Camp Summer Staff

You're Invited to Apply for Summer Staff this Summer!

Summer Staff are Catholic young adults ages 18-30 that spend a part of their summer to work at Camp River Ridge as an adult leader for the evangelization of their younger peers.

As summer staff, you will

Experience the life of grace through prayer, sacraments, team life, and spiritual guidance,
Lead camps, campouts, retreats, and other activities,
Be loved and remembered by fellow Mission Staff and hundreds of youths,
Earn up to $2,700 in stipends,
Work a demanding schedule that will help you grow as a person and develop good habits of work and service,
and have a once in a lifetime summer fun away from home with awesome people!

You are invited to apply to be a member of our summer staff this coming summer! What are you waiting for? Keep scrolling...

(NOTE: This video is actually for the 1 year program; but it's the same idea for the summer staff!)

Summer Staff Profile

Every year a select group of young men and women that exhibit the necessary qualities are encouraged to be summer staff. Note that this is the ideal profile of a summer staff member. We understand that every young person is still growing and maturing.

Capacity for natural relationships with others with a maturity proper to their age.
Physical health to carry out a demanding schedule and tasks.
Psychologically balanced and without serious learning disabilities.
A servant leader, with the passion to learn to lead younger peers.

A convinced apostle, with the desire to carry out great undertakings.
A friend of Jesus Christ who wants to know and love him more.
An enthusiastic and joyful missionary fulfilling their mission within the Church in docility and respect to his parents, directors, and elders.
A courageous witness who wants to make a difference with their actions, testimony and aware that their lives can make a positive (or negative) impact on others.
Preferably prior leadership experience at Camp River Ridge or other youth camp.

Summer Staff Positions Available

All positions will do the following:

Participate in a training session so as to learn their role well.
Fully participate in camp prayer and sacraments.
Fulfill a specific role at camp.
Help with work projects on workdays.
Act as peer mentors and take on anywhere from 1 to 5 high school camp missionaries as part of their team during a summer camp.
Meet daily with the Camp Director during camp sessions.
Be a part of a team and be available to help other staff members when needed.
Participate in a periodic group evaluation.

These are the various positions available:

Group Directors (2 staff members: 1 male, 1 female) - Or "emcee", directs the overall camp schedule, ice breakers, points competition or virtue campaign, the dining room at meals, evening bonfire activities, and ending awards ceremony.
Activity Directors (4 staff members: 2 male, 2 female) - Directs the morning skill-building stations, the lake activities, the various camp games, and assists with the evening bonfire activities. Activity directors also need to be lifeguards.
Theme Directors (4 staff members: 2 male, 2 female) - Directs the adventure theme with reenactments, theme-related stations, and acting. Also leads the evening bonfire for the high school missionaries.
Sacristans (2 staff members: 1 male, 1 female) - Directs the morning prayers, prepares for Mass and adoration, runs various dynamics for adoration, helps with Gospel reflections and prayers, and organizes processions.
Media Director (1 staff member) - Photography, films and makes short video recaps or video testimonies, and posting on social media.
Service Directors (2 staff members: 1 male, 1 female) - Helps with lawn care, takes care of maintenance, keeps the camp facilities clean and organized, helps with kitchen service, and prepares the bonfire and helps serve and clean up the s'mores.
Health and Wellness Directors (2 staff members: 1 male, 1 female) - These staff members are the primary lifeguards for all lake activities. They are also in charge of the infirmary and the general health of the campers, checking up on their well-being, taking care of homesickness, working with parents in case of sickness, and doctors' or emergency room visits.
Cooks (4-5 members) - This staff member helps the head chef with all the meals and keeps the kitchen in order and clean. This is a week by week role.

NOTE TOO that positions can change throughout the summer for those doing more than one session or full-time staff, as a way to try new roles.

Volunteer Staff vs Full-Time Staff

You have the option of:

helping as a volunteer staff member for one 11 day session during the summer, or,
helping as a volunteer staff member for more than one session, or,
helping as a full time staff member for all of June and July.

VOLUNTEER STAFF SESSIONS:
Each of these sessions consist of 11 days of volunteer service in the staff team. It includes:

2 days of training and prep,
1 day of training and prep with high school "junior staff" you will be mentoring,
2 days running a parent-child campout, and,
5 days running a week-long camp for middle school youth.

FULL-TIME STAFF SESSIONS:
This is a full summer program that begins around June 1st and ends August 1st. It includes:

5 days of training and prep,
running more than a dozen summer camps, activities, retreats, and activities.
The media director is only a full-time staff position.

Dates:
Dates for all these summer staff sessions are forthcoming. Stay tuned!

Training:
The purpose of staff training is to familiarize upcoming Summer Staff with:

the use and care of the facilities,
knowledge of safety norms, including safe environment,
personalized training and preparation for their particular role,
training in teamwork,
and growth in the understanding of prayer and ministry at Camp River Ridge.

Off Dates:
Most summer staff will get 3 full days off after an 11-day work period. However, the media director and cooks will have 1 day off each week.

Departure:
All summer staff must depart camp the last day of their session, or the last day of camp the same day the last activity ends. The only exception are the Service Directors, who may stay for clean up purposes.

Spiritual Formation

The summer staff program is an opportunity for young adults to grow apostolically, but also spiritually. It’s an opportunity for them to develop the habit of prayer so that they continue to develop their relationship with Christ past the summer camps.

To foster this growth in the spiritual life, they will have morning and night prayers, daily Mass and adoration, as well as a directed prayer based on the Scriptures, Gospel reflections, prayers before and after meals, talks and catechesis on pertinent themes, and a daily decade of the rosary (if not the whole rosary).

They will do an occasional Encounter with Christ (Gospel reflection and reflection on a pertinent theme) and an occasional “Highs and Lows” (a team feedback session on high points and ways each person can improve).

Spiritual direction and the sacrament of confession will also be readily available to them and encouraged.

A Summer Adventure!

The goal of summer staff is to at all times be an apostle to the campers and peers. But that doesn't mean you don't enjoy your summer! Check it out:

Outings for horseback riding, canoeing,
Archery tag, regular archery, and laser tag,
Dodgeball, capture the flag, basketball, and other field/gym sports,
Swimming, slip 'n slide, war mattress, fishing,
Participation in the historical reenactments (includes battles), firing cannons,
Hanging out by the hammock circle and bonfire with s'mores and fireworks,
Crafts and skill-building stations, and,
Great food and whatever else you do in your free time.

General Guidelines

Moved by the mission, summer staff focus on what is best for the campers and how to bring them to an encounter with Christ.
Summer staff take particular care to practice charity with fellow staff and be a model Catholic for the youth they are working with.
Summer staff will need to arrive and depart on time to the start of their mission summer, and have the habit of being on time to activities.
Summer staff should be ready to be away from home and have very limited contact with family for extended periods of time.
Summer staff should make sure that their appearance and demeanor is always dignified and becoming of an apostle of Jesus Christ. The dress code is available upon request.
Summer staff need to place any dating relationships on hold while on camp.

Summer staff should be physically healthy to manage the demands of their duties.
Summer staff should be willing to help or fulfill another position when circumstances warrant it.
Music publicly listened to will need to be dignified and elevate the soul with its lyrics, harmony, and talent.
There is no Wi-Fi at camp. Cell phones are permitted, but must not become a detriment to the fulfillment of duties.
Summer staff will be required to keep their cabin clean and orderly.
Summer staff are encouraged to bring their own vehicle, and may only drive their own vehicle.
Summer staff should bring their own toiletries, clothing, and spending money. Some toiletries will be available on camp.

Other Pertinent Info

The upcoming summer calendar: Camp Calendar.
Ideas on what to bring: What to Bring List.
Photos or videos of what camp is like: Photo Tour or Video Tour.
Click here for directions: Directions to Camp.
Camp social media: Camp Facebook, Camp YouTube, Camp Instagram, or Camp LinkedIn.

Need more info?

Stipends and Fundraising

Fundraising Expenses-for-Stipend Program:
Summer staff are encouraged to fundraise for their camp expenses while at camp: lodging, meals, insurance, transportation, outings, shirts, etc. The camp has already allocated funds for summer staff expenses. So if they can fundraise to pay those off, the camp can reallocate these funds to offer that staff member a stipend equivalent to 90% of their total fundraising.

Summer staff are welcome to fundraise up to $500 for each summer session, and receive $450 per session as a stipend. Full-time staff are welcome to fundraise up to $3,000 and receive $2,700 as a summer stipend.

To fundraise, they may reach out to their parishes, Catholic organizations, family and friends, to ask for donations to help fund the summer camps. As part of the application process, applicants will receive a letter they can hand or email to their parish priest, parish leaders, family and friends.

Summer Staff are welcome to volunteer for free or to donate their stipend back to camp.

Sample Fundraising Letter:

Sample Fundraising Letter
File Size:	163 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Application Process

Applications are welcome YEAR-ROUND. However, summer staff may be acceptances begin on a first come basis as early as October 1st.

Application: Fill out the application online at this link: Summer Staff Application.
Interview: The Camp Director will meet the applicant by Zoom or in person.
Safe Environment Training Pending Approval: The applicant then needs to fulfill the camp’s safe and sacred training by following the instructions at www.campriverridge.org/chaperones.
Contract: The applicant will be accepted once the training and background checks are cleared. If the applicant is applying for the full-time position or for more than one session, they will receive an independent contractor contract to sign and return, and a W9 form to fill out before the summer.
Fundraising: The applicant will receive some materials to help with fundraising. Their fundraising can now begin.

Questions?

If you have any questions whatsoever about the Mission Staff program, please contact us at campriverridge@gmail.com. Thank you!