Camp Winadu

A typical cabin set up at Winadu has 8-12 boys (depending on age) living with 2-3 staff members. The cabins are modern, but staff must understand that they will be physically in the same room as a group of campers during the summer so that privacy is at a minimum.

Counselors arrive six days prior to camp for orientation, a program where staff learn the "ins and outs" of Winadu. During this time staff are assigned to the age group and cabin unit where they will live during the summer. This is also a time when counselors are given many tools and ideas to use when dealing with camper issues during the summer.

Most counselors at Winadu have dual roles. They are counselors living in cabins with the boys and specialists teaching in one or more of our activity areas. Counselors work under two distinct supervisors, the Group Leader, who oversees all aspects of a particular age group, and the Area Head, who oversees the activity area in which a counselor is teaching. Our Group Leaders and Area Heads are teachers and coaches who have tremendous experience working with kids. They provide their staff with a wonderful set of resources for dealing with problems.

Counselors must come to Winadu with a true love of children, a high level of patience and a solid work ethic. Working with kids is one of the greatest experiences in the world and comes with tremendous rewards. However, working with children can also bring stress and frustration. Staff members must understand that kids don't always say what they mean and since they are away from their parents, they will, at times, express their frustrations toward you, the staff member (authority figure). Working at Winadu can give you a great feeling of satisfaction as you help kids grow, but this comes only with a lot of hard work.

A Day at Camp

On a typical day at camp, a counselor gets up with the campers at 8:00am. After breakfast we have cleanup followed by two activity periods. After lunch there is a short rest period followed by three activity periods. After dinner there is always an evening activity. Lights out for campers is anywhere from 8:30 to 10:30 depending on the age group. After taps in the evening, staff members are on a 3 team rotation, with one team staying "on duty" each night. The other 2/3 of the staff are free to go out in the evening. We offer nightly transportation to and from town. Many staff members choose to remain in camp and enjoy the use of our staff facilities. Internet access is available. We also provide substantial food service five nights a week from 10pm to midnight. All staff must be back in camp and in their cabin by 1:00am.

Staff members work each day in neat athletic attire that is appropriate to the activity in which they are working. The days are usually warm and the evenings cool. Shorts and t-shirts are most often worn during the day but sweats may be worn some evenings (especially in mid August). Staff are given 2 staff shirts that are worn on weekends. Our camp laundry service picks up and delivers laundry for campers and staff once each week.