The goal of our JC program is to give participants the tools necessary to become an effective and knowledgeable staffer. This is an intensive program which includes: hands-on training as both a cabin and interest counselor; First Aid, CPR and Basic Lifeguarding courses; and multiple seminars on safety, dealing with children and what it means to be a camp counselor.
• Community Service Hours: Junior counselors can fulfill school service requirements while working at Robin Hood. Graduated JCs will receive documented community service credit for the four-week unpaid training session. Credit given for mentoring young children as well as community work projects amount to nearly 200 hours.
Our goal is to motivate, support, and encourage your growth as a responsible, effective, and valuable staffer. Being a successful counselor is hard work. It is often difficult to make the transition from camper to counselor; for most of you, this will be your first serious work obligation. It is critical that you make a full commitment to this program; your success depends upon it. The knowledge earned is both professional and interpersonal; your self-esteem and confidence will grow as you realize the satisfaction of doing a job well. This program gives you the tools to become a leader, within and outside of the Robin Hood community.
You also need to ask yourself what you hope to achieve. What are your expectations? Set your own goals for this summer. Enrolling in the JC program gives you the opportunity to learn lifelong lessons about responsibility, management and personal growth in a fun, constructive environment alongside new and old friends.
The program works. Both the camp and the participants benefit, creating a stronger counselor staff for years to come. Those who return to Robin Hood after their JC year are frequently among our strongest staffers because they have prior experience with Robin Hood. They already understand the traditions and care about the camp community.
• Tuition is $5,500 plus $1,000 non-refundable registration fee. Tuition is fully refundable until April 1 and session dates can be changed until this date as well.
• JC Session Dates
o Session 1 Week 1-Week 5
o Session 2 Week 2-Week 6
o Session 3 Week 4-Week 7 (Tuition is $4,100 plus $1,000 non-refundable registration fee)
Training begins immediately the morning after arrival with your first training session led by Head Director Rick Littlefield. You will receive your Staff Training Guidelines, cabin assignment and first assignments of specific individual responsibilities and tasks. First week goals are to earn the respect of Directors, senior cabin counselors, and senior activity counselors through demonstrating a strong, mature positive work ethic and attitude to align yourself solidly with the staff more than with being perceived as a camper. Also during the first week:
• American Red Cross Basic First Aid & CPR Training certification course
• American Red Cross Lifeguard Training certification course begins
• Write first cabin reports on two assigned campers in your cabin. Demonstrate full understanding of these campers, their progress. Know what they have accomplished, who their friends are and what challenges and frustrations they are having.
• Round table discussion with all JC’s, JC Director, and Director Rick Littlefield talking about what individual JC’s have learned so far, what frustrations and problems they are encountered, and self-evaluations of what they need to work on to improve.
• Training lecture by Director Rick Littlefield
• First full comprehensive evaluation session with the JC Director and Director Rick Littlefield based on written evaluations from your cabin and activity counselors
• Test #1 taken based on studying the first 15 pages of the Staff Training Guidelines and the first two JC lectures
• Assignments given for second week tasks and homework assignment for next 15 pages of Staff Training Guidelines.
• Test #2 taken based on pages 16-30 of the Staff Training Guidelines
• JC Meeting and follow up evaluations based on input from the senior six Directors, the Program Director and cabin counselors. Evaluations will review progress over the first two weeks and what each JC most needs work on in order to earn graduation. Evaluations will focus on initiative taken, work ethic, helpfulness in the cabin, degree of appropriate authority with campers, relationship with campers and counselors, attitude and level of maturity, degree of being a role model to younger campers and the community and appropriate language.
• Depending upon training progress and evaluations, JCs may be moved from their first assigned cabin into a new cabin of a different age group in order to give greater exposure and understanding of the different challenges encountered at different age groups.
• Cabin reports written for two assigned campers in your cabin
• Final training lecture and round table discussion
• Assignment to study remainder of Staff Training Guidelines
• Final Exam on Thursday based on Staff Training Guidelines and lectures. The first question is always: “Give the first and last name of every camper in your cabin. Spell the names correctly. Tell us where they are from, how many siblings they have, who are their best friends in their cabin, what stripe accomplishments they have earned and how well the camper has adjusted.”
• Hot Seat final evaluation with Director Rick Littlefield, JC Director, and other Senior Director on Friday. Decision regarding graduation.
• If graduated, JC becomes a full counselor for the week.
• If graduation has been delayed, JC has an opportunity to re-take the final exam later in the week or demonstrate improvement in the area of performance requested to earn graduation.
The JC training program will include guest staff speakers who will give their insights about the college admissions process, and speak about their specific colleges.
The JC training program is the most valuable developmental program Robin Hood offers. It is a challenging program and not designed to be easy. Graduates annually express how much they have learned about themselves, how proud they are of themselves for successfully completing the program and how surprised they are about how much they enjoyed the world of increased responsibility.
TODAY'SWEATHER--------
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Email robinhood@robinhoodcamp.com