New Cit Director-- Help!!!

[CaraLuvBug]

This will be my first year as director and I didn't attend last year (I've been going for 9 years though) and I'm a little out of touch with the CIT thing. My camp is small, only 48 girls per session, about 12-15 counselors and around 5 CIT's. I'm also one of 4 equestrian instructors so CIT directing is kind of my side job. I'm looking to make the CIT program a little more fulfilling for them because as I remember being a CIT (it was only 4 years ago), I remember feeling like I was just thrown into counseling and didn't know what I was doing. If you have suggestions on how I can improve our program or just on being a director in general I would greatly appreciate it.

BTW, this is my job description given if it helps with your response:
Primary goal: to promote, teach and encourage teamwork, responsibility, good counseling skills, teaching skills, listening skills and communication skills. Doing this by:
-listening to their concerns
-guiding their discovery of the valuable qualities of being a good counselor
-providing inspiration and letting them know the importance of what they are doing
-teaching skills and knowledge
-providing ways for them to practice skills
-helping plan activities and night programs to run
-overseeing that duties, kapers and night duties are adequately performed
-supervising (if applicable) and providing feedback on all activities and duties
-providing evaluations
Secondary goal:
- to continue to develop the CIT program by working on written materials of material that you have found useful in working with them
Tertiary goal:
-to promote the CIT program to the up and coming campers.


--Cara

[Possuumm]

i reccommend talking to my friend- Speckles... her website (which is also camp related) is specklesonline.com ....she's great and so is the site

[Smudge]

My last camp used to have the CITs shadow in the different specialist areas - nature, craft, photo, drama, waterfront etc. They would also plan the the all day sat all camp activity and some of the signing before meals and all camps etc. They would go into a Unit like all the other programmes and much of the time they stayed together doing like a pre-camp thing for the first few days then went to the areas for a few days - spending time in each area.

To help them work as team they would go to the local IC course.

They could spend a day with counsellors and maybe as part of that day be challenged to lead an activity - even if it field games.

Also you could do like a mini-precamp. Giving them a chance to learn about things like child safety and giving them a chance to run activities with just them before they go out and work with the counsellors.

One of the camps I was the CITs were with the counsellors all day everyday except for 1 hour when they had training. They would become the counsellors gofers (go for this, got for that) cos the counsellors weren't allowed to leave the campers with the CIT.

[CaraLuvBug]

thanks for your reply :)

[prettysocks]

There's a thread on here about this. Search LIT at the top of the page. Good luck!