This is Where Adventure Awaits!
If you're passionate about changing the world and positively impacting a child's life, aren't afraid of hard work, and want a job that is fun, exciting and energizing then there’s no better way to spend your summer than working as a Girl Scouts of Alaska camp team member!
Girl Scouts of Alaska runs summer camps across the state. We have a resident camp located outside Wasilla and a summer long day camp located outside Chugiak. We also run traveling day camp programs in SE and SW Alaska serving over 30 locations each summer!
About Girl Scouts of Alaska
Each summer, our camp team from across the United States works together toward one common mission – to help every girl who attends camp develop courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place.
We hire staff who aren’t just good or great – they’re INVALUABLE. We look for people who are always working at peak performance, even when they are tired, not feeling well or it’s raining outside. We hire people who are always committed to holding themselves to the highest standards to positively impact children’s lives.
Whether you work at resident camp or day camp you’ll be giving 100% of your attention and efforts to your campers. While you are at camp, many of the comforts of home are gone but you’ll gain so much…
- You’ll be surrounded by a team of co-workers and supervisors all working towards a common, life-changing goal
- You’ll impact every girl who attends camp whether you know it or not
- You’ll create memories that will last a lifetime (for yourself and your campers)
- You’ll gain valuable, marketable life skills that will help you succeed in any future endeavor
We have three different summer camp employment opportunities:
- Camp Togowoods, a traditional resident camp
- Full season (Program Counselors, Kitchen Staff, Nurse, Driver): May 24 – August 11
- Half Season (General Counselors): May 24 – July 1 or July 4 – August 11
- Camp Singing Hills, a traditional day camp (season runs May 24-August 9)
- Rural Alaska Traveling Day Camp, a non-traditional traveling day camp (season runs May 24-August 11)
Working at summer camp is life-changing and important work. It’s essential that you know what you’re getting into. You can find information about working at all our camps and a link to apply at camp HERE.
The Employee Experience
It’s not just campers who grow at camp. Working at camp is one of the best ways to gain real-life experience that will serve you for the rest of your life. Here are some of the critical professional skills you’ll gain…
Character Strengths
Often called life skills or soft skills, we define character as the ways an individual acts, thinks, and feels that benefit them as well as the world as a whole. Character strengths like grit, gratitude, and self-control are not only essential to being a successful camp staff person but are life skills that all employers are looking for and that will serve you no matter your life goals!
Direct, Honest, Effective Communication
Our camps believe in communicating directly and honestly with peers, supervisors, and campers. This means that drama, gossip, cliques, and mean girl behavior are not tolerated. We don’t talk about other people behind their backs and don’t engage in passive-aggressive behavior. You’ll handle problems directly and help campers do the same.
Leadership
Girl Scouts is the premier leadership organization for girls. It’s not just girls who gain leadership skills by attending camp. Everything you say and do, the way you interact with your peers and supervisors, your attitude when things get tough, your ability to be kind and compassionate, and see things from other people’s perspectives; all these things contribute to leadership. You’ll call on these skills as a staff team member and develop them alongside campers.
Conflict Resolution
It’s impossible to avoid conflicts and when you do it means you aren’t standing up for what is right. At camp, you’ll resolve issues by talking, compromising, being empathetic, being kind and compassionate. You’ll help girls gain conflict resolution skills by modeling actions, facilitating conversations, and creating an atmosphere where girls can negotiate the ins and outs of relationships.
Teamwork
You’ll have your own individual goals for your time at camp. You’ll also be part of a team working towards the goal of changing children’s lives. Ultimately, you’ll be evaluated on how well you not only perform individually but how you contribute to the success of the team and the camp.
Staff Expectations:
- The ability to communicate openly, honestly, and directly with peers/supervisors.
- The willingness to create an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone. Simply put, drama, gossip, cliques, or mean girl behavior is not tolerated at our camps.
- The ability to disconnect from technology and contribute to a cohesive staff team
- The ability to ensure the emotional and physical safety of campers by observing and assessing behavior, enforcing policies, and applying appropriate programming
Ideal Candidate
Everything you say and do has the potential to change a child’s life so …
- You’ll put the needs of your campers ahead of your own wants
- You’ll take primary responsibility for the emotional, physical and mental well-being of your campers
- You’ll recognize problems before they occur and problem solve them when they do
- You’ll help campers build real relationships with each other and model this by working in partnership with all the whole staff team
- You’ll help your campers to develop their character strengths
- You’ll challenge your campers to learn from failure and help them experience success
- You’ll think outside the box and always look for a new approach to connect with campers
- You’ll step up and embrace challenges
- You’ll empower girls to try things for themselves, be courageous and confident
Everything we do at camp from walking down the road or cleaning the latrines to canoeing or tie-dying is programming for girls so…
- You’ll work with your assigned group of campers for the entire time they are at camp
- You’ll create and lead original, age-appropriate activities that totally engage your campers
- You’ll guide your campers in fully and successfully participating in camp programming
- You’ll enforce camp health and safety policies and procedures
- You’ll supervise all aspects of your campers’ day including wake-up, meals, rest hour, getting ready for bed, and night time.
- You’ll maintain appropriate boundaries with campers, keep your personal life personal
- You’ll actively communicate with your staff partner and camp director about impending and ongoing camper issues
- You’ll partner with parents to discuss what their child has learned and how they have grown during their time at camp.
There is always a lot going on at camp so…
- You’ll prepare for, and actively participate in pre-camp training and staff meetings
- You’ll meet regularly with your camp director to let her know how things are going with your campers and your staff partner and to make plans to move forward
- You’ll turn in all paperwork on time
- You’ll follow all camp rules and policies
Whether you work at resident camp or day camp you’ll be giving 100% of your attention and efforts to your campers. While you are at camp, many of the comforts of home are gone but you’ll gain so much …
- You’ll be surrounded by a team of co-workers and supervisors all working towards a common, life-changing goal
- You’ll impact every girl who attends camp whether you know it or not
- You’ll create memories that will last a lifetime (for yourself and your campers)
- You’ll gain valuable, marketable life skills that will help you succeed in any future endeavor
Room and Board
Housing:
At day camp you'll live at home and commute to camp each day.
In our traveling day camp, you'll bring your sleeping bag and sleep in a different community each week. We'll set up your housing for you. It might be a local school, a church, or a community center.
At resident camp, you’ll stay in platform tents for the summer. Platform tents have wooden floors and canvas sides. They are tall enough that you can stand up in them. You’ll have a cot with a mattress and mosquito netting. You’ll be in a platform tent with 3-5 other staff people. While it can be great fun to live with co-workers, it is also close quarters so you’ll need to learn how to live with all your peers. You’ll need to keep your clothes and items tidy and be prepared to move platforms every week. You’ll stay in a platform tents for the summer. Platform tents have wooden floors and canvas sides. They are tall enough that you can stand up in them. You’ll have a cot with a mattress and mosquito netting. You’ll be in a platform tent with 3-5 other staff people. While it can be great fun to live with co-workers, it is also close quarters so you’ll need to learn how to live with all your peers. You’ll need to keep your clothes and items tidy and be prepared to move platforms every week.
Food:
At day camp you’ll bring your own lunch and eat it with campers each day.
In the traveling day camp, you’ll either purchase your food in each community or pre-purchase and package your food (during staff training) to be mailed to you throughout the summer. We’ll help you figure out which option is the best fit for you.
At resident camp, your meals will be provided. The camp serves a well-rounded, KID FRIENDLY menu. Staff is expected to sit with girls and eat the same food as campers. Staff who have individual food needs (food allergies, are vegetarian, etc) will be able to select the staff option.
Getting Here and Getting Around
You will fly in to the Anchorage airport and we will provide transportation out to camp.
How to Apply
Here are the steps to becoming a camp team member with Girl Scouts of Alaska…
- Read through the sections of the website that relate to summer camp so you know what camp is all about and what to expect starting here: https://www.girlscoutsalaska.org/en/camps/summer-job-opportunities.html
- Completely fill out the online application (including 3 professional reference contacts). There is only one application regardless of which camp interests you.
- This is the most important part of the process. Interviews are conducted by phone. Again, there is only one interview regardless of which camp interests you After the interview, we’ll let you know within two weeks whether we’d like you to join our camp team.
- Sign and return the hiring paperwork. After we get a verbal commitment from you, we’ll send you a written hire letter. We take this commitment very seriously. For the protection of our camps and our campers, we run background checks on every person we offer a job to. If we receive negative results on the background check or a job reference after we receive your signed contract, we reserve the right to rescind the job offer.
Contact Info
- Amanda Block
- ablock@girlscoutsalaska.org
- (907) 273-0316
- www.girlscoutsalaska.org
