What Its Like To Work at Camp.

Calvin Crest is a co-ed resident Christian camp located in Eastern Nebraska about 10 minutes from Fremont and an hour or less from both Omaha and Lincoln.  By “Christian Camp,” what we mean is that we have an emphasis on developing Christian faith throughout each day.  This includes time for personal time with God (JAM-Jesus and Me), morning worship, small group Bible Study, evening campfire with a brief lesson and many times throughout the day that conversations deal with matters of faith and belief in God.  Most of these times are facilitated and led by summer camp counselors.  We also sing a grace and have a spoken word of prayer before every meal, sing Christian (and other) songs throughout the day and intentionally focus on faith development.  We advertise ourselves primarily to families that attend or are involved with Presbyterian Churches (PC(USA)) in the western part of Iowa and throughout Nebraska.  This means that most of our campers have a foundation of Christian faith.  Most camp counselors are from the area and many have grown up attending camp here. 

Our most common camp sessions are 5 nights long and begin on Sunday afternoon and end on Friday late afternoon.  Along with the spiritual component listed above, the days include time for swimming, group games, crafts, archery, sling shots, horseback riding, hiking, and other activities that camp counselors lead.  Our camp counselors serve both as cabin counselors and specialists.  That means they oversee the campers living together in a cabin and are there with them throughout the day including wake-up, clean-up, rest hour and bedtime.  And they work in a program area during activity periods including leading a small-group Bible study with a co-leader each day. 

We organize the cabins by gender and age and allow campers to request up to two bunk mates.  For elementary-aged campers we do not exceed six campers per counselor and for Junior High campers that ratio will not exceed 8 to 1.  Both those numbers are often less and there are two counselors per cabin.  That means that there might be cabins with 16 campers and 2 staff for the older ages.  Occasionally we utilize volunteers as a second counselor. 

Your job as a general counselor is to make sure the campers are getting along with one another, making friends, and adjusting to camp.  You need to ensure that they have good self-care habits, like showering, brushing their teeth and so on, and that they are engaging in camp activities.  As a counselor, you help with cabin clean-up every day.  This time is when the campers make their beds, organize their belongings and generally clean their living quarters.  You are expected to be “on duty” at all times of the day and evening except on specific periods you have off.  You are expected to be with the campers and aware of their whereabouts and behavior from the time they get up until the time they go to sleep at night.  Counselors sleep in cabins with the campers.  Every counselor gets time off each day and gets each weekend off—from the time we finish wrapping up the week on Friday until 1PM on Sunday when we gather to prepare for the week ahead.  We do offer two weekend events (Explorer Camp and Family Camp) and expect each counselor to provide a few hours of leadership during one of those weekends.  Many counselors go home or to a friend’s house during their weekend off.  Occasionally, with permission, some stay at camp. 

We do not allow the use or consumption of alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco or vaping in camp or while you are working at camp.  Cell phones are permitted for staff only (the campers are not permitted to bring them).  However, you may only use your cell phone on your period off and then only out of sight of the campers.  You may carry your cell phone for camp emergencies, but they are not to be used for general communication amongst staff.  They are also not to be used as an alarm clock in the cabins. 

We do not allow staff to keep personal medicines in the cabin for safety reasons.  This includes over-the-counter medication like pain relievers or allergy medicine.  You will be required to fill out a health form and let us know if you are taking any medication.  The medications are kept in the health center and our health care supervisor will distribute them to you at the necessary time. 

Drinking or smoking or any drug use is grounds for immediate dismissal.  All staff members are required to report to camp for staff training and orientation at 4PM on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.  We do about a week of training and orientation and then we begin our camp sessions. You can find a schedule of camps here. Our last week of camp ends on July 5.  A few staff stay a few more weeks to assist as Calvin Crest hosts other groups through the rest of July.  A packing list for staff will be sent out to you in May. 

The most important aspect of your job is to form positive relationships with the campers and help them in their ongoing faith development while keeping them safe and engaged.