Counselor in Training Program

CIT Summer Camp

cit: counselor in training

We are so excited to offer the Counselor in Training (CIT) program to our future Canaan leaders! The CIT program is a 3 consecutive weeks session where CITs will stay on property. Friday evenings-Sunday mornings are time off. To quote the CIT handbook, “CITs will be challenged to grow in their relationship with Christ as well as practice servant leadership.” The servant leadership that CITs do consists of the setup and tear down of activities, canteen facilitation, serving rotation during meals, and assisting counselors with cabin life and all camp activities. CITs will stay in our cabin spaces, eat meals with campers and staff, and will be taught the gospel as well as how to share it! 

Train to Become a Camp Counselor

Our CIT program is designed to help young leaders grow in their faith, confidence, and leadership skills. The way that we facilitate that growth is through activities, camper and staff interactions, maintenance, service, working as a team with other CITs, and spiritual conversations (devotionals, Bible studies, evening speakers, etc.). It also is strongly encouraged that all future CITs do at least one week of legacy camp, since that program is to help shape young people towards being a CIT!

We also offer a program each Spring called Teen Leadership Camp (TLC) where teens who are eligible for CIT go backpacking for a week (more information on TLC can be found under the “teen camps” tab on our website). The ultimate goal of the CIT program is to introduce and teach the gospel, and to help our teen campers grow towards becoming counselors here at Camp Canaan.

CIT Requirements

  • Must be at least 16 years old 
  • Must fill out an application online, and attend an interview either in person or virtually
  • Must stay on property Sunday afternoon-Friday evening for 3 consecutive weeks
  • Regularly check emails (parent/guardian’s or CIT’s) for important information and updates
  • Have an open mind and a good attitude

CHECK-IN & CHECK-OUT PROCESS

  • Check-in begins at 2:00pm on Sunday of each session
  • If bringing any medication (over the counter or prescription), please stop at the Welcome Center first to check those in with the nurse before going any further
  • Check-in at the blue canopy tent in front of the multipurpose building
    • A parent or legal guardian must sign for each child being dropped off
  • Cabin assignment will be given by staff member at the canopy tent
    • Once belongings are in the cabin, parent(s) and or family member(s) are to leave the camp property until check-out on Friday
  • Check-out begins on each Friday at 4:00pm and ends at 5:00pm
    • Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must sign out each child under their care at the canopy tent located across from the multipurpose building
    • All medication must be signed out at the tent across from the multipurpose building 
  • Closing ceremony begins at 5:00pm and ends at 5:30pm
  • All CITs are to be off of camp property by 6:00pm every Friday

***CITs are not to stay at camp past Friday after the closing ceremony. No CITs should be on camp property on Saturday, and can arrive back at camp 2:00pm on Sunday at the earliest***

REGISTRATION

Registering for a CIT session can be found on CampBrain, or by clicking the booking link found below. Each session is broken into 3 week blocks- see the dates on the “Dates & Rates” tab. CIT session dates are final, and are not up to negotiation. Once registration goes live, anyone with a teen between the ages of 16-17 will be able to register. Upon registration, you will notice that you are automatically waitlisted- there will be no charge to your account until registration is finalized. This is to help our staff stay organized with the application and interview process. Please make sure that your teen fills out an application for CIT (the section below will explain how to apply). After the application and interview process is complete, we will select CITs for this summer based on overall maturity, reputation at camp, and their interview. Our staff will then contact the parents or guardians to complete registration, which is where the payment would take place.

HOW TO APPLY

The first step towards becoming a CIT is to complete and submit an application form. Please make sure that you are filling out a CIT application, and not a counselor or returning staff form. You can complete the application form online by clicking the button below. Once an application is completed, you will be reached out to by a member of our office staff members to set up an interview.

What Happens Next?

Parents/guardians should register their teen for one of our 3 week CIT sessions using our registration website. Information on that can be found on our website, or click on the link below to the registration page directly. Please make sure that the session that you register your teen for matches with the same session that they selected on their application. The first week of the CIT program acts as a trial session. Canaan reserves the right to determine if the program is the best fit for your CIT. Please note that once an application has been submitted, Canaan holds the right to deny any application.

Sessions: 3 weeks at a time 

  1. June 2-June 21 (go home Fridays return Sundays)
  2. June 23-July 12 (go home Fridays return Sundays)
  3. July 14-August 2 (go home Fridays return Sundays)

PRICING:

  • $869 per 3 Week Session