Counselor
Full Summer, Resident Position, Internships Available
As a Counselor at GRP, you will live and work outside for the summer, sharing the magic of the natural world with children ages 6-15. Serve as a guide and friend for up to seven boys or girls by living with them, creating a safe and fun cabin environment, and assisting Mentors as they lead daily hikes on the Preserve.
Counselors also dive into an immersive teaching experience, ideal for aspiring educators, by learning and leading classic camp activities each afternoon. Based on your interests and experience, we place you in a handful of activity areas as a leader or class assistant. Through our afternoon activities, Counselors make lasting impressions on the camp community. Campers come to know and admire you for helping them grow, challenge themselves, and succeed.
Develop Skills
Counselors help our campers meet life’s early challenges with courage. Along the way, counselors develop professional skills like teaching, community-building, effective communication, and problem-solving that will strengthen any career.
All staff participate in our 2-week training prior to camp. Training is designed to give you the skills that will help you succeed throughout the summer and is in alignment with the American Camp Association’s standards and expectations.
Environmental education experience.
Counselors live and work outside for the summer, sharing the magic of the natural world with children and fellow staff members. Counselors will serve as a guide and friend to campers by living with them, creating a safe and fun cabin environment, and assisting our professional naturalists as they lead daily hikes on the Preserve. Counselors also teach or assist with classic outdoor activities such as climbing, canoeing, and archery, along with creative arts and primitive skills.
Adventure leadership training.
The culmination of a Counselor’s summer experience is a two-night beginner backpacking trip on our land. We call this program Campout, and it takes place four times over the summer (plus once during staff training). Counselors work with a small team of peers to plan a special experience in the woods, which includes hiking and basic orienteering, setting up camp, cooking meals, and building fires.
Internships
Looking for an internship? We know that internships can be an important step in a career, or even just a hoop students need to jump through for school. Luckily, this job provides many opportunities to learn and to apply your academic knowledge. If you need course credit, we are happy to help you turn your experience at GRP into an internship.
Looking for a specific internship?
InternshipsRequirements
Experience
Counselors must be 19 years of age or older, have completed one or more years of college or equivalent life experience, and have a sincere desire to work with children. The exception to this is 18 year olds who have completed our LIT program. First year Counselors must commit to our full season, which runs from May 24 to August 11, 2022. Please only apply if you can make that commitment.
Behavior
All staff sign a camp covenant, which holds our community to high standards of behavior while employed at Green River Preserve. This covenant includes a commitment not to do illegal drugs, drink alcohol underage or drink on GRP property. These actions are grounds for immediate dismissal from your job. If you cannot honestly make this commitment, please do not apply.
Certifications
All Counselors must be CPR/First Aid/AED certified. If it’s not possible for you to acquire this certification before camp, we offer this training the weekend before staff training begins.
Employment Eligibility
Counselors must be U.S. Citizens or authorized to work in the United States. At this time, GRP does not participate in the U.S. Department of State J-1 Cultural Exchange program that brings international visitors to American summer camps as camp counselors or summer work travel participants.