Exploring Engagement among Staff Working at a Physical Activity Day Camp

Background: Summer camps promote physical health because they engage campers in a wide variety of games, skill-building sessions, and healthy competitions (Hickerson & Henderson, 2012). Some camps implement interventions to promote healthy behaviors among campers, such as programs in which campers track their physical activity using pedometers (e.g., Wilson et al., 2016). Reports of interventions such as these highlight the importance of camp staff, and suggest that camp staff who are highly engaged in their work are more likely to promote healthy behaviors among campers.

Aims: This study explores engagement among camp staff, with the aim of providing a tool for administrators to foster engagement among their staff.

Methods: Data were gathered using an online survey (Handelsman et al., 2005), focus groups, and daily journals (N = 48). Staff participated in a focus group and completed a journal where they described their daily level of engagement.

Results and Discussion: Results indicate that participating directly with campers, instead of watching from the sidelines, was a primary characteristic of engagement. Second, engaged staff built relationships with their co-counselors outside of camp, which appeared to support engagement during challenging situations. Third, engagement varied in relation to staff members’ nutrition, sleep, hydration, and emotional wellness. It is well documented that camp staff engagement directly impacts campers’ physical activity, and this study provides insight into camp staff engagement such that administrators might better understand how to promote engagement among their staff.