Philosphically Rooted Outdoor Education Summer Camp Counselor

Summer Camp Counselor
Location: Northern California (onsite housing provided)
Position Type:  Full-time, seasonal (May 12th-August 8th)
Compensation: From $5500 + included fresh food, housing, utilities, training, and perks!

Are you passionate about working with youth? Looking for a summer that’s not just a job, but an opportunity to develop professionally and personally in a supportive, fun, and growth-oriented environment? Join us as a Camp Counselor at Camp Augusta, where you'll have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in child psychology and leadership while building lasting relationships with kids and fellow staff.

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
  • Child development
  • Understanding of group dynamics
  • Group facilitation
  • CPR and 1st aid (certification provided!)
  • Lifeguarding (certification provided!)
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Our 150+ activities
  • and more!
• 9 Weeks of Summer Practicing: Lead, mentor, and live with cabins of 5 campers at a time, and apply 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 $5500, counselors also have all of their housing, utilities, and organic food provided for during their entire stay, as well as receiving other perks!

What You’ll Do as a Counselor:

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

• Wake up your campers with a creative and fun ‘Special Wakeup'
• Teach 4 clinics (you’ll choose from 150+ options during training) to whatever campers sign up
• Facilitate a Cabin Activity with your cabin group, which you all created together
• Support and supervise your 5 campers in the 3 meals and in Rest Hour
• 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. 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. 

Ideal Candidates:

This role is perfect for you if you:

• Have experience or a passion for working with children, and are excited to continue that journey in a summer camp setting.
• Are ready to engage deeply with a community of 100 campers and 70 staff members for 9 weeks, working long days (7:00 AM - 10:00 PM) to support kids and foster personal growth.
• Enjoy playing, creating, and bringing joy to others through fun, imaginative activities.
• Have the emotional intelligence and stamina to guide campers, fellow counselors, and yourself through challenges, offering counseling and support as needed.
• Love community and are excited to contribute to the personal and professional growth of your fellow staff members.

Minimum requirements: 

• Must be at least 19 years of age by June 1st, 2026
• Must be available during our full summer dates: from May 12th to August 8th, 2026
• Ability to commit to 5-8 hours of pre-camp onboarding worka week  (paperwork, videos, book clubs, readings, etc.) from when you are hired to when you arrive, and maintain open and prompt communication about that work

AND MUST have one of the following: 

• At least one summer of experience working at a summer camp
• Over 100 hours of direct paid mentorship work with youth (beyond babysitting)
• A major or background directly related to mentoring youth, with the intention to work with youth in your future career

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

The training, mentorship, practice, and experience you will get working at Augusta far surpass most (if not all) camps in the nation. We seek high-quality candidates for our roles and promise a high-caliber experience. Notably, our staff training and camp programs were developed by our director who has multiple doctorates in psychology, and our training has been offered as multiple accredited courses at Prescott University. 

Do you have any questions?

Send any questions you have to applications@campaugusta.org or our office a call at 530-265-3702.

Feeling ready to apply?

1. Read our Counselor Page (and sub-pages) to see if you feel excited by the schedule and responsibilities of the counselor role
2. Take 5-10 minutes to fill out our interest form.
3. Someone from our hiring team will reach out to you within 48 hours
4. Schedule an Intro Chat with us, and complete a full application!