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Dear Friend,
Thank you for your interest in volunteering for Camp Kesem! We are thrilled that you are applying to be a part of the team that will make Camp Kesem 2015 the most magical week yet!
Camp Kesem is an overnight camp and year-round community for children aged 6-17 who have a parent who is currently suffering from, in remission from, or has died of cancer. In many ways these children are just as much the victims of cancer as their parents, but they are often overlooked and underserved. Camp Kesem provides these children with the unique opportunity to build friendships and gain strength from peers facing similar challenges, in addition to enjoying a week of fun made especially for them.
Camp Kesem is free to all of the families it serves. It is also a secular camp that is open to all children regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, or financial status. Camp Kesem welcomes a diverse staff of dedicated, responsible, and caring students to serve as counselors.
As a Camp Kesem counselor, you will be expected to participate in a mandatory counselor training program during Spring Quarter from the evening of Friday, April 17th through the afternoon of Sunday, April 19th, and be present for the duration of Camp session and debriefing, from June 15-22, 2015. We expect all counselors to be engaged in the on-campus community during Spring Quarter by helping with Camp Kesem preparations, assisting with fundraisers, and participating in bonding activities with other counselors.
In addition to completing the application you are required to get a letter of recommendation from a colleague, faculty member, former supervisor or employer. The recommender should have witnessed you interacting in a group dynamic, preferably with children. Please forward the attached Word Document entitled “Counselor Recommendation” to the person you choose. Once you have completed the application, please save it as a PDF entitled (using your name) FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_APP.pdf. Then, email the file to . The deadline for the application is January 25th at 11:59pm. Once we have your application, we will contact you about an interview within the next week. If you have any questions, please contact the counselor coordinators, Zachary Johnson and Ashley Geo at .
Looking forward to reading your application,
Zachary Johnson and Ashley Geo
Camp Kesem 2015 Counselor Coordinators
Where magic happens
New Counselor Application 2015
In addition to your application if you feel that your resume, or any other relevant information, would accurately or clearly illustrate your qualifications, please feel free to attach them to this application.
Please email your completed application as a PDF entitled (using your name) “FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_APP.pdf” to Zachary Johnson and Ashley Geo () with the subject line “Your Name – Kesem Application.”
Applications are due by Sunday, January 25th 2015 at 11:59 PM.
A. Personal Information
______
Last Name First Name Middle Initial
______Gender: M F
Date of Birth Age
______
Major Year in School
______
Cell Phone Number Current Email Permanent Email (if different)
______
Residence Room Number
B. Counselor Agreement
In order to ensure that you can plan appropriately for Camp Kesem and know what is expected of you ahead of time, please read below and sign to indicate your understanding and acceptance of the expectations. If you have any concerns, reservations or questions about any of these items, please let Zachary Johnson and Ashley Geo, Counselor Coordinators, or Jeffrey Sweet, Camp Director, know so that we can answer any questions and if necessary make alternative arrangements.
I understand that if I am offered a counselor position with Camp Kesem and I choose to accept the position, I will be expected to:
● Have a LiveScan Criminal Background Check performed by the Stanford Sherriff's department in order to ensure adequate time for the background check to be processed prior to camp (detailed information will be provided after selection).
● Return a Medical History form and copy health insurance card no later than June 1, 2015 in order to ensure that proper care can be provided in the event of an emergency (detailed information will be provided after selection).
● Attend Counselor Training, April 17, 2015, starting at 5pm, through April 19, 2015 at 5pm. Make-up trainings may be provided on a case-by-case basis and will be necessary for anyone who does not attend training.
● Attend additional trainings as necessary for additional responsibilities I take on (i.e. Program counselor, Outdoor leadership Program counselor, etc).
● Serve as a counselor the entire week of Camp from June 15, 2015 at 8am through June 21, 2015 at 5pm.
● Attend counselor debriefing immediately following camp, from June 21 at 5pm through June 22, 2015 at 1pm.
● Participate in fundraising efforts to make Camp Kesem 2015 possible. Such fundraising efforts may include but are not limited to letter writing campaigns, online fundraising, unit fundraisers, etc.
● Participate in camp preparations with my unit to prepare materials, create unit theme, etc, and bond with my unit counselors.
● Assist with general camp preparations as my schedule allows.
● Participate in general camp events and activities such as Spring Reunion and Kickoff, Counselor Bonding Activities, etc as my schedule allows.
● Represent CK in a positive manner consistent with the values of Camp Kesem.
I have read the expectations of a Camp Kesem counselor and agree that if I am selected as a counselor and accept the position I will fulfill these expectations:
Signature (Type Name) Date
C. Background Check
In order to ensure a safe environment for the Camp Kesem campers and to comply with the standards set by the American Camping Association and requirements of Stanford University, we require a FBI level criminal background check of all accepted counselors.
If you have you ever been arrested, charged, convicted, or plead guilty to a crime (including felony, misdemeanor, alcohol-related offenses, DUI, etc) please attach an additional sheet explaining the arrest, charge or conviction. Arrests, charges and convictions do not automatically disqualify you from serving as a Camp Kesem counselor, however failure to report any prior arrests, charges or convictions could disqualify you from being eligible to be a counselor.
Please sign below to acknowledge your understanding of, and compliance with, this policy.
Signature (Type Name) Date
D. Counselor Positions
Cabin Counselors and Units
All Camp Kesem counselors are cabin counselors, meaning that they spend the majority of their time doing activities with their units (groups of campers) and spend the night with the campers in their cabins.
The campers are broken into units based on their grade level. Please rank grades in the order you would like to work with them. If two or more are tied, feel free to rank them the same. Please feel free to leave blank any grades that you would absolutely NOT want to work with. Your rankings do not affect your chances of being accepted.
(This information will be used when assigning counselors to units).
_____2nd-3rd Grade (~7-8 years old)
_____ 4th -5th Grade (~9-10 years old)
_____ 6th Grade (~11 years old)
_____ 7th Grade (~12 years old)
_____ 8th Grade (~13 years old)
_____ 9th Grade (~14 years old)
_____Outdoor Leadership Program (10th/11th Grade ~15-16 years old)
*The following are optional positions to apply to. Indicating an interest will not help* or hurt your chances of being accepted as a counselor.
Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) Counselors
The Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) consists of the two units at Camp Kesem reserved for the oldest group of campers (primarily finishing their freshmen and sophomore years of high school). It focuses on team building and leadership skills and culminates in a multi-day backpacking trip at the end of the week of camp. OLP counselors should have an interest both in Camp Kesem itself and specifically in working with older campers in the context of outdoor leadership.
In addition to participating in all Camp Kesem preparations and commitments, counselors selected to participate in OLP will be required to attend a 1-2 night outdoor education training weekend trip in spring quarter. If you are interested in working with OLP, please respond to the following question.
1. Why are you interested in participating in OLP? Please indicate any relevant experience you may have, both in terms of working with this age group or with regards to outdoor experience.
Program Counselors
In addition to the regular duties of a Cabin Counselor, a Program Counselor splits their time between their units and planning/running specific activities for all campers. The particular activities, or rotations, run by program counselors include arts & crafts, drama, sports, and adventure/nature. If you are interested in working as a Program Counselor, please rank the position(s) you are interested in and respond to the following questions.
_____ Arts & Crafts ____Drama ____Sports ____Adventure/Nature
1. Why are you interested in being a Program Counselor? Please indicate any relevant experience you may have.
2. What specific example(s) do you have of activities you would like to lead within this programming area?
E. Experience and Skills
1. Please list and briefly describe your relevant experience working with children, if any.
2. Please list and briefly describe your relevant past camp experience, if any.
3. Please list and briefly describe your role(s) in any campus groups you are a part of.
F. Short Essays
Your answers may be as long or as short as you like, as long as they get your point across.
1. Describe a favorite childhood memory.
2. What are three things that are important to you? Why?
3. Your spaceship has just crashed on what appears to be a planet of futuristic aliens. What do you do?
4. Why do you want to be a Camp Kesem Counselor?
Thank you so much for taking the time to apply to Camp Kesem. Instructions for submitting the application can be found at the top of this document. If you have any questions, please contact Counselor Coordinators Zachary Johnson and Ashley Geo at . Thank you again for wanting to make a difference!