#114223 - 06/06/10 07:03 AM
CIT help
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Mickey2010
25 to 50 posts
Registered: 04/19/10
Posts: 26
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I am working at a day camp and we have CITS who are voulunteer. They arent doing much and we dont have CIT director. I am looking or counselor evulation forms they can fill out, program evaulation forms etc and any other ideas you can think of that we can have them do. Thanks ahead of time I know a lot of you are at camp. You can email stuff to me at astory78@gmail.com
They have been helping with snack and programs but I am used to girl scout camp and think they could be doing more...some of them just play all day like they are normal campers.
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#114226 - 06/06/10 12:35 PM
Re: CIT help
[Re: Teenster]
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Smudge
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Registered: 05/18/07
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Loc: UK
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Our CITs would also spend time shadowning in each of the program areas. They also spent time learning the kind of stuff full time counsellors learn duding pre-camp and developing skills needed - like leading games and songs.
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#114227 - 06/06/10 12:37 PM
Re: CIT help
[Re: Teenster]
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THECAMPWOMAN33
150 to 200 posts
Registered: 02/04/06
Posts: 198
Loc: Soon to be@ Flat Rock River YM...
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CIT's Love assisting in program areas and Campfires and all camp activity!
Assign the CIT's to program areas daily. Have them use a journal and give them questions that they have to answer in their journals. Journals are great because then they can take them home with them.
You can even have them do a community project or build something new around camp. Almost every camp I've worked at have had CIT's build something around the camp. Most of the time, it was benches, or a shed etc.
You can also take them on trips, once a month as a CIT bonding experience. Like white water rafting, camp outs, hiking etc.
A lot of Camp websites have information on CIT programs. So Google and you'll find out so much more.
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"Camping is my life, and it is a good life!"
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#114230 - 06/06/10 02:04 PM
Re: CIT help
[Re: THECAMPWOMAN33]
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Giggles
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Registered: 02/07/08
Posts: 3774
Loc: Washington (the state)
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If possible try to only have one CIT per group, at least if your groups spend time in the groups not just as a whole. That's always my biggest problem in getting a DCA (our version of a CIT, though our DCAs are 13-16 years old) to actually do anything is when they have another teen there they just talk and ignore the kids.
Other than that, our DCAs just generally assist. They can be a 3rd buddy if the kids are going further away to go to the bathroom or get something from their backpack.
I personally don't have any DCA eval form but I know we use them. I'm sure you could come up with a pretty basic one of how well they did that day/week- things they did great with, things that need a little fine tuning, and things to work on. Maybe to assist the counselor in filling it out/coming up with ideas you could have a list of skills (interacting with the kids, game leading, camp appropriateness, other things depending on how your program is run and what is expected of them) and a rating system (numbers, good/excellent/fair/needs work, etc) and then an additional comments spot for more skills that are awesome or need work. You can have them do it together if the kids are occupied with a game and another CIT and/or counselor and take turns evaling and supervising children. Or you could have the counselors do it on their own.
Train the counselors to use the CITs for whatever help they can. If you've got some game time maybe see if the CIT has an idea and can lead it (even if it pushes them out of their comfort zone a bit). If there is a kid sitting out by themselves have the CIT go to them to see if they can get them included in the game or find out what's wrong.
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#114232 - 06/06/10 02:08 PM
Re: CIT help
[Re: Giggles]
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Mickey2010
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Registered: 04/19/10
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Thanks guys these are some really good ideas.
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#114341 - 06/23/10 09:59 PM
Re: CIT help
[Re: Mickey2010]
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mortizme88
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Registered: 06/23/10
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Can anyone share information on how CIT programs have run at your camp. I am a new CIT coordinator, entering this position with few resources or ideas to work off of. Please and thank you all soooo much!!
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#114342 - 06/24/10 09:25 AM
Re: CIT help
[Re: mortizme88]
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Giggles
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Registered: 02/07/08
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Loc: Washington (the state)
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Our CIT program (for a week-long session Camp Fire USA camp) is a 2 summer program with the 1st years staying for 3 weeks and the second years for 4 weeks because we have 7 camper sessions. They go home over the weekends because they are still campers. They help out with a lot of things around camp (games on Sunday night, songs and footing tables in the dining hall, etc) but as they are campers and not 18 yet they are not allowed to be alone with a group of campers. They do a lot of the camp activities as a group much as the campers do but they also talk about how to do the activity with campers and such. They also have more training session type stuff where they learn about camper characterisitics, etc.
Some weeks are spent entirely with their group and others are spent in part on a "live-in" with a group. These live-ins are never with our oldest groups because they are the same age as them. Our first years do a "typical day" (12 hour), a 24 hour, and a half-week. Our second years do a 24, a half, and a full week. The full week they are with the group from check-in to check-out. They get a daily 2 hour TO as the staff do, but they must be taken at the CIT cabin I believe. They are definitely still campers and not allowed to leave camp.
I think that's it for now.
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#114343 - 06/24/10 11:04 AM
Re: CIT help
[Re: Giggles]
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Smudge
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Registered: 05/18/07
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Loc: UK
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My last camps CIT program was 8 weeks over 2 summers.
CIT 1 they spent 2 weeks at each of the 2 camps - learning the kind of stuff we did during pre-camp, leading songs, games and activities, shadow unit staff and program staff, and planning all camps.
CIT 2 they spent a week at each camp and then did a 2 week internship at the camp of their choice - usually the one they grew up at. After the internship they could, if they wanted to stay on as staff for the last session.
Not sure how this will have changes since the GS council re-allingment means there are now 3 res camps.
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#114348 - 06/25/10 12:45 AM
Re: CIT help
[Re: Smudge]
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love2hike
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Registered: 05/24/07
Posts: 11
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Our CIT's are counted as campers and cannot be left alone with campers, but can assist counselors with programming and are offered the chance to go through our staff training week. They have to be at least 15 and have two years of camp behind them. It's an interesting transition for them as they are too old to be traditional campers and too young to be staff. At the end of the program they get a letter of recommendation highlighting the skills they have developed as a result of their CIT experience. They are assigned to either a camper unit or a program area and they are split up to avoid the kind of "clumping up" some of you have described. They are also invited to be CIT's, it is not just open to anyone, as there is the expectation that they treat this as a training program rather than as a way to stay at camp after they are too old to be campers.
I have to say our CIT's have been great and the counselors all really appreciate having them. They are missed greatly when they leave.
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#114352 - 06/26/10 09:25 PM
Re: CIT help
[Re: love2hike]
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mortizme88
2 to 10 posts
Registered: 06/23/10
Posts: 2
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Would any of you be willing to share leadership trainings or activities that I could use with the CIT and LITs?
The camp I will be working at is a stayover camp where the CIT's will be participating in leadership trainings specifically focused on how to work with children for the first week and then in cabin with campers for the 2nd. The CIT and LIT programs are only 2 weeks long and the LIT focus exclusively on leadership and personal development and do not go in cabins.
Thank you all, for your feedback, its great to hear the different ways people conduct these programs!!
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