ACA Home Forums Cedarledge! Let's Beat Last Year's Record!

That sounds good

We have secret buddies but we call them Pixies. Supposedly they pick new ones half way through the summer but last summer we definitely only did it at the beginning and I didn't get my paper in on time so they had already divied them up so I didn't get to do it. This summer I plan on getting the paper in the minute they give it to us! We did a CIT Pixie during CIT 1 since we couldn't participate in the staff one so we made our own amoung us! It was excellent!

We don't have a buddy board. One of our dock sitters (watchers for some camps) has a clipboard and you have to sign in and out with her. We attempt to do a number system sometimes but in the end we just end up writing their names down. When they sign in we assign them a letter and write their name next to it. When we do buddy checks they must raise their hand when we call the letter. Sometimes a few kids don't respond and we call their names. If they don't respond by then we usualy glance up and see them cuddled up in their towel in the meadow (our field next to the waterfront) or in the bathroom. Then they get a talking to and we keep an eye on their movements in and out of the water and remind them to check in and out.

At my camp that did camp buddies, the staff only did it and since the number of CIT always varied in the number of weeks, the CIT's ( who were mostly adults because it was a special needs camp), some of the staff took them on as a secert buddy during the week - we had the permission of the director to do this so they did not feel left out.

I just adopted our CIT intern cos we only had one - the year before we had 4 so they orangised something between themselves! But last year of 11 CITs in CIT only 1 wanted to come to CHenoa - the rest were all farnsworth campers so that is were they choose to do their internship!

some of the CIt's at my first camp chose what they wanted to do as a CIT- weather doing just a counselor or becoming an activity specalist assistant.

Our cits have to be counsellors when they are interning - but when there doing CIT they do shadow all the areas plus the counsellors!

Well the CIT's do shadow the counselors if they are not assisting an activity area.? Some of the CIT's/JC wanted to assist the activity areas

i love seceret buddies!

yeah I enjoyed when I did it, however, I really didnt get too much from my secert buddy

I have friends who have been like that - i have been lucky! But I usually give random gifts to people I know arent getting stuff!

Thats cool. I think the reason why my last camp didnt do it was because they didnt want to let us organize it

Thats just silly! If people want to take the reigns and organise it that means a happy staff and one less thing for them to worry about!

Our Program Director is in charge of organizing Secret Buddies for staff. We just do it during pre-camp so that people can start giving gifts when the actual camp sessions start.

One time I organized it among my campers...we had an amazing unit who was so excited to do it. They all drew names (counselors did it too!). Then instead of gifts we told them to write little notes, draw/color pictres, or make those bracelets and such during A&C. The girls loved it!

Our CITs shadow counselors regularly (starting with just a few hours at a time). And the first few times they observe, and then as they spend more time in units they are given more responsibilities - this may include leading songs or lines, checking kapers, etc. And once they start having responsibilities, they are evaluated so they can work towards improvement. Their final practical test is to serve as a counselor at another camp run by our GS council -- they are evaluated by those staff members. Our CITs get a LOT of time observing units and shadowing staff. I think it'd be cool to let them shadow in program areas one day - hopefully we can work towards that!

Our WITs also work in units once a week (Sundays) and are evaluated as well. And our WITs have a LARGE role in the running and operations of both corrals, and they are constantly evaluated on their performance there. And they basically have the opportunity to shadow wranglers all day.

One thing I like is that our CITs and WITs foot (pour water) at dinner and they sit with a staff member that is heading (serving food) - so they can also get to learn about staff stuff in that way. At all-camps we also like to have our CITs and WITs help run the events and get experience in that area. I think we do a good job in providing learning opportunities for our CITs and WITs -- although we can obviously always improve!

Our CITs and WITs (when we have any WITS) also foot our tables for the staff heads. While most CIT programs are more internship experience than anything else, ours is a good combo of both working with the groups and learning things. We also spend time just being campers in a way, though everything we do we consider the campers and what you would do with campers, like our counselor will say, "now if you came up here with campers, you would do this/what would you do" etc, and oftentimes do those things with most or all of the CITs as the "campers" and our counselor, or one of us as the "counselor".

The only thing I don't really like about our program is that we actually have a pretty bad WIT program. They split time between being with the horses and with us and campers. Our program isn't big enough to have a seperate program for the two so our WITs are almost more like CITS who get to spend time up at the horses (anywhere from 2-6 hours a day). So I suppose it works if you want to be a counselor but are considering possibly being a wrangler. But then the WIT (only 1 in my CIT 1 group) is gone from the group for part of the day so then they feel a little left out and they don't do all of our cool activities and sometimes miss the being camper stuff.

We are very lucky to have two separate programs. The WITs and CITs both have strong programs. The two groups do some activities together as they are the oldest girls on camp and get to host campfires and such - so they work together. But the groups are kept separate so that they develop their own bonds and can relate to each other based on their experiences and what they learn/do each day.

What I think is cool is that we have some former CITs that become wranglers and some former WITs become some of our best counselors. Interesting how things work out!

I was almost a CWIT, but Mom and Dad could only afford to send me for one program. I told Smiles I want to be WIT director someday and she laughed really hard lol. Then she felt kinda bad when she realized I was serious.

I would love to CIT director if manage to get back to camp - last summer I wanted to do that but the gave the job to some one who while she did a great job didnt want it - and she had less camp experience than me so that kind of annoyed me! I think if someone really doesnt want to do something they shouldnt be made to!

I hope my camp this year will do the camp buddies

Marty - I hope they do it as well. It really brings extra fun to camp for the staff.

Smudge - I feel ya on that one! CIT/WIT Director positions are so difficult because the person needs to be the perfect combination of teacher and unit leader/counselor. I definitely think our camp has had some wonderful people in those roles - and some not so great people in those roles. Sucks that you had more experience and didn't get the position...sometimes the hiring is just wrong!

I think she got it cos she had been at the camp a year longer than me - but I had 4 summers of GS camp and one at a different type of camp. But never mind!

One of my other camps did that with a unit - we had one 2 week unit while all the other programs were 1 week - and me and one other person wanted to do the ranger program cos we didnt mind not having a break at the same time as everyone else - but they didnt put either of us in that program - and what was worse was that it was a primative camping unit and one of the girls really didnt want to do it at all - she was devistated to say the least. I jus think they didnt put me on it for the same reason as they didnt let me go on a previous units off camp camping trip - they didnt want me to have an asthma attack (although that isnt the reason they gave me!).

No worries, I am back from vacation, and will jabber on here till I go to camp/don't get hired.

I mailed my application last Friday, and two references with it. I haven't heard anything yet. :-( I'm nervous since it's so late in the year! What if they don't need any more ULs?

I think it says on the website they're looking for ULs and health staff, so you should be in the clear, Willow.

On the website it says they are looking for a CIT director too...don't tell Bunny!

Turns out one of my friends went to Cedarledge ages ago. In fact she was in Kia when I was a CIT 1. And she and her cousin may have thrown all of their tent-mate's clothes around the unit. And gotten her underwear stuck up a tree. I actually remember hearing about it at the time, lol. I almost think that Bird was in-unit for that one. The one time she didn't come home smiling...

I kinda sorta really really want to be RIT UL. I <3 sleeping out, and I am a pro at cookouts (if you recall, Rosethorn).

Nevermind. They updated it, lol.

I tried to convince aforementioned friend to apply, but she has awful allergies so she would have to be a Nurse's Aid. I dunno if she would be able to keep herself from throwing the Nurse's underwear up a tree though.

Hehe! I have to ask even thought I dont think I want to know the answer - but they "may have" done it - does that mean she doesnt want to own up to it or she cant remember ?- and just how does one get underwear stuck up a tree?

What is RIT? I know what WIT and CIT are but have never heard of RIT!