Chapter X 
PRE-CAMP ORIENTATION 
• 
CCC officials, including selecting agents, have become ac¬ 
customed to use the word orientation to describe the entire process 
whereby an in ex p erienced youth is assisted to accommodate his atti¬ 
tudes and his habits to CCC life so as to obtain the rrmm benefits 
possible from his enrollment in the Corps* Pre-camp orientation ap¬ 
plies to that part of the process of orientation which occurs before 
enroll m ent * It has come to be recognized as one of the very important 
responsibilities of the selecting agents. 
Pre-camp orientation and counseling by the local selecting 
agent should provide each selected applicant with an understanding of: 
The purposes of the Corps (i.e., importance of a Nation-wide 
program for conservation of land, water, forest and wildlife resources, 
the national interest in an employment and training program for youth¬ 
ful citizens, enrollees as participants in a purposeful, economically 
useful program of public work). 
What will be expected of the enroll ea in terms of the work 
program (i.e., number of hours of work on the project, necessity for 
working on Saturdays when there is inclement weather during the week, 
necessity for working more than the customary forty-hour week during 
emergencies, etc.). The applicants, when selected, should understand 
that they cannot leave camp whenever they so desire, merely because 
their day*s work on the project is done, nor can they as a matter of 
right leave camp every week end. They are expected to regard the life 
of the camp as being on a 24-hour-a-day basis. 
The opportunities of the camp and work program . It should 
be impressed upon each selected applicant that there are in every camp, 
in connection with the work project and camp administration, a sizeable 
number of opportunities to obtain basic training of general applicability 
to specify payroll jobs in industry and agriculture. At the outset it 
will probably be necessary for most new enrollees to engage in simple 
manual labor jobs of a non-technical nature. However, the normal turn¬ 
over of enrollee personnel, as well as the two-year maximum service re¬ 
quirement, so operate that enrollees already occupying key positions 
leave the Corps from time to time. This makes openings for energetic 
and intelligent younger enrollees who merit jobs of increased respon¬ 
sibility and skill. Those elevated to the ratings of leadership, 
authorized by law, receive increases in their monthly cash allowances. 
The advantages of making a good "work record" in the Corps. 
Such a record will stamp the enrollee as an outstanding member of his 
CCC company and will have important carry-over values as the enrollee 
later seeks private employment for which he is qualified. 
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