Going to summer camp is getting a whole new meaning during the recession.

KSTP TV in Minneapolis recently profiled a "Laid Off Camp" where job seekers brainstorm and learn skills to help them land jobs by learning skills, such as how to use social networking web sites to marketing their skills.

While such skills will come in handy, probably the best thing about these workshops is the chance to get together with other people who are out of a job and trying to learn from them.

Here's the video from KSTP TV in Minneapolis:


I've been out of work for a year, and while I haven't attended one of these "camps," I have joined a few networking groups and found that the socialization was just as enjoyable as getting help in the job hunt.

The Minneapolis camp director, Jane Ackerson, told KSTP basically the same thing.

"What I needed when I was laid off was to be around other people so I could lift my spirits up," Ackerson said.

It's also a good chance to share job hunting tips, such as using the same photo for all of your profiles and networks, and making eye contact with at least one to two people every moment during a job interview.

"If you can bring together a lot of people with a common cause, they can share their knowledge and information with each other and put that knowledge to good use," said camp creator Chris Hutchins.