Drake Duda Megan Kneifl Interview 1

Introduction

I interviewed Megan Kneifl, the Program Director at Camp Kitaki YMCA on 9/18/22 at

3:00pm central time. She told me she started out as a camp counselor, and never really saw the

camping industry as a career path. When asked what made her change her mind and stay, she

said that the like the theme of “changing kids’ lives”. She explained that in the camping industry,

it seemed much more realistic, and she truly enjoyed that.

Mission of Agency
The mission statement of the YMCA is “To put Christian principles into practice through

programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all” (YMCA 2022). However, Megan told

me that most of the staff at camp Kitaki have begun to use their purpose a sthe unofficial motto:

“To build strong kids and adults through programs and services that develop a positive identity,

relationships, values, and skills in a unique natural setting”.

Clientele Served

The main clientele for camp Kitaki is mostly children, ages five to seventeen.

Membership is not required, unlike urban YMCA centers. Clients mostly come from the greater

Lincoln area, however they get clients from all over Nebraska, and the U.S.A as well as some

international camping programs. There aren’t any other qualifying demographic characteristics

within camp Kitaki, they serve clients from all demographics.

Services and Program Provided

Megan and I talked extensively about the program at camp Kitaki. I was very curious

about the similarities and differences between a YMCA camp in Nebraska, and a YMCA camp
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in Pennsylvania, where I currently work as a program facilitator. Megan told me about some of

the programs that they do, mostly in the summer. One of the most distinguishable and prominent

programs that Kitaki runs is their ranch camp.

Megan explained ranch camp as a leadership program that 18 kids participate in. She said

that it teaches the young adults the value and meaning of leadership. Essentially, the young

adults plan the entire itinerary for the following week, and are tasked with presenting it to

Kitaki’s administration. After they have presented, they travel to a small outpost owned by the

camp, with a few program leaders, where the campers are in charge. They need to work together

to complete bonding and leadership challenges. I found this very interesting, because at Camp

Fitch, the YMCA camp I work at, we don’t have anything like this program. It is very

interesting, and I can see the value of doing something like this.

Staffing

At Camp Kitaki, there are seven full time positions, 6 directors and one administration

specialist. Megan is the program director. Kitaki has most of the same positions Camp Fitch dies

with a few differences. At Fitch, we have a summer camp director as well, and there isn’t a

program director. There is an outdoor education director at both, but at Fitch the summer camp

and outdoor education directors work together. We also do not have an associate executive

director like they do at Kitaki. Finally, Kitaki also has a property director. I didn’t get a chance to

ask Megan what this position did, but I’m curious if it is similar to our maintenance director.

Much like Fitch, Camp Kitaki also utilizes many seasonal employees, both for summer

and outdoor education. There is also a heavy presence of volunteers that come on weekends to
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run program. It was very interesting to see the amount of similarities between Camp Fitch and

Camp Kitaki.

Funding Sources

Money for Camp Kitaki comes from the Lincoln YMCA. Like all other YMCA camps,

Kitaki gets all of it’s funding through a larger YMCA branch. Due to the fact that the YMCA is a

nonprofit, it gets a majority of it’s funding through personal donations and contributions, as well

as fundraising events. The branches themselves also rely on membership fees to fund their

projects.

Professional Issues

Megan explained that one of the biggest challenges she faces in the camping industry is

the perception that is more of a “business”. She says that it takes away the personable

experiences out of her job. She said that being connected to the Lincoln YMCA was both “a

blessing and a curse” because they wouldn’t be able to survive without the funding, but people

don’t think of camps when the hear ‘YMCA’.

She also explained that one of the main professional issues with the YMCA is that it is a

growing thing. She said in out interview that one of her favorite things about working for the

YMCA is the amount of growth that can be observed in just a few years. She told me that there is

currently a project to expand Kitaki’s food service program, which she is very excited about.

References

Our mission statement. YMCA. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from

https://www.ymca.org/who-we-are/our-mission