At the beginning of the summer at my camp, right after the Campers arrived, my Camp Director would ask all of the Support staff to step out of the kitchen for a few minutes so that he could introduce all of the kitchen staff by name and say what University they attended. Emphasizing the University was crucial as the campers thought that the kitchen staff were just that – full time kitchen staff year round!!!
For many years the kitchen/maintenance staff felt very much 2nd class citizens at camp and not at all attached to camp life – that has changed dramatically and all camps are now meant to give all Support staff at least 1 day off a week and provide cultural activities and access to transportation for all staff members.
Most camps now actively encourage their support staff to be involved in camp life and activities – skits at the camp fire with the campers, songs, the culture and life of the country of their origin and the food that is unique to their home.
The truth is that the more camps do for their staff the more the staff will do for them.