Counseling: The Basics
Being a Counselor at Camp Augusta is a powerful experience. Whether you have worked at summer camps for a few seasons or this next summer will be your first counseling experience, there can be so much to know and so many potential questions. Let’s start with the basics:
- You’ll live with 5 campers in your cabin, and be responsible for their experience, health, and well-being.
- Campers are organized into 4 villages by age and gender (though camp is coed). Our campers are 8-16 years old and here for either one or two-week sessions.
- The core of our camp is counseling, for all of our roles. Our staff are trained in camper care, communication, and children’s joys and challenges.
- We have a passion for training our staff and providing them with the resources they need to have an excellent summer.
There is so much to learn about being a counselor at camp, and we have so many resources for you to explore. We suggest starting with these:
Flow of the Day
Why Being a Counselor at Augusta is Different Than Most Camps
There are many camps out there, and Camp Augusta is unlike most of them. We combine a ‘traditional’ Counselor role with additional rigor, support, responsibilities, and opportunities that make a Counselor here a unique experience. How?
Our Staff Training is 24 Days Long
This is the longest summer camp staff training that we know of. During that time you’ll learn counseling skills, learn up to 15 different activities that you’ll be able to teach during the summer, and connect with our 65-person staff!
Counselors Are Involved With Every Area of Camp
Counselors take on responsibilities and leadership in a variety of areas ranging from managing the animal program to working towards leadership roles for future years.
We Give Counselors Ongoing Support
Each group of Counselors has a support person (Village Leader) who can not only support them with their responsibilities but is also there to help support their growth personally and professionally.
We Strive Toward a Flat Hierarchy
This means that input and ideas from any person are taken seriously, and staff are given time to implement ideas that can improve our camp or programming.
Opportunities for Personal and Professional Growth
Being a Counselor at our camp goes beyond being able to put ‘youth development professional’ on your resume – we offer resources, connection, and support that can help you continue with your journey, no matter what that is.
- If you want to continue working in summer camping, we offer training and experiences that can be key to your development. Additionally, there are pathways for our returning staff to step into leadership their next summer in activity programming, staff management or logistics. Many of our past Counselors have worked with us on our admin team, gone onward to direct their own camps, or found their own organizations.
- If you plan to work with kids or in the outdoor industry you’ll learn communication, counseling, and conflict resolution methods that can help you. Many of our past Counselors have gone onward to work in wilderness therapy, teaching, or obtained master’s degrees in family therapy.
- Or, maybe you’re not sure what your path is – camp is a way for those who love working with children to explore their capacities and passions. Members of our past staff use the skills they learned at camp to build careers in consulting, recruiting, office management, game design, and politics. What will you find at camp?