If you thought you missed your chance to be a Leader in Training this summer – there are a couple of spots still left open in the July and Mid-Summer programs! Please call (519-529-7317) or email ([email protected]) the camp with any questions. To register for the program, please use our on-line registration system and indicate that you are applying for the LIT program.
The Leader in Training (LIT) program is a 3 1/2 to 4 week program for young people turning sixteen in 2013. A small group of eight to twelve young people live, learn, worship, grow, and camp together, along with their two resource counsellors. It is our intention to train young people for leadership in camp, church, and community. The program has been running for thirty years, and many of our past LITs would call their LIT summer a defining time of learning who they were and how they could use their gifts for good in the world. Many of our former LITs have went on to be excellent camp counsellors, school leaders, Sunday school teachers, and community advocates. Whether they have become teachers, nurses, mechanics, ministers, or engineers, they all know that they carry gifts for leadership.
Each week of the program has a specific focus. The first week is spent learning and practicing leadership skills such as communication, teamwork, and group dynamics. The second week is spent learning skills for being a camp counsellor such as age group characteristics, camper behaviour, and inclusion along with spending half the day learning with a cabin and their counsellors. The third week is spent working full time with a cabin, getting to practice the skills learned in the previous weeks, such as teaching games, leading campfire, and running a Bible study. The final week includes a four day out-trip to Algonquin Park or the Bruce Trail and a chance to integrate their experience before heading home.
This program is led by two senior Kintail staff, who have most often been LITs, counsellors, and program staff at Kintail. They have specialized skills and training on the waterfront, the ropes course, and in out-tripping. These resource counsellors have a passion for drawing out the best in the LITs and helping them to find their voices and gifts. They lead the daily learning sessions and the FLASH (Faith, Learning, and SHaring) sessions, as well as provide support for the LITs in their groupwork and leadership practice.
We highly recommend that young people considering applying to be on the Kintail staff take part in an LIT program. Being on staff is an awesome experience for young people! Staff are given new responsibilities, gain leadership experience, and find friends in Christian community. Staff members are paid and there are few opportunities for that money to spent in the summer at camp. Being on staff also gives great experience and references for future education and careers in the helping professions, teaching, and many others.