What does it mean to be a Camp Counselor?
At Camp Mohawk, the experiences that you will have and the friends that youll make will stay with you throughout your lifetime. At camp, you will work hard and long and enjoy the friendships of some wonderful people. Camp counselors have the opportunity to personally interact with campers and lead them through activities. A counselor lives with campers and forms a special and unique relationship. As a camp counselor you will have the opportunity to:
Master real-life problem solving skills,
Have a significant and positive influence in the lives of children,
Develop greater self-understanding,
Participate in experiences that enhance personal growth, and
Develop/expand a network of peer relations.
What is the mission of YMCA Camp Mohawk?
At Camp Mohawk, everything that we do is focused on delivering the mission of our organization:
To help campers grow in knowledge and appreciation of
Themselves
Their relationship with others
Their relationship with God
Their relationship with the natural environment
To do this, we need staff who have some special characteristics:
Genuine concern for children
Belief that you can make a difference in the life of a child
Sense of humor
Understanding that every situation can be a learning experience
Love for outdoors in all weather conditions
Ability and willingness to be a positive role model.
Appreciation and respect for all races, cultures, religions and abilities.
Willingness to pitch-in and go the extra mile.
What does the job entail?
As a staff member at Camp Mohawk, you will wear a couple of different hats. As a counselor in your cabin and unit you will be responsible for:
Living with 8-10 children in a cabin
Waking your cabin each day, ensuring that each camper showers daily,
Eating meals with your cabin group,
Participating in and help with planning evening activities with your cabin group, unit, or entire camp.
Planning daily afternoon cabin activities for your cabin group.
Completing daily health forms for each camper in your cabin.
Completing daily fun factors (evaluation) of each camper in your cabin.
Preparing campers for bed and lead evening discussion/cabin devotions.
Performing Officer of the Day duties as assigned.
In addition to your cabin and unit duties, you will be teaching activities during the day. The activities that you will teach will be based on a skill inventory done on the first day of staff training as well as the information that you include on your application. Each Sunday evening, girls will sign up for 4 activities for the week. As an activity instructor, it will be your responsibility to:
Prepare lesson plans in most cases, this means revising existing lesson plans and adding your own knowledge and experiences to the activity area.
Set up activity area
Submit supply lists
Be on time and teach activities daily.
What is a typical day at Camp Mohawk?
A typical day for a cabin counselor/activity instructor at Camp Mohawk is long and eventful.
Daily Schedule
7:20 Reveille: Make sure your campers are awake and getting dressed
7:45 Slingers & Call to Flag Raising: Your cabin is behind their benches and ready to start the day with the pledge and a devotion led by a different cabin group daily. Unit Leaders collect your Daily Health Check before leaving unit. 1 or 2 campers from each cabin set the table before each meal time.
8:00 Breakfast: Make sure that all campers are accounted for. Assure proper manners and friendly conversations. Counselors sit in the middle of a bench to ensure good communication with the girls at all meals.
8:30 Cabin Clean Up: Ensure that the campers are cleaning the cabin & they know where they are going each period.
9:00 Period 1: Start and end on time, take careful attendance, report campers not present to the office within the first ten minutes of classes, follow lesson plans and create an atmosphere of fun, energy, enthusiasm, safety and achievement.
10:05 Period 2
11:10 Period 3
12:15 Slingers to Dining Hall
12:30 Lunch: Same as breakfast, ensure that your campers are quiet. Listen to Op Rec announcements.
1:10 Siesta: In your cabin Monday and Tuesday of the first week of each session to raise the comfort level of your campers. Beginning Wednesday of the first week of each session, cabin counselors are released from their units by the Unit Leader when possible.
2:00 Period 4: Return to teach refreshed and energetic
3:00 Cabin Activity led by Cabin Counselor: First two days are teambuilding activities, then creative, fun, energetic activities planned by each counselor.
4:00 Optional Rec Optional Open Program Areas: Prepare and offer fun activities, supervise and clean up your activity areas. Waterfront staff and lifeguards on duty at this time.
5:00 Campers back to Cabins: Prepare campers for dinner and prepare for evening activities
5:15 Flag lowering. Make sure all campers are present.
5:30 Dinner: Same as all meal periods.
6:10 Store, Free Time, some staff on duty in Units, others time off. This responsibility rotates throughout the week.
6:50 Evening Program Unit, Cabin Activity, All Camp Activity: participate enthusiastically; help return camp to readiness for next day. End all activities with the Evening Circle.
8:30 Evening Program over Campers back to Units, Cabin Devotions: Lead cabin in a meaningful group devotion with enthusiasm and meaning. Establish a mood for reflection and sharing.
9:20 Taps: Help you campers settle down, read a story, chat quietly, get ready to sleep
9:20-10:00 Lights Out: Counselors stay in their cabin the first three nights of each session. Beginning Wednesday of the first week, Unit Leaders will release staff from their cabins after 10:00pm when possible. Staff released from their cabins have time off until 11:30 pm curfew.
Questions? If you have questions about any aspect of your job at camp, please contact us at the number below. Were happy to help and answer any questions that you have.
YMCA Camp Mohawk
PO Box 1209
Litchfield, CT 06759
Phone: 860-672-6655
Toll Free (US only): 1-800-842-1143
Fax: 860-482-3878
Website: www.campmohawk.org
Email: info@campmohawk.org
