Camp Kanata staff members are carefully selected to ensure they enjoy teaching and mentoring young people. Camp staff work outside through all kinds of weather – the chill of fall and the heat of summer. They lead by example, demonstrate strength of character and being a positive role model.
Apply below to join our Summer Staff Team!
Why Our Staff Love Working at Camp
Camp Kanata staff love working at Camp for all sorts of reasons - spending the summer outside, mentoring youth and making a difference in the lives of children are all good reasons to work at an overnight camp.
Soft Skill Development
At Camp, each new day comes with opportunities to grow your leadership skills, whether it is by participating in an evening program, planning a cabin activity or helping campers overcome challenges during their time at Camp. Through program and activity participation you develop soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, time management and more!
Networking Opportunities
Camp Kanata has an extensive alumni network of former staff and campers that work in several different career fields. With our new Alumni Mentor program, we are dedicated to connecting our current staff members to individuals in their intended career path.
Time Off
While you do live on-site all summer, you get one night off each week you work from 6 p.m.- 8 a.m. the following morning. You will also get Saturday-Sunday, noon to noon off.
It's FUN!
Working at Camp is FUN! Spend the summer making an impact on kids, developing your leadership skills and building relationships and making friends that will last a lifetime. What's more fun than that?
Did we mention it's FUN?
...And if you still need a reason to apply, check out all the fun our staff had during Summer 2024!
Summer Positions
Counselors
Camp Nurse
Lifeguards
Staff FAQs
When you commit to working at Camp Kanata, you are committing to working at least seven of the nine weeks of the summer plus our staff training week, June 8-15. If you have a prior commitment during the summer, you will need to submit a time-off request form, and our staffing team will take each situation on a case-by-case basis.
During staff week, Head Counselors will take time to talk to each staff member and ask questions about what age group they are looking to work with. Then, we will have a fun evening program where you will learn who your co-counselors are and what cabin you will be in.
The age groups are as follows:
Camp 1 Spartans and Daisies: 6-10
Camp 2 Rangers and Butterflies: 10-12
Camp 3 Knights and Angels: 12-15
Be aware, when you commit to work at Camp Kanata, you are committing to working with all age groups. While you will be assigned to a specific cabin, you will be interacting with different campers at activities and when you spend weeks in Day Camp.
Camp Kanata is unique in that our staff are counselors in both Overnight and Day Camp! You might be asking yourself, "how does that work?" At the beginning of each week, you will get your weekly assignment as a Day Camp counselor or Overnight Camp counselor. Each counselor spends approximately three weeks in day camp during the summer, and you rotate between weeks with your co-counselors in your cabin.
When it is your week to be in Day Camp, you stay on-site in your cabin, but during the day you will report to Day Camp. It is such a fun opportunity to get to work with a different age group and get to know more campers!
While it definitely strengthens your application to have past childcare experience, you will get all of the training you need during our Staff Week (June 8-15) before campers arrive!
During this week, you will learn everything you need to know to be a cabin counselor and have the opportunity to become certified in different activity areas at Camp. If you are coming in with certain certifications (such as being a lifeguard), you may qualify for a weekly bonus.
Our summer application will be open in early November. After completing our online application, if we believe you could be a good fit, a member of our staffing team will reach out to schedule a quick phone screen. You may then be offered a 30-45 minute in-person or virtual interview to join our staff for the summer. We like to move quickly and hire on a rolling basis, so submit your application today!
Camp Kanata offers a wide range of Extended Season Programming. In both the Fall and the Spring seasons we host various groups out at Camp for retreats, conferences, mini camps and more on the weekends!
If you are interested in working at any of our Y of the Triangle branches, there are also several opportunties like lifeguarding, working in childcare or even membership.
I love being on staff because it allows me to make long lasting memories and connections with campers of all ages. There is no better feeling than seeing a smile on a campers face!
I love being on staff because I think it is the most fun job in the world. It is so rewarding and fulfilling to me, and it makes me feel like I am making a difference in these kids’ lives and giving back and I just love it here.
