Camp Augusta Perks & Benefits

Here it is plain and simple: If you need it to live, we have it to give. That means your monthly expenses should look a little like this:

• Rent – $0
• Utilities – $0
• Wifi – $0
• Food – $0

From the moment you step onto the wood chips (including days off), you will always have 

• Lodging (whether in a cabin, treehouse, platform tent, or under the stars)
• Freshly prepared food (more on this in the next category!)
• Access to those must-have utilities (laundry, hot showers, wifi)
• Free supplies & conveniences like batteries, stamps, and camp swag
• Opportunities to use our huge inventory of recreational equipment & artistic supplies 
• Lazy Dog Ice-Cream (if you know, you know 😋)

We select our staff because we are excited about them and want to see the magic they can create; in other words, we are paying our staff to show off how incredible they are! To prove we live by that philosophy, we ensure that no one has to spend a dime on basic livelihood while spending the summer with us.

Whatever terrible cliche you’ve heard about camp food, you can forget it here. Camp Augusta’s kitchen is mostly organic, and quite simply: really really good. 

The kitchen team at Camp Augusta might as well be wizards, because no camp compares to Augusta’s level of meal quality, variety and accommodations. I’m talking about

• From-scratch meals served breakfast, lunch & dinner
• Full salad bar twice a day
• Tasty meat-free options for vegetarians & vegans (hello jackfruit pulled pork)
• Plentiful alternatives for non-dairy and gluten-free eaters
• Dessert every night and a staff fridge stocked with a little somethin somethin if you ever need a pick-me-up

Especially for our fine folks with dietary needs, getting a reliable meal can be tricky. Camp Augusta works with the kitchen staff to make sure all dietary needs are met and we serve options for everyone. Whatever your dietary needs are, you will eat here and it will be delicious.

While certifications might not be the most glamorous perk in the world, they are important. If you need a certification to fulfill your role at camp, we will either train you ourselves or cover the cost, i.e., you won’t be starting a job with a financial deficit. 

Depending on a staff member’s role and what we need for the summer, we send individuals to earn these life-changing certifications and cover not just the cost of the certification, but all related expenses (hence the “+” below). Here are some of the professional certifications we have covered in the past! 

• CPR & First Aid ($40+) – offered to all staff
• Complete Waterfront Lifeguard ($300+) – offered to all staff
• ACCT Ropes Course Level 2 Certification ($1,200+)
• AMGA SPI Certification ($3000+)
• Certified Horsemanship Association Instructor ($1500+)
• Wilderness First Responder ($800+)

But that’s not all!

Camp Augusta also believes in personal and organizational development, which means sending our incredible returning staff to conferences and classes during the off-season so they can come back and share what they learned. Our staff have attended unique and enlightening events that have directly impacted our culture, clinics, and trainings – making these avenues of learning just as valuable as industry certifications. We gladly spend anywhere from $5000 to $10000 total on our returning staff to attend development courses and conferences. 

Here are some examples just to give you a flavor! 

• Gottman Institute – A world-renowned approach to relationships
• Naka-Ima – Workshops in honesty and uncovering your essential self
• Landmark Worldwide – A workshop forum for personal and professional growth 
• Non-violent Communication Conferences and Workshops – NVC is one of Camp Augusta’s foundational philosophies for communication and self-expression 
• Convergent Facilitation Course – Workshop aimed at collaboration and decision making
• Many arts and creative courses including blacksmithing, leatherworking, painting, and more.

Scaffolding is Camp Augusta’s approach to mentorship and setting all staff, new and returning alike, up for success. In a nutshell, scaffolding is an transfer of support or knowledge that is flexible enough to allow a learner’s personal strengths and experiences to guide how to fill their role.

To put it another way, our mentorship philosophies are there to blend institutional knowledge with an individual’s strengths, setting each staff up with the power to create the summer of their dreams interwoven with a strong support network. We have several systems and processes in place to make sure we got you throughout this summer. 

• 1:8 staff to scaffolder ratio for all counselors to their village
• 1:3 (or less) staff to scaffolder ratio for all non-counseling staff
• Frequent check-ins and “you good?”s from scaffolders
• A personal growth document you craft with your scaffolder to set out goals for the summer
• End of summer letter from your scaffolder highlighting what you achieved over the summer

You’ll be trained, checked-in-on, and more or less set free to go-forth-and-kick-ass. 

When all is said and done, you couldn’t ask for a better reference in any job you go into. Your scaffolder will have been with you for every challenge and victory, and be able to tell your future employers all about the different successes you had here during the summer.

Camp Augusta is a hub for some of the most talented, creative weirdos on this planet. We hire from across the globe and value our staffs’ diverse set of backgrounds, identities, and skills. 

Not only will you meet some of your new favorite humans here, but you might also just meet one of your favorite humans ever. More summers than not, a future marriage has blossomed from among the wood chips – along with epic backpacking trips, international adventures, new roommates and best friends.

Camp Augusta is a community where many remark a deep sense of belonging and forever-community – even after one summer. It is common to have staff come back for visits and work for years to come. And afterward, you’ll be part of an extended community – staff who travel have stayed at the houses of Augustans that they have never met before, due to the connections we attempt to foster between our present and past staff.

We don’t mean to sound like a broken record here but we LOVE our staff. Every summer brings a unique blend of what we can only imagine are some of the best humans on the planet. To honor our once-in-a-lifetime group, we put together two all-staff events for the sole purpose of fun and celebration.

The end of staff training is rung in with an all-day trip to, well, we don’t know yet! We plan a new one every summer. We have a $9000 budget and one day to use it for as much fun as possible (which we have been quite successful at in the past). 

To celebrate the bittersweet end of our summer season, we hold a capstone staff banquet with good food, shared memories, and plenty of dancing. We budget $7000 for the occasion and staff come dressed in formal and zany costumes. Everyone does their best to scrub the dirt off and we celebrate the summer looking fresh and feeling free to let loose!

Have you heard that Augusta has the longest staff training in the camping industry? It’s true!

Unlike roadside attractions that boast “World’s Biggest Ball of Yarn” or “America’s Tallest Chair” that are big for the sake of big, ours became the longest in the industry because there was no way to teach our program philosophies or unique clinics in any time shorter. We’ve run the numbers people, the training is 25 days or bust!

Our onboarding and staff training is so well-developed that they have been worth college credit (Prescott College, 2017 and 2018). To say it another way, our training is valuable enough to a student’s education that it has been offered as course credit (and charge the sticker-shock tuition price that goes along with it, $5500!) at a US college. 

Don’t worry, we won’t charge you tuition – we are just trying to show that our staff training is more than circle games & tie-dye (although we do love a good circle game…) Our training covers skills that will follow you long past the summer season and emphasizes many of the soft skills that modern employers and relationships desire. 

A quick note on soft skills – the reason that summer camp is such an amazing place to spruce up your soft skills is due almost entirely to the level of freedom, responsibility, and creativity you are allowed within your role. No other job lets you experiment, fail, and try again as camp does. Whether you are looking to boost your resume or just become a better human, this is the way to go.

Our 25-day training is a masterclass in all things Augusta and is roughly divided into three equal areas of learning:

1. Skills Training – Learn the activities that you will pass on to campers. From aerial silks to blacksmithing to rope swings. 
2. Approaches to Empowerment, Mentorship, and Community – Every inch of Augusta’s program is guided by intention and backed by philosophy. By spending time with our philosophies and the intentional design behind our program areas, staff will be better able to grab hold and live into the magic of Augusta.
3. Learn Camp by Doing Camp – Camp Augusta takes Wish, Wonder & Surprise quite seriously. Experience the magic of camp by not just learning the theories of our program areas, but by participating in them yourself. From Special Wake-Ups to Story Experiences, the magic can make you feel like a camper in the best way possible.

Have you SEEN the Sierra Nevada foothills? (If you haven’t, please click this). That’s us. That’s where we are. When you have off-time, you can spend it on or off-site:

If you would like to spend your off-time on-site during the summer or between groups during the pre or post-season, our site is a beautiful place for you to be. We have bubbling creeks, secret swimming holes, and an impressive ropes course to give you a birds-eye view of it all. Also, staff have the opportunity to utilize our activity spaces and equipment during their time off, meaning that every season staff choose to spend their leisure time making new crafts, exploring our ropes course, and playing in the lake. Though what if you want to spend your time off outside of camp?

Every week staff members get 24 hours off to explore to their heart’s content. Our local landscape includes the quaint gold-mining town of Nevada City and the lovely Yuba River; The world-famous Lake Tahoe is also within an hour’s drive. Major cities like Sacramento and San Francisco are also at your fingertips for those who want to retreat into shopping, restaurants, and concrete jungles. 

Wondering how you’ll explore these places without a car? Worry not! Packs of wild Augustans travel every which way during days off and the company is always welcome. You are also welcome to lead an expedition yourself by borrowing one of our cars. As long as you meet the insurance standard, you are free to grab the keys, roll the windows down, and take off into the sunset.

If you feel like sleeping under the stars on your day off, you are more than welcome to borrow from our stash of our camping gear. We have tents, sleeping bags, and more. Our wilderness guides could give you any number of breathtaking recommendations for places to go.

The Augustan staff have packed many adventures into their 24-hour trips, from rodeos to casinos to nights on the Pacific Crest Trail. Whatever your interests are, adventure awaits you at Augusta!