Overview
Camp Augusta is not your average summer camp and the wilderness program is no different. We seek high and low for folks who have a calling in life… to make a genuine difference in the lives of children and their own; to pursue a variety of adventures that feed body, mind, heart, and soul; to work hard and play hard (especially when they are one and the same); to share the magic of the backcountry with young people of all ages.
Camp Augusta is an 80-acre non-profit residential camp nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California. Within Camp Augusta the Wilderness Program specializing in teaching emotional intelligence, primitive fire making, positive communication techniques, high ropes elements, intentional community living, backcountry travel, and oh-so-much more.
Counseling is our primary passion and intention at Camp Augusta Wilderness. As a summer Wilderness Trip Leader, you will work closely with 4-9 campers, honing your epic skills in creativity, compassion, and wonder for life with the mission of fostering life-changing experiences. After 3.5 weeks of paid staff training, you will be equipped with oodles of tools and information about effective behavior guidance, how to live and work in a tight-knit community of 55 staff, and how to teach an incredible array of activities.
Wilderness Trip Leader Tasks:
-Help execute numerous trips of different types, including (but not limited to) a backpacking trip, climbing trip, horse-packing trip and rafting trip
-Understand, meet with the wilderness liaison, and provide backup plans
-Complete all pre-trip tasks including: write trip itinerary, pack gear, pack food, reserve vehicle from camp, pre-trip contact with each participant
-Plans all meals within Camp Augusta’s food philosophy and food budget
-Organize equipment for trips
-Contacts participants at least three days prior to trip, answer any questions from family and participants
-Complete all post-trip tasks including: clean, repair, and store all gear, clean vehicles & return keys, debrief with Wilderness coordinator and co-trip leaders, complete parent letters
-Carry the essence of a Camp Augusta experience out into the wilderness. Wish, wonder and surprise may be in the backpack, and it is definitely in the heart of all on-trip activities
-Practice and educate participants on Leave No Trace principles
-Monitor and guard the emotional, physical, and mental health of each camper
-Plan special wake-ups every morning and evening embers every night for campers
-Engage with the rest of the camp community to offer fun, memorable experiences even beyond the realm of leading trips in the wilderness
-Wilderness Trip Leaders will, while in camp, facilitate activities, participate in evening programs, campfires, and bringing magic to our camp community
-Staff must be at least 19 years-old by May 2024.
-Availability to work from May 13 to Aug 11, 2024.
Qualifications:
Current Wilderness First Responder certification or ability to acquire one
High level of experience being out in the wilderness, and high level of comfort leading others in the wilderness
Required Skills:
-Able to lead a variety of trips: backpacking, canoeing, climbing, horsepacking
-Knowledge and practice of wilderness medicine.
-Extremely organized; can handle the management of multiple areas of trip leading: including people, equipment, and logistics
-Stamina; trip leaders are on 24/7 when they are in the wilderness and are expected to meet the physical demands of each trip
-Experience in leading trips in the backcountry, and the ability to use a map and compass
About Camp Augusta
When in your life has your work asked you to have an oatmeal fight, transform into a dragon, search your soul and encourage soul searching for others? Working at Augusta is an experience unlike any other. Our days are beautiful, demanding, inspiring, educational, hilarious, frustrating, silly, surprising, intimate, active and most importantly, full of opportunity. Our staff have ample opportunities to develop themselves personally and professionally. In our 3.5 week staff training and throughout the summer, staff can learn and practice progressive models of child development and counseling, communication techniques like clean communication and Nonviolent Communication, diverse leadership styles as well as how to live in a tight-knit community. Come with an open-mind, a trusting-heart and plenty of ambition, and leave with a soul on fire!
Are you up for the challenge? 🙂
