Counselor-In-Training

In order to be a CIT you must be going into your junior year of high school (11th grade) or be 16 years of age or older. You must be actively practicing Christian Science and have references that speak to your readiness for this level of responsibility. You must also verify that you have never been convicted of abuse or crimes related to children. You'll then submit an application to be reviewed to complete the process.

Being a CIT is a commitment to selflessly serve CedarS, the campers, other staff members, and the overall harmony of the camp in a Christian Science atmosphere. If you are willing to selflessly serve, commit to growing in Christian Science, and being a part of a loving, supportive, and inclusive atmosphere then you are ready to be a CIT. If you want to be a counselor for social reasons or just because your friends are doing it, then those are not motives that will set you up for success throughout the course.

1. The CIT Applicant (not the parents!) should complete a CIT application.

2. The CIT Program Director will review your application and set up an interview.

3. Once accepted to the course, we will send you (1) a CIT agreement for you to sign and (2) a link for a parent/guardian to officially register you, sign your permission forms, and pay for the course tuition.

4. For financial assistance, apply first to our partner organization, The Campership Fund. They can support up to 75% as needed.  Once you have heard back from The Campership Fund, if additional assistance is needed for tuition, travel, or supplies, you would then apply to CedarS Camperships for any remaining support needed.

Metaphysically, you can begin by praying for camp, the upcoming summer, and for a harmonious experience for all. You will be emailed the metaphysical theme for the summer, so make sure you are studying this and familiarizing yourself with the theme before you get to camp.

Practically, you should contact any friends and family that might want to get in touch with you and let them know that you may not always be reachable 24/7. You will have a weekly day off, an hour off almost every day, occasional nights off, and several times per week at night once the campers go to bed to use your phone and contact friends and family.

You should also seek out training and certification opportunities before coming to camp. CedarS will pay for the cost of your certification through reimbursement as needed. Certifications and experience that are helpful to have at camp include: Red Cross Lifeguard, Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, Missouri boating license, Eagle Scout award, Girl Scout Gold Award, experience in theater, and more.

During your time as a CIT you are expected to constantly give. While there are many benefits and things gained from being a counselor, what is most important is making camping at CedarS fun while supporting the overall Christian Science environment for all campers and staff. You are expected to be constantly striving to express the Five Fundamentals that CedarS was founded on which are:

1. We regard each individual at camp as a child of God who reflects alertness, joy, peace, ability, love…
2. We respect each individual Christian Science young person as a future active worker in the Christian Science movement.
3. We stand firm in our desire to use Christian Science in all of our actions and to be good examples.
4. We believe that all have certain interests and talents, and we want to do all we can to further these and at the same time introduce new activities and interests.
5. We expect to make camping at the CedarS fun!

While completing the CIT course you will gain many practical skills that will help you in your life both at CedarS and at home. You will be able to successfully work in a team structure, gain the ability to make decisions and problem solve, communicate verbally, learn how to effectively plan and organize work, and gain the ability to influence and lead others. All of these and more are listed in a recent zety.com survey of the top skills employers look for in 2022.

In addition to all the reasons and gains listed above, CedarS is a great environment to grow and develop yourself as an individual. Upon successful completion of the course you can be hired back as a counselor, and work your way towards potentially being a cabin leader, an assistant director, a program director, and more! This leadership progression is not something that you will likely be able to find in any other summer career path throughout high school and college.

You will also earn professional and character references from people holding leadership positions and the executive team that will serve you now and years to come. These references will be personal and detailed that will give colleges or future employers examples of your strengths and what you can best contribute to a professional or educational space.

You must serve as a CIT for a minimum of five weeks (at least three of which are in cabins with campers). During your course you will attend daily morning meetings run by your CIT Program Directors, plan and lead a cabin Bible Lesson Study and a camp activity, live in a cabin alongside senior staff with campers, host tables at meals, learn how to care for campers and respond to a variety of situations, and more. In order to complete the course you must demonstrate that you are able to do all of the above successfully while expressing selfless awareness in a Christian Science atmosphere.

The second group! CedarS often has more campers during the second half of the summer so there will be more campers for you to help with and enjoy. The second CIT group typically is smaller than the first group so you will have more one-on-one with the CIT Program Directors to learn and get individual feedback, as well as more opportunities to step up and lead both in and out of the cabin atmosphere.

Yes! Although we recommend completing all five weeks in one summer, we recognize that logistically this may not work for everyone. If this is something that applies to you, please indicate that on your application, and someone from the executive team will be in contact with you to review options.

It is important to start the course at the beginning of either the first group of the second group. This is due to the course being structured with a logical progression of curriculum that is important to take in order. This allows for a fluid transition and lines up with the curriculum of the CIT course well so you are learning alongside the rest of the CIT class. When you come back to complete the course in future summers, we recommend that you pick back up where you left off with the course in terms of the timing of the curriculum. If you have any questions about the timing, please contact the office before making any plans.

A Counselor-in-Training (CIT) is anyone who has not graduated high school yet. A Junior-Counselor-in-Training (JCIT) is someone who has either graduated from high school before turning 18 years old or is 18 but has not yet graduated from high school.  A Senior-Counselor-in-Training (SCIT) is someone who has already graduated from high school and is at least 18 years old. The only difference between these positions is the hours for the time off you receive during the summer and whether you get paid or not (only applicable to SCITs and JCITs who have graduated from high school). The application process and the course is the same for all levels, and your contract will state which position you have.

You will complete the course with a high pass, pass, low pass, or fail, and based this outcome, you may be eligible for a position for the following summer. All CITs who pass the course are eligible to apply for a paid position for future summers. All applications are usually posted in January, and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. You will receive a certificate, and many directors and senior staff that will be willing to write quality letters of recommendations, college references, and more.

We'll let some past CITs answer this one for us:

“I had been coming to camp as the camper, and now I was here to serve others. It was a humble blessing to give back to a place that had directly served me. I still feel the same unwavering Love and blessings from going from camper to counselor, if not more. Being a CIT was an invaluable lesson in selflessness, love, joy, humility, etc.” – Katie C.

“If you have loved being a camper in the past and want to give back to camp, or if you are new and want to learn all there is to know, being a counselor is for you. Counselors get to continue enjoying the best part of camp- the incredible atmosphere, while having the responsibility to make a difference at camp and impact kid's lives.” – Alex C.