"Camp America makes people suicidal"

The worst and most devastating experience ever. The camp management falsely accused me of physical violence, then proceeded to fire me within 15 minutes. I was made to pack all of my items as fast as possible to “return home”. Not only this, but I didn’t receive any payment whatsoever for my time at the camp. Camp America refused to help with any of this. DO NOT allow anyone you love to sign up with them. This organisation has made me suicidal.

"The best summers"

Oh where to begin? Camp gave me so much - a confidence in myself, in travel, in adapting to new situations/ environments.
It also gave me some of the best friendships that I will cherish for life.
I did two summers at the same camp and they were truly magical.
Campfires, camp songs, water games, swimming, arts and crafts, team games, camping - ALL so magical.
Creating a fun summer for the kids while also having such a wholesome time.

"Thank you to everyone involved at Camp…"

Thank you to everyone involved at Camp America. My daughter had a brilliant summer there and made lasting memories 🙂

"Do not work at these camps …"

Hi I would like to reach out to employees and parents that have had terrible experiences with working at camp, my son was treated disgracefully, we are in the process of taking things further and other people's experiences would help in this and I could help them go forward with what can be done, we've been getting alot off advice and I could share that with you.

"Exploitation of young Adults "

My son has not had a great experience, he started 2 weeks ago, first week was training and 2nd week was with the kids. During that week he was shocked at the the hours he needed to work 7am until 10pm with 1 hour off ( not what was agreed at interview) and also needing to get up through the night with the kids. Most of the staff were unhappy. He was made to sign a contract and never issued a copy. The camp was for foster kids and sadly they were very badly behaved and he had to get in the middle of many fights. Despite best efforts no instructions were being followed and at times it felt out of control. He was not well equipped to deal with this level of stress and the hours he was working were intense. He decided to speak with his manager and he decided to leave. He was told he would not be paid for the week he worked in training. So he will be paid for one week only. This week the entire camp has been closed. This feels like exploration of young adults with little to no rights for the worker. It has cost us a fortune now to fly him home and hotel accommodation while waiting for flights. Very disappointing experience and honestly one we will not be recommending to any of our friends. Shocking a business like Camp America would exploit people in this way! Hoping it’s just a rogue camp but cost us a fortune, wrecked summer plans and caused a lot of anxiety all round!

"Lucy really helped me a lot along the…"

Lucy really helped me a lot along the way even though I had lots of problems that came up! She was calm, kind and helpful!

"Подорожували разом"

Подорожували разом, проблем начебто не було. Рекомендую!

"Emotionally abused read this now"

I am outraged, overwhelmed and tired. I feel completely dehumanised, objectified, gaslit and manipulated. i got fired 2 days prior, they did not give me a dismissal letter, they wouldn’t tell me why, they just said we want you to in the next 30 minutes sending me into a state of shock and panic, they provided no support the whole time I was there mentally, they made me beleive i was this awful human. The whole thing feels like a fever dream now I’m gone, they act so polite and loving in front of children then treat their staff like dirt. I’ve never been so disrespected, isolated and miserable in my whole life. they messed up with dietary requirements multiple times which I was sick most nights as I’m lactose intolerant, they provided no medical support to this. I wasn’t given my medication after I was fired since the whole process was rushed and unprofessional. At this all girls camp there was a man actively working, interacting with kids and facilitating meetings? Which I did not sign up for as men make me uncomfortable which is why I chose an all girls camp. Which made me even more anxious was the fact this man got me out my cabin late at night when my kids were getting into bed, it was just us alone in the dark which was so unprofessional, to accuse me of having no integrity, and essentially bombard me with negative thoughts. But due to being so manipulated at this camp I blamed myself and my mental health severely deteriorated. On top of this they let me an 18 year old girl supervise 7 year olds shooting alone. i think the fact 7 year olds can shoot is disgusting and dangerous on so many levels. i attempted to raise a Saftey concern at a meeting about how children under 10 shouldn’t handle live weapons as they struggle to hold the weight of the weapon, and struggle to follow simple instructions, I think this is why I was fired as they didn’t like me speaking up about actual problems at their camp, I believe they wished to silence me, they are so rich that firing me is nothing to them, they have no empathy, no conscience and are extremely manipulative . I’ve never felt so scared in my entire life and I’m so thankful I’m out of there. I’m currently in a hotel on my own waiting to go back home, I feel safer here then I did at that camp. multiple staff told me they were being neglected emotionally but because I spoke up about this I was cast out! we had no breaks whatsoever we worked 7-10 ,7 days a week and even over night if a child was sick. we were extremely overworked and not in the least compensated. It’s completely disgusting that they can fire international staff or even anyone over nothing, it’s so expensive to get home. I had to book hotels and flights on my own with no help and they dropped me off in the local town. Ridiculous. All phones were banned, children were not aloud to leave or contact parents which I think is appalling, the whole thing is a money making scam painted in bright colours so no one questions anything. I would not recommend this to anyone, i did not feel safe in the slightest, the only positive thing I experienced were the fellow counsellors I befriended, I think the main way we bonded were through sharing our anxieties about camp america itself. May I also add the training I had towards rifelry was 20 minutes long, they then told me to take apart the guns and clean them. i told them I needed assistance and I was given none. I had to figure out how to take apart a gun on my own and clean them, possibly the hardest and most unsafe task I’ve ever done. Overall the staff were so rude and unprofessional please do not do camp America. i cannot put into words how emotionally abused I have been this summer.

Multiple times this summer the owners told us they had over hired, which is probably which I was fired. Another thing I wish to add is the medication I did not receive back are anti depressants, so I have had extreme withdrawals, blurry vision and nausea.

"Absolutely Disgraceful, emotional abuse and neglecting. PLEASE READ "

1 star is generous, I would have gave 0 had it been an option. This place is truly disgusting, how on earth it is legal is beyond my comprehension. My 18 year old younger sister left for Camp Birchwood from Britain this summer, where she was treated incredibly poorly, with nothing but disrespect and manipulation. She had been working very 7am til 10pm 7 days a week, as well as through the night when children were sick with next to no time for herself, she worked very hard with strong morale. She had lots of issues working here, very little training and couldn’t believe this camp met any health and safety regulations. Despite her discomfort she was made to teach 7 year olds how to shoot rifle guns with little knowledge on either end, which she found so unsafe and unsettling. They messed up dietary requirements most days, my sister is severely lactose intolerant and it brings eczema out in her skin as well as stomach issues, they labelled all her food ‘dairy free’, and later realised they messed it up- causing her to be very unwell on camp. The way the directors spoke to the my sister and the other councillors on a daily basis was vile. They complained to her and other councillors that they had over hired. One by one her friends kept disappearing, she would wake up and her friends and their luggage was gone. A few days ago she got pulled into a room and was told she didn’t quite meet their expectations, they fired her with little to no explanation. They told her she had 20 minutes to pack her stuff and they would drop her off in a town. My sister, now in tears absolutely distraught, shocked, little funding, had to book and pay for a hotel in a random town in America. Due to her low funds, she stayed in a dingy, old hotel in a random town, having not been able to say goodbye to anyone, or to even process her emotions or the injustice. They clearly just needed to get rid of workers so they didn’t have to pay them after over hiring. To drop an 18 year old girl in the middle of a random town in America with no support or help, leaving her to fend for herself, the other side of the world from her family is absolutely disgraceful and unethical. The worker in the hotel was very sweet and supportive, as she said so many girls the same age had come in crying in absolute states not knowing how to get home, she said the last girl was Australian and was stuck in the hotel for 6 days before she could successfully contact a family member and sort flights out. On top of this, my sister uses small doses of daily anti depressants, when she got fired she asked for her medication back (which they took at the start of camp for regulation), in which they refused to give it her and said it was not their problem. Due to her being stuck in the hotel and travelling home, she has now gone days without her medication in which she has been dizzy, her vision has been blurred and she has been vomiting (which has been awful as she has been on flights), as the withdrawal symptoms from anti depressants are not nice. I cannot for the life of me believe that there are no laws regarding ethics being violated here, manipulating and gaslighting an 18 year old girl from England, stuck in America, leaving her to feel so distraught and disorientated, with the worry that she had done something wrong, followed by the fear of being somewhere unknown with no idea, help or plan of how to get home, when they immediately just dropped her a 30 min drive away from camp. It is truly disgusting, immoral and unethical. Our mother hasn’t slept in days hectically trying to plan her a route home from somewhere completely unknown to us. If Camp America wants to allow employers to drop international employees as and when they please (without good cause), they need to establish a route which ensures their safety. My younger sister is currently sat on an airport floor, completely disheartened, worried sick, guilty and completely ran down. She says it feels like a fever dream now, as she had felt so manipulated, isolated and dehumanised. This whole thing is unsafe and a complete and utter scam.

"I highly recommend!"

I went to a special needs camp in Pennsylvania for 5 summers and had the best experience with Camp America. I highly recommend the agency and had the support needed when I was in the US. Camp was the best decision and I made friends for life. Thank you for the best 5 summer at camp!