All CIT’s live in various camper cabins, but spend most of their day together with the CIT directors. Together the CIT’s

• get acquainted with each other,
• learn some basic group development theories,
• think about their personal and program goals for their four weeks as a CIT,
• plan and carry out several sleep-outs and cook-outs,
• work together to refurbish a camp-site on the Bishopswood property, AND
• have fun, work hard, eat well, get plenty of exercise, and feel good about themselves.

Weeks Two, Three and Four

To get an overview of many aspects of camp operations, each CIT will:

• rotate working in the kitchen for several meals.
• spend some time with the Health Hut Supervisor, the Director and Program Director, and meet with the Maintenance Man.

To gain experience in working with children. various staff members. and the program.
CIT will:

• rotate living with a different cabin group of children and counselors each week.
• rotate working in a different activity area each week.
• assist with care of campers in the cabin group.
• observe, assist, and co-lead activities with cabin group and activity groups.
• plan and implement activities with supervision and assistance of staff members.
• assume varying levels of leadership in every level of camp program and activities.

To maximize learnings from all the experiences a CIT has, CIT’s will meet regularly with the CIT Director as a group and individually, as appropriate, to discuss:

• personal experiences people want to share and discuss.
• general topics of child development, camp policy, program, any other issues that arise.
• ongoing goals and expectations; progress reports, and plans for accomplishment.
• evaluation of strengths and weaknesses observed by staff, and plans for improvement.
• self evaluation and group support.
• relaxation, snacks, and fun.

At the conclusion of the four week program...

In the past, at the end of the four weeks, all CIT’s have reported learning a lot about themselves, about camp, and about being a counselor. Some CIT’s have shown exceptional leadership abilities and gained lots of knowledge and skills needed to be a good Counselor. Often, the exceptional CIT’s are invited to stay at Bishopswood and join the staff as Counselor Assistants, with no salary. This is not the case for everyone and all CIT’s should plan on the four week program only at the start of the summer.