Summer Camp Counselor

Get a summer job at Sanborn Western Camps, at either High Trails (our female centered space) or Big Spring (our male centered space). We are located on a 6,000+ acre ranch in Florissant, Colorado. Work, teach, and live with children in a respectful community.

Summer Camp Counselor Job Qualifications

This job is open to men and women 2 years out of high school — traditionally college sophomores and older. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year due to the seasonality of this position.

• Previous experience working with children is preferred.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Enthusiasm, creativity, and a passion for working with children.
• First Aid and CPR certification (options available to take the course on-site).

Job Benefits

Competitive salary ranging between $3850-3950/season plus stipends for travel and pertinent certifications, lodging, meals, paid sick leave, laundry, and the opportunity to influence the lives of children in the out-of-doors.

This job description is not intended to include all tasks that might need to be performed but to give the overview of the primary and most common responsibilities.

Job Responsibilities

• Living and working with campers.
• Working with a team of counselors to provide leadership and care for a group of campers.
• Assisting and/or leading on or off-camp trips, activities, programs and special events.
• Being responsible for table supervision at meals.
• Providing tent or cabin coverage for other counselors and staff as needed, occasionally requiring you to spend the night in another living unit.
• Being flexible, in response to current and emergency situations, and to shifts in responsibilities when camp is underway.
• Writing weekly letters to parents on campers’ wellbeing and maintaining up-to-date documentation on camper growth.
• Actively participating in Counselor-in-Dishroom (CID) assignments (preparing the kitchen/lodge for meals and cleaning up afterwards on a rotational basis).

Primary Essential Functions

• Must have visual and auditory ability to assess any unsafe environment or hazard and physical ability to respond appropriately to any situation.
• Must have physical ability and strength to lead activities five days a week, including carrying a 40 lbs pack over varied terrain (snow, tundra, boulders, loose rock, etc.).
• Most days are fully packed for 7-12 hours and there is limited recovery time due to additional in-unit responsibilities.
• Be physically fit for an active camp environment, adapt to high elevation living, and be able to work long hours when needed.
• Abilities to observe camper behavior, assess its appropriateness, enforce appropriate safety regulations and apply appropriate behavior management techniques.
• Must be comfortable sleeping outdoors and managing personal hygiene without toilets or running water.
• Must be able to live in a cabin with others (campers and/or staff), and eat meals in a large, noisy dining room.

Summer Camp Counselor Job & Your Career

On top of a passion for working with and influencing today’s youth, there are many skills that will help an individual be successful at camp and in other future careers. To work with youth, you must be a positive role model, resilient, empathetic, hardworking, creative, selfless, and so much more. In addition to these skills, there are some essential traits that will help you be successful at Sanborn in particular.

Flexibility / Adaptability

Being able to respond to current and emerging situations is crucial for success as a camp counselor. Often, we ask that our staff are flexible and adaptable when being assigned to program. This might mean that you were assigned to and had planned for a rock scrambling activity, but if no campers sign up for that activity, you will be reassigned to a different program. This program could be something that you don’t know much about and hadn’t planned for, but you will work with the originally assigned counselor to support their plan and deliver a successful program.

Initiative

At Sanborn we have a saying: “See Do, Saw Did.” We ask that our staff see what needs to be done and do it themselves rather than waiting for someone else to take charge. We encourage staff to take initiative in every aspect of camp; whether it means creating and implementing a new and exciting program or replacing the empty toilet paper roll, no task is too big or too small for any staff member. You will often see our directors plunging toilets, sweeping, and taking out the trash as “see do, saw did” permeates every level of the organization.

Our Alumni Network

Our alumni community is extremely important to us and, as a staff member, you will be connected to an incredibly diverse and successful network of professionals. Our alums are active contributors to the Sanborn community long after they have been campers or on staff. They participate in work days, attend reunions and donate during fund-raising events–plus many of them continue to connect far beyond their time at camp. Many people make some of the best friends of their lives during a summer at camp!

Will I Get Trained?

Yes. Staff week happens for 10 days before the campers arrive and it provides valuable time for all of us to build our staff community, to become familiar with camp, and to plan and organize for the rest of the summer.

There are trainings offered before staff training, so you may be asked to arrive early. Staff Week officially begins at lunch so it is best to arrive early on the first day of staff training to get unpacked and moved in before meetings and activities begin.

Is Working at Summer Camp Fun?

YES!!! It is a super fun summer job. AND it is a REAL job. Some benefits beyond the paycheck include:

• Being part of a purpose and mission driven 501(c)(3) Not-for-profit Organization
• Support and professional devel