Work?

The whole concept of “camp” is inextricably related with the season of summer for two extremely practical reasons.

1. You need excellent weather in order to play outside all day.

2. You need an extended mandatory vacation from all things “work-related”.

This extended mandatory vacation only exists in the form of summer vacation from school. As a child, I can remember the lure of the outdoors and of uninterrupted play as a constant desire that could only be adequately quenched during those still too short summer months. I may have exaggerated some details in my own mind, but I remember the entire student body at my 1-5 elementary school staging a sit-out protest when we learned the school was going to be eliminating “morning recess” from the schedule. That same innate desire to play made me cherish my own varied experiences at a great range of day camps, overnight camps, and sports camps throughout my childhood.

The first summer I began to work at Sewataro as an 18 year old after my freshman year of college, I came to a rather incredible realization. I was getting up at 6:30 in the morning (no rare feat for a college student), putting all of my energy and focus into my job the entire day through, and yet I didn’t feel like I was “working” at all. Quite literally, I was being paid to have fun and make sure others had fun as well. At first, I felt guilty. What if someone found out? I was young sure, but I knew you weren’t supposed to actually enjoy work, right? But the longer I worked there, the more I realized that this was a place where the entire mandate is to spread joy. From the owners to the staff supervisors to the staff themselves, Sewataro is truly a community of people working together to bring joy to the lives of children in a safe and accepting way. It may sound hokey to say it like that, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

And the longer I worked/played at Sewataro, the more I realized that I didn’t have to settle for slogging my way through a “job” for the rest of my life. The experiences I had at Sewataro (along with the people I met) inspired me to build my career around finding work opportunities that did not feel like work at all. Sewataro is a big part of the reason why I am now a teacher and a coach as well as a counselor. I had no idea as an 18 year old that one summer job would turn into three rewarding careers, but I soon came to find out that a summer at Sewataro can have life-changing effects for both campers and staff.

Posted By: Ben

Bio: I grew up in nearby Wayland, MA before going on to earn degrees from Boston College and Tufts University in English and Secondary Education respectively. I have worked for Camp Sewataro since the summer of 2003 as a General Counselor, Extra, and Section Supervisor. During the school year I teach English and coach the Boys JV Basketball team at Framingham High School.