016 - by Ruth Mills
Every summer, YMCA Camp Pine Crest relies on the generous commitment of volunteers. Operating our overnight camp involves hard work behind-the-scenes such as cooking meals, repairing canoes, and packing equipment for out trips. All of these responsibilities (and many more) wouldn’t be possible without the support of volunteers.
While Pine Crest benefits from the contributions of our volunteers, our volunteers also benefit from being a part of the summer team! Here are some of the things our volunteers gain from joining us at camp:
Valuable experience for work
Many young people apply to volunteer at Pine Crest to understand what it’s like to work at an overnight camp. “I wanted to see if I wanted to apply for a job the next summer, and I was always interested in seeing what working at camp is actually like,” says Nikki Bell, who volunteered as a kitchen assistant at Pine Crest last summer. Being behind-the-scenes at camp is a different experience than participating in a program, and volunteering is an ideal opportunity to have that experience. As an added bonus, volunteers receive recognition for their hours to put towards school or other requirements.
Learn to face challenges
Being part of the Pine Crest team gives volunteers the opportunity to face challenges and grow from them. Nikki encourages all volunteers to embrace this challenge: “Try and make the best of everything you do around camp, even if you may not want to at the time. If it's something hard to do, it'll be worth it in the end, and you know you did something that needed to be done.”
Develop transferable skills
Every volunteer at Pine Crest receives an orientation and job-specific training. This includes working with our volunteers to develop transferable skills such as cooking or repairing equipment. Halley McKeown, who volunteered on our maintenance team last summer, elaborates: “While volunteering at Pine Crest I learned so many different skills that I usually would not have the opportunity to learn. When I was working in maintenance I got my WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) and learned how to fix many different items rather than replacing them.”
Have fun and make friends
Of course, being a part of the team at camp is also a lot of fun! “Volunteering at Camp Pine Crest is a great opportunity to try new things, work with new people, and make amazing memories!” says Halley. Nikki agrees: “Have fun!”
Interested in volunteering with one of our summer camp programs? Click here for a list of opportunities, or email pinecrest@ymcagta.org
While Pine Crest benefits from the contributions of our volunteers, our volunteers also benefit from being a part of the summer team! Here are some of the things our volunteers gain from joining us at camp:
Valuable experience for work
Many young people apply to volunteer at Pine Crest to understand what it’s like to work at an overnight camp. “I wanted to see if I wanted to apply for a job the next summer, and I was always interested in seeing what working at camp is actually like,” says Nikki Bell, who volunteered as a kitchen assistant at Pine Crest last summer. Being behind-the-scenes at camp is a different experience than participating in a program, and volunteering is an ideal opportunity to have that experience. As an added bonus, volunteers receive recognition for their hours to put towards school or other requirements.
Learn to face challenges
Being part of the Pine Crest team gives volunteers the opportunity to face challenges and grow from them. Nikki encourages all volunteers to embrace this challenge: “Try and make the best of everything you do around camp, even if you may not want to at the time. If it's something hard to do, it'll be worth it in the end, and you know you did something that needed to be done.”
Develop transferable skills
Every volunteer at Pine Crest receives an orientation and job-specific training. This includes working with our volunteers to develop transferable skills such as cooking or repairing equipment. Halley McKeown, who volunteered on our maintenance team last summer, elaborates: “While volunteering at Pine Crest I learned so many different skills that I usually would not have the opportunity to learn. When I was working in maintenance I got my WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) and learned how to fix many different items rather than replacing them.”
Have fun and make friends
Of course, being a part of the team at camp is also a lot of fun! “Volunteering at Camp Pine Crest is a great opportunity to try new things, work with new people, and make amazing memories!” says Halley. Nikki agrees: “Have fun!”
Interested in volunteering with one of our summer camp programs? Click here for a list of opportunities, or email pinecrest@ymcagta.org
