Becoming And Being A Camp Counsellor: Discourse, Power Relations And Emotions (leisure Studies In A Global Era)

This book explores the complexities of the recreational summer camp experience and its reliance on the expertise and emotion work of young people. Drawing on post-structural theory, Baker illustrates the discourses, power relations and emotional demands that shape camp counsellor employment experiences and well-being. Through analysis of everyday experiences and interactions, Baker unpicks the power nexus between counsellors, campers, peers and camp management, offering a deeper understanding of camp counsellor employment and the challenges for camp employees and employers. As such, this book raises a call for camp researchers and industry leaders to engage in rethinking how camp counsellor roles are understood, shaped and embodied, and how they might be ethically supported through reflexive management practices. __Becoming and Being a Camp Counsellor__ will be of interest to scholars and students across the fields of leisure, outdoor recreation, youth studies, and sociology. Acknowledgements 8 Contents 10 1: Introduction 15 Introduction 15 What Is Summer Camp? 18 Camps in a Global Context 19 Organised Camp Experiences in North America 20 Organised Summer Camps 21 Camp Staff 22 My Involvement with Summer Camp 24 Studying Camp Counsellor Employment Experiences 25 Summary: Orienteering This Study 29 The Language of Camp Life 31 References 32 2: A Genealogy of Summer Camp 36 Introduction 36 The Historical Development of Summer Camps in North America 37 Nature, Physical Activity and the Formation of Moral Character 37 Child and Adolescent Development 39 Boys and Girls at Camp 40 Leisure, Class and Ethnicity of Camp 42 Saving Camp Souls: Pastoral Care Imperatives 43 Popular Culture Discourses of Camp Experiences 45 The Benefits of Camp Research 47 Personal Growth 48 Community and Social Capital 50 Silencing Negative Experiences of Camp 51 Camp Counsellor Experiences 53 Summary 55 References 56 3: Rethinking Camp Counsellor Experiences 66 Introduction 66 Framing Camp Counsellor Selves 67 Summer Camp as a Site of Power 69 Power, Subjectification and Technologies of the Self 70 Everyday Politics of Youth: The Power of Betwixt and Between 73 Pastoral Power at Work in Camp Experiences 75 Foucault’s Four Folds of Pastoral Power 75 Forms of Pastoral Power and Agency 79 Camp Counsellors’ Emotions at Work 80 The Emotion Work of Camp Counsellors 81 Gendered Assumptions of Emotion Work 84 The Work-Leisure Life of Camp Counsellors 85 Summary 87 References 88 4: Discursive Productions of Camp Selves 94 Introduction 94 The Business of Selling Camp 95 Selling a World of Good: Promising Moral Development 97 Selling a World of God: The Spirituality of Moral Development 100 Selling a World of Fun 102 Selling Is No Good: Privileging Moral Imperatives Above (the Responsibilities of) Business 104 Discursive Productions of Camp Selves 105 Transformative Selves: Discourses of Contemporary Salvation 107 Spiritual Selves: Nature, Awe and Spirituality 110 Rugged Selves: Challenge, Fun and Character 114 Heroic Selves: Adventure, Risk and Hero Stories 117 Sociable Selves: Outgoing Persona, Community Living and Belonging 121 Summary 125 References 126 5: Becoming a Camp Counsellor: Everyday Power and Processes of Subjectification 130 Introduction 130 The Betwixt and Between of Counsellor-in-Training Selves: The Power of Liminality 131 The Technologies of Camp Leadership 136 Becoming a Camp Leader 137 Becoming a Camp Therapist 141 Becoming a Camp Pastor 143 Becoming a Camp Parent 146 Choosing Camp Counsellors: Reinforcing Processes of Subjectification 149 The Everyday Practices of Power 152 “The Fishbowl” (Devon): The Liminal Geography of Camp Governance 153 All in a Day’s Work: Pay, Hours and Conditions 156 Pay 157 Hours 159 Conditions 162 Staff Manuals: Rules and Romance 164 Vive la Resistance: Compliance, Negotiation and Resistance 169 Summary 173 References 174 6: Being a Camp Counsellor: Emotions at Work 179 Introduction 179 Emotions at Work in “The Bubble” 181 “It’s Not All Sunshine and Lollipops”: The (Fragile) Happiness Bubble 182 “Personal Time Is Overrated”: No Time for Emotional Recovery or Processing 187 Promoting “Genderlessness” While Doing Gendered Emotion Work 191 The Demands of Camper Care 196 “You Are Going to Care About These Kids” 196 Challenging Children’s Problems and Behaviours 199 Care and Command: Pastoral Power in the Governing of Camp Selves 206 Camp Communitas: The Feelings of Camp Counsellor Social Life 210 “Everything Is More Intense”: The Social Pressure of Camp Communitas 211 The Emotions of Camp Life Cycle and Effects of Nostalgia 215 Summary 219 References 220 7: Conclusions 222 Introduction 222 How Camp Counsellor Employment Is Shaped: Genealogy, Discourses and Power Relations 225 The Emotional Demands of Being A Camp Counsellor 229 The Effects/Affects of Camp Counsellor Emotion Work 231 The Implications of Rethinking Camp Counsellor Employment 235 Gaining Insight 235 The Responsibilities for Industry Change 237 There Is More Work to Do 240 References 241 8: Reflections 245 Introduction 245 At the Heart: Engaging the Emotions of My Camp Story 246 The Care of the Self: An Exercise of Freedom 248 Now What? 249 References 251 Glossary 252 References 254 Index 276 This book explores the complexities of the recreational summer camp experiences and its reliance on the expertise and emotion work of young people. Drawing on post-structural theory, Baker illustrates the discourses, power relations and emotional demands that shape camp counsellor employment experiences and well-being. Through analysis of everyday experiences and interactions, Baker unpicks the power nexus between counsellors, campers, peers and camp management, offering a deeper understanding of camp counsellor employment and the challenges for camp employees and employers. As such, this book raises a call for camp researchers and industry leaders to engage in rethinking how camp counsellor roles are understood, shaped and embodied, and how they might be ethically supported through reflexive management practices. Becoming and Being a Camp Counsellor will be of interest to scholars and students across the fields of leisure, outdoor recreation, youth studies, and sociology This book explores the complexities of recreational summer camp experiences and its reliance on the expertise and emotion work of young people. Using post-structural theory, this book focuses on the discourses, power relations and emotional demands that shape camp counsellor employment experiences. It "makes visible" the emotion work of camp counsellors and how this influences their well-being. This book offers a deep understanding of camp counsellor employment and the challenges for camp employees and employers. As such, this book raises a call for camp researchers and industry leaders to engage in rethinking how camp counsellor roles are understood, shaped and embodied. By (re)framing camp counsellor experiences, this book suggests how camp counsellors might be ethically supported through reflexive management practices Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Introduction (Mandi Baker)....Pages 1-21 A Genealogy of Summer Camp (Mandi Baker)....Pages 23-52 Rethinking Camp Counsellor Experiences (Mandi Baker)....Pages 53-80 Discursive Productions of Camp Selves (Mandi Baker)....Pages 81-116 Becoming a Camp Counsellor: Everyday Power and Processes of Subjectification (Mandi Baker)....Pages 117-165 Being a Camp Counsellor: Emotions at Work (Mandi Baker)....Pages 167-209 Conclusions (Mandi Baker)....Pages 211-233 Reflections (Mandi Baker)....Pages 235-241 Back Matter ....Pages 243-271