USU Sunny Days Camp Enriches Summer with Exciting Field Trips and Mentorship Programs 

By Teagan Davidge 

“We want to foster a space where campers and counselors create lifelong memories. The counselors get to put in things that they want to do, because some of them are future teachers. This is their playing ground to find out what might work in their future classrooms,” said Student Recreation Center (SRC) Intramural Sports & Day Camp Coordinator Demetrius Scott. “We want the campers to come into a space where it’s not school. It is structured chaos. We try to create an environment where adults are silly, and children get to see that.” 

It was Sunny Days Camp, the University Student Union (USU) summer day camp that runs from June to August each year. Sunny Days Camp offers various programs to choose from, including a traditional day camp featuring weekly field trips and activities like sports, games, arts and crafts and free play. Campers may also enroll in an option without field trips. 

Specialized camp programs are also available, such as the Rock-Climbing Option, where campers receive rock climbing instruction on the wall in the SRC facility, and the Swim Option, where campers receive swimming instruction from certified instructors. With the Sports Option, campers participate in different sports activities each week and learn skills through practice and friendly games. Older campers can participate in the Skills of Leadership (SOL) Option and the Junior Counselor (JC) Program. 

The Movement Option is available this summer for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Campers in this program participate in instructor-led movement activities such as Zumba, salsa, hip-hop dance and breakdancing. Campers also prepare and practice for their performance in a culminating talent show. 

“The campers, especially the ones that have grown up in the program, ones that have been here five, six, seven years—it’s great seeing them come back each summer and being excited,” said SRC Co-Director Jeremy Hamlett. “The field trips are awesome, and the Friday activities. Every Friday, we do a different activity. The field trips are fun because sometimes we go places where the kids haven’t been before, so it’s cool to have them experience that.” 

Apart from those enrolled in the option without field trips, all campers attend weekly field trips, including adventures to places like Underwood Family farms, the California Science Center and the La Brea Tar Pits. 

“One thing we have that a lot of other camps don’t have is direct access to so many 18 to 24-year-olds that are on the path to work with kids. A lot of our staff are child development majors that want to work with kids, so that’s really what makes our camp successful,” Hamlett said. “The front-line staff are building those relationships and having those memories with the campers. The parents see the care, the parents see the dedication, and because of that, they keep bringing them back.” 

Sunny Days Camp is organized by full-time SRC staff members dedicated to providing a safe and exciting camp experience. Counselors are all CSUN students over the age of 18 and CPR and first aid certified and receive 30+ hours of training prior to camp. 

“Having access to a college is a lot different than other camps that don’t have a regular space they don’t have to rent out. We have two pools, access to the turf field, and air conditioning. I think that makes us stand out,” said Scott. “Being in business for 23 summers now, it’s just a testimony to the need and demand on our campus, and how many folks come every summer.” 

In summer 2023, more than 400 unique campers registered for the camp and 33 CSUN students were employed as counselors to help plan and lead daily activities for campers. Around 40 percent of campers are CSUN-affiliated, with many of their parents and guardians being current CSUN students or alumni. 

“It’s a development program for the campers, especially for the shy and introverted ones. It’s an opportunity for them to come out of their shell and expand their horizons,” Hamlett said. “Same thing with the staff. We get staff that are kind of reserved when they first come in and then after a couple seasons, they blossom into new people. We see a lot of development for both campers and staff.” 

Camp options SOL and the Junior Counselor Program introduce older campers and those who have aged out of other programs to unique problem-solving challenges. SOL campers receive instruction from an experienced counselor who guides them through leadership development, teaching them different life skills each week, including communication, responsibility, listening and teamwork. SOL campers are also tasked with helping counselors plan and coordinate camp programs. 

JCs spend the summer enhancing their leadership skills while being role models for younger campers. They work very closely with Sunny Days Camp staff and are exposed to life skills such as leadership, supervision, time management and effective communication. JCs participate in helping counselors facilitate daily activities such as arts, crafts and sports. Additionally, students receive community service hours while volunteering in this position. 

“I’ve made some of my very best friends working at camp,” Scott said. “Without camp, I don’t think I would have found what I wanted to do. The interaction with children put me down a pathway of ‘I can do this’. If I don’t know anything else I can do in the world, working with children is something I feel like I do really well. Camp started that for me.”