Camp Counselor& Activity Instructor

positions

WORK ATWALDEN

our visionSummer camp provides kids with an indispensable experience that is increasingly hard to find. At Walden we strive to provide our campers a chance to experience and develop a conservationist appreciation for the natural environment. We want our campers to develop the social skills that come from living in a communal setting. We want them to get outside of their comfort zone, learn new skills and take acceptable risks. We want both our campers and our staff to have a formative experience that stays with them for years to come.

Staff often tell us that their summers here are among their most memorable—even decades later—and that their campers teach them as much about themselves as they, the counselors, teach the kids.

Walden’s standards are high. Camp staff know that their social lives and academic pursuits take a back seat to their counseling work. We expect their number one priority, at all times, to be the physical—and emotional— security of our campers. Being a Walden counselor isn’t the easiest job you could have this summer, but it might be the most rewarding.

our vision

Walden is a traditional, coed overnight camp in Northern Michigan. The camp was founded in 1959 and has been family owned and run ever since. Campers range in age from 6 to 16, and session lengths run between two and seven weeks. Our 100-acre main property, outside the city of Cheboygan, encompasses woods, meadows and an extensive shoreline on a spring-fed lake. We draw most of our 450+ campers each summer from Michigan, Illinois and Ohio, but welcome children from at least a dozen more states as well as several foreign countries. Our 100+ staff, too, represent a spectrum of states and countries.

Walden runs a “camper’s choice” program in which children create their own activity schedule, picking from among nearly 50 activities. Counselors play a duel role: living with and supervising a cabin of campers AND teaching in our activity program. Most Walden campers possess beginner or intermediate level skills. Therefore, extensive knowledge of an activity is not nearly as important as the willingness, ability, and patience to communicate the Fundamentals. (You can be a great tennis player, for example, and have no idea how to teach someone else!) If you have a skill that you don’t see listed on the back of this brochure, ask us about it! If you can teach it, we may be able to offer it. As a part of the application process, potential staff will be asked to submit three professional or academic references and agree to a thorough criminal background check.

• Jobs begin mid-June and end, with few exceptions, in mid-August.• Candidates must have at least one year of college or the equivalent.• Counselors have time off during each day and one day off a week.• Two or more cabin counselors live with 8-13 campers in a cabins. All cabins have showers, sinks and toilets; electricity, bunk beds, and built-in shelves.• Internet/email access is available in the evenings. The staff lounge is furnished with DVD players and a large library of movies. It also has lockers for staff valuables.• Walden has a zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy on camp grounds. The administration reserves the right to test all employees for banned substances.

GENERAL JOB DESCRIPTIONGENERAL JOB DESCRIPTION

ABOUT USABOUT USWalden is a traditional, coed overnight camp in Northern Michigan. The camp was founded in 1959 and has been family

WALDEN

CHEBOYGAN

Activity Instructorsneeded for

Athletics/Fitness• Basketball• Soccer• Softball/Baseball• Lacrosse• Ultimate Frisbee• Tennis• Archery• Fencing• Gymnastics• Yoga/Pilates/Cross-train• Volleyball

Watersports• Waterskiing• Wakeboarding• Canoeing• Kayaking• Sailing• Stand-up Paddleboard• Swimming• Fishing

Performing Arts• Drama• Comedy Improv• Dance• Guitar/Ukulele• Drums

Nature/Outdoor Life• Small animal care• Outdoor cooking• Wilderness skills• Gardening• Ecology

Visual Arts• Drawing/Painting• Ceramics• Sculpture• Jewelry making• Fiber Arts• Tie Dye/Batik• Printmaking• Lapidary

Media• Radio• Video• B&W darkroom photo• Digital photo• Cartooning• Newspaper

Horseback riding• English saddle• Western saddle• Horse care

Scott Ruthart and Liz Stevens have been the directors of Walden since 2006. During the winter months, they run the camp office from their home in Fort Worth, Texas, while also traveling often to the Midwest to meet new camp families. Their son Max spent many years as a camper before aging-out in 2018(!), but their dogs Laika and Hudson still come to camp!

For more information contact Scott:817-253-0722 or scottru@campwaldenmi.com

Activity Instructorsneeded for

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