Summer Camp Counselor and/or Assistant Trip Leader

When your campers hug you at the end of the season and tell you what a difference you’ve made in their lives — often with tears in their eyes — you’ll know all your effort was worth it. There is no satisfaction like watching your camper leave camp a better person than when he or she first arrived. After pouring yourself into their lives, you’ll find that you have grown tremendously as well.

Our counselors come from all over the country and the world, and the relationships formed at Wolf Ridge last a lifetime. If you’re ready to work hard and inspire in campers a sense of belonging, stewardship, and adventure, then Wolf Ridge may be for you.

Functioning as the heartbeat of camp, counselors work and live with campers. At Wolf Ridge, we have two types of camp counselor positions: the general camp counselor and the assistant trip leader & counselor.

 

General camp counselors will fulfill two roles while at camp. The first and most important is as a mentor and role model. Counselors are exceptional people who have been hired after extensive interviews and background checks. Counselors live in a room with 8 – 10 campers of the same gender and take the role of caring for other peoples’ children with the utmost seriousness. They have compassion, great listening skills, an ability to relate to children and are ready to and excited about putting the needs of children before their own.

The other part of the job involves a general camp counselor to assist and participate in hands-on outdoor and environmental activities at Wolf Ridge. Each counselor is placed with an age group that suits them best and then we prepare them with the skills needed to assist and participate in daily activities. Activities include wildlife programs, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, geology, games, archery, campfires, singing silly songs, camper skits and much more!

 

An assistant trip leader & counselor will fulfill thee roles while at camp. The first and most important is as a mentor and role model. Assistant trip leaders & counselors are exceptional people who have been hired after extensive interviews and background checks. They live in a room with 8 – 10 campers of the same gender and take the role of caring for other peoples’ children with the utmost seriousness. They have compassion, great listening skills, an ability to relate to children and are ready to and excited about putting the needs of children before their own.

The second part of the job involves an assistant trip leader & counselor to assist and participate in hands-on outdoor and environmental activities at Wolf Ridge. Each assistant trip leader & counselor is placed with an age group that suits them best and then we prepare them with the skills needed to assist and participate in daily activities. Activities include wildlife, hiking, rock climbing, adventure ropes, swimming, geology, games, archery, campfires, singing silly songs, camper skits and much more!

The third part of the job is to share with campers the beauty, ethics and skills of camping in the backcountry. Wolf Ridge has a broad-based adventure and wilderness tripping program which features 2-to-21 day trips backpacking on Isle Royale National Park and the Superior Hiking Trail, kayaking in Voyageurs National Park and the Apostle Islands National Lake Shore and canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. An assistant trip leader & counselor will co-guide a trip with a wilderness trip leader to expose campers to sleeping in a tent, helping prepare food, hiking, canoeing, teamwork, leave no trace ethics and much more.

Think you have what it takes to be a counselor at Wolf Ridge? Staff members at Wolf Ridge are resilient, take initiative, selfless, creative, high-energy, fun, nurturing, compassionate, and display a positive attitude. They care about children and want to share a passion for our environment with each of them. A camp job is can be challenging – think 14 hour days, 6 days a week – but counselors are ready to work hard to meet those challenges. They’re also great role models; counselors are often like superheroes in their campers’ eyes. They display that sense of selflessness and always put the campers first. Most of all, counselors are always focused on ensuring that their campers have an amazing and memorable camp experience.

All staff members will go through a 2 week staff development program and an 8-week camp experience during the summer.

 

Many staff come back to Wolf Ridge summer after summer and while the camper come first, a camp job is not only an amazing opportunity for fun, friendship and adventure; it’s also a fantastic growth experience. Camp is a place to learn about yourself, face challenges, experience personal growth and develop new friendships. Each summer at Wolf Ridge, our diverse staff comes together to build a community. There is no stronger foundation for a community than the pursuit of a common goal shared by all who come to camp. Staff learn to work together through challenges and support each other as they develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Whatever your future career plans hold, we know that a summer at Wolf Ridge will equip you with skills and experiences that will benefit you throughout adulthood.

To learn more about the Wolf Ridge Summer Camp Program check out out video on Youtube at https://youtu.be/gdLfJvzBWEM