Alycia Bannon, Recreation and Leisure Services, Class of 2010

Posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Alycia Bannon (right) with Jocelyn McAlpine (left) both graduates of the Recreation and Leisure Studies Program, Class of 2010 did Summer work at Camp Beaumont, England.

Traveling to England for a summer definitely tops the list for the best summer ever and experience of a lifetime, also having the chance to work in my chosen field of recreation was a major bonus!

I worked at Camp Beaumont, as a Group Leader. Camp Beaumont is an International Adventure Holiday summer camp welcoming children aged 7-18 to participate in sports and recreation activities. I have always wanted to travel the world and experience as much as possible in life. When this opportunity came up I thought hard about it, but when I mentioned it to people, with a developed career that never had the chance to travel, they all said “I wish I had of…” that is when I knew I had to do it.

My over all trip was amazing. Working and traveling for two months I met so many great people, gained a lot of experience and made lifetime memories. Having the chance to live in a different country I experienced a new culture. You may think England and Canada are very similar, as did I before traveling there. Everything from the food, to the language and architecture is all very different. I worked with children from all over the world, making language a major barrier. These experiences helped develop my ability to work with different people as well as understand other cultures and ways of life, these are all attributes that are key for someone in the recreation field. I also gained a lot of excellent resources for my future in recreation.

While being a Group Leader I got to put what I learned in my classes to work. Being a student in a classroom, teachers can provide you with endless amounts of resources and teach you many things but, after completing four field placements, I can say that my placements are really where I got my experience and knowledge, especially while in England.

I would suggest anyone that has the chance to go abroad for a placement should do it. It was a total blast, you meet so many new people and experience more then you could ever imagine, oh and it looks really nice on your resume.

• Posted in