About Our Counselor In Training (C.I.T.) Program
Ever wanted to work at CKW? Then this is the program for you! Our C.I.T. program is for older campers who have completed grades 9-11.
Designed for campers who are interested in becoming counselors at Camp Kasota West, or even just looking for another fun week at camp, our CIT program provides an opportunity for your camper to job shadow our staff, and learn about what it’s like to care for children at summer camp and be a CKW counselor! In this week long, hands on, job shadow experience, CITs will work closely with campers under careful supervision of staff. On top of having training where CITs will learn from experienced staff about topics such as age group characteristics, programming and leadership skills, campers will also have the opportunity to lead aspects of our programming with assistance from counselors including campfire, wide game, and sessions! Check out the schedule below to get an idea of what to expect from a day in our CIT program.
Wake Up!
The morning bell rings at 8:00 AM and is your campers signal to wake up and get ready for the day! There’s lots of fun to be had at Camp Kasota West, so we make sure to start the day off early to make room for all the excitement!
Morning Watch
A quick game with the entire camp before breakfast to get the blood flowing and the ball rolling!
CITs will have an opportunity to run this aspect of programming
Breakfast
A delicious meal to start off the morning! CITs will sit and eat this meal with their assigned cabin and counselor. Some menu examples for breakfast include pancakes/sausages, french toast/bacon, and eggs/hashbrowns.
Session 1
The first of 4 sessions of the day! While campers are off participating in sessions during this time, CITs will be with their CIT leaders during this time learning about what it’s like to be a counselor, or running sessions of their own!
Discovery Hour
The educational component of our program, discovery hour takes place right before lunch and focuses on teaching the teaching of Christian values through an interactive and fun lesson including an activity or game. Some example topics for these lessons are cultural differences, environmental awareness, and the things that make us happy! CITs will participate in discovery hour with their counselor and cabin.
Lunch
A delicious, homecooked mid-day meal to satisfy the hunger of busy campers so that they are ready to have some fun in the afternoon sun! Each meal served with a variety of juice flavors and water, where some example meals include mac and cheese, grilled cheese/tomato soup, and tacos!
Toes-Up
Toes-up is an hour long period after lunch where campers are required to stay within their cabin or on their porch. This provides campers with the opportunity to get out of the hot afternoon sun, relax, apply sunscreen, as well as change clothes and get ready for swimming and afternoon activities. CITs will either be with their cabin during this time, or participating in monitoring with the counselors on duty.
Swimming
While half the camp is participating of their second session of the day which they signed up for at breakfast, the other half of the camp has a chance to go swimming in the refreshingly cool waters of Sylvan Lake! Don’t like swimming? That’s ok! Spend some time in the sun building sand castles, skipping rocks with friends or even just relaxing while overlooking the waters.
Session 3
In the third session of the day, while campers are off participating in sessions during this time, CITs will be with their CIT leaders during this time learning about what it’s like to be a counselor, or running sessions of their own!
Session 4
The fourth and final session of the day that campers sign up for. While campers are off participating in sessions during this time, CITs will be with their CIT leaders during this time learning about what it’s like to be a counselor, or running sessions of their own!
Dinner
A filling evening meal to satisfy our campers appetites that they’ve worked up throughout a busy day. Example meals include pasta and meat sauce, burgers and fries and make your own sandwiches!
Wide Games
A game that campers play with all campers and staff on-site. This includes camp classics like strip the beast, planets and the animal game. This time slot also hosts our weekly talent show and end of week special activity!
CITs will also have an opportunity to run this aspect of programming.
Snack
A quick refreshing snack like ice cream, fruit, or hot cocoa to wind down the a full day of activities.
Campfire
What’s camp without a campfire! At our nightly counselor led campfire, campers will join us in a singalong style songs, watch skits and enjoy campfire games!
CITs will also have an opportunity to run this aspect of programming.
Vespers
A nightly, camp-wide reflection taking place after campfire. During this time we reflect on the days discovery hour lesson, typically accompanied by a story, poem or song as we watch the beautiful Sylvan Lake sunset.
CITs will also have an opportunity to run this aspect of programming.
Cabin Reflection
With the day finished, campers will head back to their cabins to reflect further on the day with their bunkmates and counselor before getting ready for bed by telling stories, reading books, chatting with their cabin friends or listening to some quiet music.
Lights Out
At 10:30 PM, the lights go out at CKW! After a long and exciting day in the sun, it’s important that campers wind down and get a good nights sleep before waking up to have even more fun the next day!
Ready to Register?
Click the button below to register your camper for a Counselor In Training Camp program with Camp Kasota West or view this summer camp programming schedule.