How to have the "Summer of A Lifetime" with WinShape Camps. 

How to prepare and train your mind, body, and spirit for an unforgettable three months of  children's ministry. 

Are you over 18 years of age? Are you a college student looking for the ultimate summer job? Are you passionate about ministry? Read this article to learn all about how to prepare for an amazing summer with WinShape Camps for Communities (WSCC). 

Spending your summer with WSCC has its perks! You get to have an unforgettable summer with travel, lodging, and food paid for! You get to meet some amazing people and form lifelong friendships. Plus, you get paid $335 a week! While this job sounds too good to be true, it's real! It is as great as it sounds, but there's also a substantial amount of planning and training to be done before the summer begins. 

What is WinShape Camps for Communities?

At its core, WSCC  is "an unprecedented day camp experience that brings churches and organizations together to transform communities with the message of Jesus Christ." It's one of many summer camp options for children from Kindergarten to Eighth Grade that are provided by the WinShape Foundation created by S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A. Hosted at a local church, campers  spend a week from 7am - 4pm  under your care and guidance. For Summer Staff, it's a three month commitment that teaches you life skills that go beyond a normal desk job. With provided training and some work on your end, a Summer of A Lifetime with WSCC is well within reach.  

What are Villages, BOBOs, and Skills?

When you enter the world of WSCC, there's some processes and terms that you're going to need to learn. After you are hired, you're put on a 28 person team and you will be on the road with these 28 teammates for the entire three months. Villages are the age group that you will be  hired to to teach when it comes to the small group Bible Studies. You could be teaching the Blue Ocean Village (K-1st Grade), Red Safari Village (2nd-3rd), Green Alpine Village (4th-5th), or the Gray Galaxy Village (6th-8th). Each Village has its color and symbol to form a sense of camaraderie in the campers. 

BOBO is a jargon term that technically doesn't have a clear definition. Every day of  Camp,  you will  yell the following call and repeat chant:

"BOBO"!

"BOBO SKI WHAT NOT!"

"I'VE BEEN EATING BOWSKI!"

"SKIDDLY BEE!""SKIDDLY BO"

"WINSHAPE! LET'S GO!"

Skills refer to the 21 extra curricular type courses that Campers choose to experience during their week of camp. Campers go to three skills a day and you will be responsible to teach your assigned Skill to your Campers. 

What can you do between now and Summer?

Assuming you've already applied and been hired as a Summer Staffer, there's a substantial amount of  work to be done if you want to succeed and enjoy your three months with WSCC. You could do the bare minimum and still make it though the summer, but, to exceed expectations and truly enjoy your job without it feeling like a job, doing your work beforehand will be highly beneficial in the long run. 

Prepare your mind

Going into children's ministry, especially without former experience, can take a toll on the mind. There's a substantial amount of material that needs to be learned and translated to reach the Camper's level.  Some of the things to learn and train beforehand include:

• Dance Motions to Worship Songs
• Cheers and Chants
• Curriculum for Small Group Sessions (Bible Study)
• Playbook for Skills (Flag Football, Painting, Archery, etc)
• Morning Set Up Processes
• Afternoon Teardown Processes

Prepare your body

Once you begin the summer with WSCC, it's a lot to take in when you account for the various factors that can take a toll on your body.  Maintaining a healthy diet with exercise is crucial to your success in your three months of ministry. 

Get plenty of sleep

It's not a surprise, we need at least 7 hours of sleep to maintain a healthy body.

WSCC is going to have early mornings and late nights. Sometimes 7 full hours of sleep is not guaranteed. It's up to you to get the most rest you can so you can be  fully prepared to engage in the camp day. With the spontaneity of a camp day, who knows what could happen: a watermelon eating contest, a shaving cream war, a water balloon fight, even rap battles on stage. For you to fully enjoy yourself  and give  it your  all,  you  need to be properly rested. 

Stay hydrated

During a day of Camp there's a mantra that will be repeated at any moment:"Hydrate or Diedrate". With it being summer time it's expected that the weather will be hot. With all of the running and jumping and who knows what else you'll be doing with your campers, staying hydrated is crucial. 

Prepare your spirit

This fact is pretty obvious. If you're going to accept a job that requires you to teach children's ministry for three months. You need to be sure that your spirit is up to the task. There's a concept that I've learn given my three years of doing WSCC: "In order to pour into others, you need to make sure you are being filled". In the respect of total honesty, there are going to be days when you feel drained. From the early hours and late nights and the constant exercise your body is going through in one day of camp,  you are going to feel empty. These are the moments where you need to remind yourself why you are doing Camp. The salary and accommodations are great, but you should also love interacting with children on a personal level. You are teaching children about the Gospel of Jesus  Christ.  You are transforming live's whether it is through a game, a song, or one of your lessons. This is a job with unimaginable effects and you need to be fully aware of the fact that you are going to need to be ready and up for the task even when it gets hard. 

The more you prepare beforehand, the better your experience will be during your three months of ministry with WinShape Camps for Communities. Without a doubt it is the best choice I've made in my life as this job has taught me so much that go way beyond a summer camp. Visit 

www.workatwinshape.org if you're interested!