PEACE Award: Providing Exceptional
Avenues for Cultural Exchange
 2006
PEACE award winners!
Dogwood for the Blind, Sherrills Ford, NC
Blue Star Camp, Hendersonville, NC
Barbara C. Harris Camp, Greenfield, NH
4-H Middlesex Camp, Ashby, MA
About the PEACE Award
What do the international staff you hire mean to your camp?
Do they enhance the philosophy your camp strives to achieve?
Do they educate your American staff and campers alike about
different cultures around the world? Do they provide a broader
perspective of different ways of life and promote cultural
diversity? Is the true concept of cultural exchange being
maximized at your camp? In your programming? With your campers
and staff alike? Are you providing the opportunities for your
international staff that make a difference in their experience?
To learn more about the American way of life? To accommodate
their unique needs which are greatly different than their
American counterparts? If so, you may be among the first honored
with Camp America's hallmark award for cultural exchange,
the PEACE Award.
Camps who Provide an Exceptional Avenue
for Cultural Exchange for their international
staff get back as much as they put into their international
experience. Going the 'extra mile' can make every difference.
How do you qualify to be a PEACE Award recipient?
You start by going over and above. Ask yourself, "Why
do I employ international staff?" and take it from there.
Put yourself in their shoes and consider how you would want
your first experience in America to be. Enrich the lives of
young people all around the world. Value your international
staff and embrace their differences.
Ideal Practices
Some ideal practices may be summarized into the hiring process
and pre-departure, arrival on camp, the summer experience
and post-camp. Here are just a few suggestions on each of
these categories:
Hiring Process and Pre-departure Call the international
candidates to ensure you are getting the best match for both
your camp and the applicant. Send them information about your
camp via the postal service and e-mail. Be realistic about
the experience your camp offers. Put them in touch with a
former international staff member from your camp to gain an
insider's point of view. Create a buddy system with an American
staff member to create a relationship before camp begins.
Put training materials on your camp's web site to initiate
the learning and adjustment process. The better prepared your
international staff are, the quicker they will be acclimated
to camp and the US!
Arrival at Camp Make them feel welcome and valued.
Try to arrange arrivals allowing a couple days of rest prior
to staff training—if you have participated in our Camp
Directors' Fairs overseas you can remember how exhausting
traveling and jet lag can be! Remember cultural differences
during your orientation sessions; participants are more familiar
with formal English and American movies—it's important
to use appropriate language in your training. Focus part of
your staff training on international differences. Create a
position for an international staff liaison whose specific
responsibility is to counsel them and help them to adjust.
Make sure your international staff know who this person is.
Establishing an open channel of communication will foster
a positive environment and facilitate their acclimation to
America and the rural camp community.
The Summer Experience Make sure that your cultural
exchange visitors understand that you care about them and
want to create the best experience possible for them. Remember
that your camp can learn as much about the world as the international
staff member came to learn about America. Cultural programming
is key—open the eyes of your campers, get rid of ignorance,
create an international perspective by offering programming
that is culturally diverse. Involve all nationalities represented
at your camp. Include your support staff in this programming
as well as other camp activities. Dismantle cliques and barriers
between Americans and Internationals, counselors and support
staff—integration is key. Offer assistance to your international
staff for their time off—coordinate transportation and
establish relationships within the community (e.g. local host
families) for support.
Post-Camp Camp may be over, but these internationals
can't just jump in their cars and drive home. Offer extended
accommodation on camp when possible. Help to coordinate post-camp
travel plans and transportation to their next destination
whether it's the airport or 1000 miles away. Most of the international
participants will have only seen the airport and the rural
area nearby camp, they need your assistance!
How Camps Get Nominated for the PEACE Award
Now you are saying to yourself, "I do these things, how
does my camp get nominated?" You will have proven your
commitment to cultural exchange when your international staff
nominate your camp over the course of the summer. Your staff
will be presented with the concept for the PEACE Award and
provided with several opportunities to put your camp forth
as a candidate.
So start now! Redesign your programming—Enrich lives—Make
a creative effort to use the Camp America program to cultivate
internationalism for all!
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