Easter Seals Camp Counsellor

Are you looking for a rewarding and meaningful opportunity? Join the team at Easter Seals Summer Camps and help give children and adults with disabilities the best week of their summer. You will experience pure friendship, and work with the most kind-hearted people. Your days will be filled with countless laughs, you will witness genuine happiness, and you will change a camper’s life forever. This opportunity is great for students looking for experience with careers in teaching, psychology, counselling, and medicine.

Easter Seals Camps
A summer camp tradition in British Columbia for over 50 years, Easter Seals offers one of the best nature-based, fully accessible, overnight summer camps for children, youth, and adults to age 49 with disabilities such as autism, down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and ADHD. We are dedicated to maintaining a place where everyone is welcome, and where unique programming caters to all abilities and cultivates personal growth.

Three Locations Across BC
Choose to work at one of three locations: Okanagan, Squamish, or Vancouver Island.
• Camp Shawnigan – 2180 Shawnigan Lake Road, Shawnigan Lake (Vancouver Island)
• Camp Squamish – 41015 Government Road, Squamish (1 Hour north of Vancouver)
• Camp Winfield – 1790 Davidson Road, Lake Country (Okanagan)

Activities and facilities vary at each location, but may include swimming pools (all locations), lake dock with slide, water slide, climbing walls, rope courses, sailing, canoeing, arts & crafts, outdoor basketball courts, in-ground trampolines, arts & crafts room, talent shows, water sports & more!

Note: You can apply for more than one location. Hiring is based on first come, first served.

Dates
Camp Shawnigan (Vancouver Island): June 14th – August 10th
Camp Squamish (north of Vancouver): June 21st – August 16th
Camp Winfield (Okanagan): June 14th – August 10th

Camp schedules run on a rotation of 5-6 days working, followed by 2-4 days off. Exact camp dates can be found on the overnight camps section of our website.

Wages
$125.20 per day
Accommodation and meals are included.

Counsellor Duties
Camp Counsellors are responsible for providing general leadership to the camp team, including staff and volunteers. You will form a buddy group with 6 campers per session and provide direct care, support, supervision, and assistance of those campers in accordance with camp policies, procedures, and objectives. All staff are required to follow Covid-19 policies at the time of camp, including but not limited to, social distancing, mask usage, sanitation, and others.

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Camper Care
● Attend to the camper’s emotional well-being, ensuring they feel secure, comfortable, and welcome in the camp environment.
● Attend to the camper's personal and hygienic needs (washing, feeding, toileting etc.) and coordinate such activity appropriately within the camp schedule.
● Be familiar with the assigned campers’ special medical conditions and/or behavioural issues and act according to care support directives provided by the Camp Coordinators, Nurse, and the campers’ parents/guardians.
● Create care cards for each camper containing their essential medical and support information.
● Be able to perform first aid (e.g., administer an Epi Pen) if the need arises.
● Monitor the assigned campers’ special diets and contact with allergens.
● As much as possible, encourage each camper’s independence and recognize and utilize potentials for personal growth or social development.
● Always conduct yourself as an effective role model.
● Assist assigned campers in selecting activities as required.
● Encourage maximum camper participation in all activities, while respecting a camper’s personal choice to not participate in an activity.
● Ensure camper’s belongings are well cared for throughout a camp session and are accounted for upon arrival and departure from camp. Ensure that each item is checked off the clothing list and the list returned with the belongings.
● Immediately report any concerns regarding the camper’s emotional/physical wellbeing or behaviour to the Camp Coordinators.
● Correspond with camper guardians and relevant authorities as required.
● Use discretion to make decisions about campers’ ongoing suitability for the program.

Safety
● Always ensure that effective standards of safety are maintained and followed.
● Report all accidents, seizures, or illnesses to the Health Care Team immediately.
● Always follow the directions of the HealthCare Team and the Camp Coordinators.
● In the event of an emergency, follow the appropriate procedures reviewed during training. Complete and submit incident reports and other documentation as required.
● Provide leadership in coordinating appropriate emergency responses.
● Participate in water rescue as required.
● Undergo and be comfortable applying WHMIS training on the safe and proper usage of cleaning chemicals.

Program
● Develop activities outside of scheduled program periods.
● Mentor and manage Volunteer Counsellors in coordinating and carrying out activities
● Participate in all camp activities.
● Offer feedback and input into planning programs.
● Provide mentorship to campers and volunteers and always conduct yourself as an effective role model.

General
● Attend and participate in all staff meetings.
● Work night duty and rest duty as required.
● Develop an award of recognition for each camper.
● Complete evaluations on all campers, volunteers, and personal support workers on the appropriate forms.
● Complete all necessary paperwork in time required.
● Fulfil duties assigned during weekly site cleanup and end of season cleanup.
● Perform various duties surrounding the camp program and camper care as required throughout the summer.
● Other duties as directed by the Camp Coordinators.
● Adhere to our code of conduct, privacy, IT, and other related policies.