Child Development in Camp Counseling - Paid Internships Available

Camp Counselor - Child Development Internship
Location: Northern California (onsite housing provided)
Position Type:  Full-time, seasonal (May 13th-August 9th)
Compensation: $5,000 + food, housing, utilities, training, and perks!

Living and working for Camp Augusta for a summer is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to work with children in the future, and do so in a way that is rooted in a humanistic approach that is genuine, empathic, and empowering. Camp Augusta is not your average summer camp. We are seeking experienced, hardworking, enthusiastic, and passionate counselors for our small summer community to create an epic and life-changing experience for campers.

A summer job or internship with us includes:

300+ Hours of Experiential Training in topics such as: 

• rational-emotive behavior therapy 
• nonviolent communication
• emotional intelligence
• experiential education 
• child development 
• understanding of group dynamics  
• wake-to-sleep hygiene and care 
• group facilitation
• CPR and 1st aid 
• lifeguarding
• emergency preparedness
• Our 150+ activities
• and more!

9 Weeks of Summer Practicing: Being responsible for cabins of 5 campers at a time, and applying all the skills above to camp activities and discussions.

A Skilled & Dedicated Supervisor/Scaffolder: With no more than a 1:8 ratio, this person emphasizes your growth and works with you to develop your skills working with kids

Fully Paid & Inclusive: In addition to a summer salary of $5000, counselors also have all of their housing, utilities, and organic food provided for during their entire stay, as well as receiving other perks and benefits!


What You’ll Do as a Counselor:

After extensive training, you’ll be responsible for supporting a cabin of five campers, providing guidance and supervision throughout their time at camp. In a typical day, you might:

• Lead creative, fun activities and play games with your campers.
• Teach exciting clinics (you’ll choose from 150+ options during training).
• Facilitate camper-led activities and support their growth.
• Participate in themed Evening Programs, where you’ll play a character, run games, and bring magical experiences to life.
• Engage in group discussions and one-on-one counseling using emotionally intelligent techniques.
• Offer two heart-felt gifts to each camper per session, including personalized wood cookies and thoughtful letters to parents.

Counselors are the heartbeat of camp, and the words we use are critical to bringing our hearts to theirs. Most counselors spend a session or two outside of the cabin as well, contributing to programming or other areas of interest. See our page on counselor life for more information on the role and how it differs from most other camps. 

Imagining what it all looks like? Here’s a video of our summer shenanigans! 

If you want to be one of those flag-running, costume wearing, oatmeal throwing, woodchip-loving Augustans… take the next step to meet us here. :)

 

This is the place for you if you…

• Are overjoyed to build close relationships between and facilitate a meaningful overall experience for 5 campers, and especially if you have had and plan to continue to work with children throughout your life
• Have the depth of emotional and physical stamina to joyfully engage with a community of 100 campers and 60 staff members for 9 weeks in the summer, working from 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM six days a week.
• Love to play and are eager to explore the creation of magical worlds with enthusiastic character roles
• Are dedicated to guiding/counseling children utilizing emotionally intelligent, thoughtful counseling techniques (to be learned/practiced in detail throughout pre-camp and staff training)
• Love community, and the idea of supporting the growth, interests, and emotional well-being of the other counselors and staff within your village, as well as the camp-wide community, is exciting to you

Minimum requirements: 

• Must be at least 19 years of age by June 1st, 2025
• Must be available during our summer dates: from May 13th to August 9th 2025
• Ability to commit to 3-5 hours of pre-camp onboarding work (paperwork, videos, book clubs, readings, etc.) a week from when you are hired to when you arrive, and maintain open and prompt communication about that work
• Must be willing to get a COVID booster or show proof of a positive test prior to arriving at camp.

And MUST have two of the following: 

• at least one summer of experience at a residential summer camp
• over 100 hours of direct mentorship work with youth
• A major or background directly related to working with youth

Preferred qualifications:

• A history of ‘meaningful’ work and a variety of experiences with youth
• A plethora of interesting hobbies, passions, and life experiences that you’re excited to share with us
• A GPA of 3.0+ with a true excitement for learning and writing

At the end of the summer, your resume could read:

Child Development Specialist - Camp Augusta Summer 2025

After 300+ hours of dedicated training within a closely-knit 150 person community, I acted as a primary caretaker for 5 campers with 24-hour responsibilities including behavior management and child development. This role included significant training and practice in skills including facilitation and debriefing, Non-Violent Communication, success counseling, 1st aid / emergency preparedness, and teaching various activity areas.

Internships?

Yup, we do that. We can co-design your internship based on the skills and development you seek, and the specific requirements of your school!

Note: Some educational institutions require prior approval before the start of an internship. It is the responsibility of the student to check with their institution to be sure they meet any requirements before they accept a position.

If you have internship requirements, we can almost definitely meet them:

 About Camp Augusta:

Camp Augusta is a nonprofit residential summer camp in northern California that offers a truly unique summer camp experience for campers and staff alike. We are focused on counseling skills, creativity, excellent programming, and camper choice - see more about the vision of our camp here.

We aim to include and celebrate many facets of human identity – gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, and other aspects that make us unique. We are working to craft an inclusive culture founded on ideals of curiosity, honesty, empathy, and acceptance – a place where people are seen and acknowledged for their shared humanity as well as their unique individuality. Read our full Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Belonging (DEIB) Statement here.

 

Do you have any questions?

Send us a message on Handshake, and we'll get back to you by the end of the next day! You can also send any questions you have to applications@campaugusta.org.

Feeling ready to apply?

1. Take 5 minutes to fill out our interest form. 

2. Someone from our hiring team will reach out to you within 24 hours.

3. Schedule an Intro Chat with us, and complete a full application!