Travel and Tourism alumni travels Stateside

Our former Level 3 Travel and Tourism alumni, Phoebe Caves, travelled to the United States of America (USA) to further her skills within the Travel and Tourism industry by taking on a nine-week placement at Camp America.

We sat down with Phoebe to discuss her experience:

What is Camp America?

Summer Camps in the USA are a big part of American culture and it’s traditional for kids to go to camp each year. Each year Camp America asks students to help organise and run the camps, which allows students to enhance their academic qualifications with real-life skills and experiences. Camp America is recognised by employers and academic institutions across the world, so it will be a great addition to my CV.

What made you decide to apply to Camp America?

I really want to travel the world and thought this would be a great opportunity to do so. When I went to the Camp America fair, the staff who interviewed me were nice and welcoming, which made me want to go to the Camp even more. Attending Camp America with my best friend made me feel more at ease and together we encouraged each other that we could do this.

What role did you undertake at the Camp America?

During my time at Camp America, I undertook the role of being a counsellor for the children at the summer camp. This involved taking care of a specific group of campers daily, which can vary between 15-20 children a week. The nine-week programme enabled me to interact with new people, see new places and take part in fun activities like art, going to the beach, fishing, rock climbing and many more.

How did the College help you make the choice to join Camp America?

The College provided me the opportunity to attend the Camp America fair. My tutor at the time, Jessica Crossland, attended the event with us and gave me words of encouragement to help me get through the interview confidently. If we didn’t attend the fair, I don’t think I would have experienced everything that the Camp has to offer.

Tell us how your Level 3 Travel and Tourism course helped you in Camp America?

The course helped me during the Camp as the coursework we were given related to the things that we needed to know. In College we were taught health and safety and how to use this on a child or adult, so when going into the safety training at Camp, I already knew all the basics. If the College didn’t teach me basic customer service skills, I would have struggled coming here as my previous job didn’t include this.

What did you enjoy most about coming to College?

My favourite thing about coming to College is the working environment and how friendly the people are. Every time I step into my lessons, the tutors ensure that we are all up-to-date and if any help is needed then they will give us 1:1 support to confirm that our work is up to standard. Meeting friends at the start of College has given me the confidence to go out in the world and meet new people.

Would you recommend the College to others and why?

I would recommend Barnsley College to others just for the fact that everyone is so friendly. My Travel and Tourism tutors had a big part to play in the fact I liked coming into College because they were always there if I was struggling with work or feeling down. All throughout my College years I have kept up the good grades and when getting my final grade I could have not been happier.

Would you recommend Camp America?

If anyone has the opportunity to do Camp America in the future, I would definitely recommend it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and it’s definitely a summer to remember. This experience has taught me life skills, gave me the opportunity to make friends for life and see places I never thought I would. If it wasn’t for Barnsley College I would have never thought to do this and now I’m so thankful that they gave me the push I needed to apply.