What’s In The Job?
- Instruction responsibility: teaching kids in your activity or leading trips
- Counseling responsibility: living and working with 5 or 6 kids directly
- Participation and influence as a member of the camp community
Green Cove has a long standing tradition as an adventure camp for girls. Because a good camp is devoted full-time to kids, it can provide role models, time and opportunities that are difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate elsewhere.
Green Cove is looking for mature, fun-loving, outgoing individuals who have a love for the outdoors and the desire and ability to communicate sound values and attitudes to young people. They should be able to teach one or more of our activities. The average age is about 25. The youngest is 18, and through a year of college. Our overall camper-to-staff ratio is better than four to one, which allows the counselor more opportunity to impact the experience of the kids.
We expect a great deal from our staff members, but also offer them a lot in terms of support, direction, and opportunity. Green Cove and our brother camp, Mondamin, own 800 acres, and are near several wilderness areas for paddling, hiking,biking and climbing (Pisgah National Forest, Nantahala River Gorge, etc.). Nearby cities include Asheville, NC and Greenville SC. Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC are 2-3 hours drive.
Non-regimented & Non-competitive
Non-regimented means that we like to give the camper as much choice as possible in daily activities. Activities are scheduled; campers (usually) are not. The system depends on alert, concerned counselors who know when and how to give guidance and encouragement. Children mature by learning independence, self-discipline and initiative, and that takes practice.
Our program de-emphasizes competition, since we believe that it is not necessary to inflict a defeat in order to win a victory; we believe effort and reward are related, and that the reward is sweeter when it is earned.
Life Activities
We believe in taking the time to teach real skills which may be challenging to learn, but can last a lifetime. Our lifetime activities are sailing, swimming, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking and tennis. We engage in extensive wilderness tripping. We also teach crafts, archery and some sports.
We believe camp can be a very educational experience and can contribute greatly to a girl’s growth by providing stimulating, sympathetic, understanding adult contacts on a person-to-person level.
Camper/Counselor Relationships
Camp uses activities as a means of promoting profitable child-adult contacts. As a counselor, you are the key to that relationship. With one child, it will be easy and enjoyable; with another it will be difficult, slow and frustrating. The hard ones can be the most rewarding in the long run, but it will take patience, tact, skill, and more patience on your part.
We are an all-girls camp and feel that this type of experience affords kids an opportunity to expand their abilities without the typical social pressures. We do, though, have a brother camp, Mondamin, just down the lake from us and there are weekly functions which the two camps do together. But for the most part, we remain separate entities.
