registered practical nurse

Camp Kodiak

Camp Kodiak is an incredible one-of-a-kind camp for both campers and counselors. The camp specializes in working with children of special needs, learning disabilities, and/or behavioral problems. 
A typical day is a specifically designed schedule of academics in the morning, sports and adventure activities, free play, arts and crafts in the afternoon and a camp fire every evening for the everyone at the camp full of stories, songs, and games. Working at Camp Kodiak was literally a life changing event. Along with my encouragement and efforts I gave towards the campers, I in turn received so much back. The management is rigid and at times will overlook basic employer/employee standard rights and regulations- however, the children are always first priority to them and I appreciated that. The relationships you will make among co-workers last a life time. The environment is created by the most accepting and unbiased group of people I've ever had the privilege to work with. The hardest part of the job is the long hours and responsibilities you must fill. The most enjoyable part is the relationships you make with the unique and truly brilliant campers- and through them what you will learn about themselves. The thing I respect the most about Camp Kodiak is their tolerance for exceptions and intolerance of bullying and score keeping (i.e sports games etc).

A typical day involved getting the kids up.  Giving them their medication.  Making sure they preform morning tasks, i.e. cleaning and putting on sunscreen.  Supervising during eating hours.  Taking the kids to and running various stations.  I was stationed at the Rock Climbing and Ropes stations most of the time.  We were also required to tutor kids' of a specific age group on both English and Math.  Both subjects were catered to the child's individual needs.  Then we would supervise the kids evening activity and get the kids ready for bed.

I learnt a great deal about myself and how to treat children with autism and ADHD.

Management was strict and expected hard work.  If you achieved this you were rewarded with freedom and were allowed to have a lot of fun as well.

Co-workers were hard working, friendly and cooperative for the most part.  Dramas obviously occurred, but staff generally all got along very well.  There were no major problems during the time I was there.

The hardest part of the job was the hours.  We were required to be on site six days a week and were with the kids 24/7.

The most enjoyable part of the job was getting to know people of similar interests and life goals, as well as, getting to see your kids improve over the course of the summer.

In the summer of 2019, I developed a new outlook, while working at Camp Kodiak; a non-competitive summer camp for children & teens with & without learning differences. Camp Kodiak nurtures learning, while also contributing to overall social development and self-esteem building, through an engaging summer program, with professional staff and management. At Camp Kodiak, I supervised a cabin with one of the more so challenging cabin groups; learning how to manage emotional regulation and attend to diverse needs most effectively. I also taught a variety of activities and gained specialized training; developing unique transferable skills as a future professional. Overall, doing meaningful, rewarding work contributed to the overall motivation to do better, and be better every single day despite the strenuous conditions, and long hours while also managing emotional regulation for my individual cabin group. Being a counsellor for this population is so worth the sacrifices and challenging work, but the meaningful intangible reward of helping kids grow, is what makes the work so worth it; beyond just a salary, or a reference.  Thanks Camp Kodiak for being a fantastic place to work, grow, learn and succeed.

A highly rewarding experience working with the children and other staff. Creates a wonderful environment for growth for the campers. However, can be a challenging and sometimes negative work environment. 

The workplace culture can be at times challenging and hostile. The opinion of certain staff members matters more than others; often, these staff members are overworked and stressed, which may cloud their assessment of your work. There is no opportunity for feedback or evaluations from the administration, adding to the challenge of making a positive impression. Furthermore, there is no HR department, meaning that staff disputes that require intervention from the administration are often ignored. 

I would recommend for the valuable and rewarding learning experience, especially for those who enjoy a summer camp, outdoor environment. However, if workplace culture is something that causes you to stress, I would not recommend.

It has to be stated that the participants are wonderful and it's a great professional opportunity. However, a large portion of the incoming staff are international/young, meaning that they are more likely okay with the low pay but less qualified to work with this demographic than arguably they should be. There are no formal reviews or documentation of incidents in their processes. Additionally, they overwork staff, it's 6 days work a week, 14 hour days, and some people work more than one job. Let's be clear though- they have the funding to hire more staff, support current staff, and get more qualified people in roles; look to their pricing for each camper. This is a financially motivated choice at the cost of staff, which is so sad for an organization that is supposed to be about fostering goodness. The conditions for the workers do not support them or provide good conditions. Also, they pay at the end of the summer, so unlike other jobs, you'd have to cover your costs yourself until then and it hinges on you having savings.

To summarize the job basically you are overworked and under payed.
Only $2000 CND for the 8 weeks of work(working 24 hrs a day 6 days a week)
Very few vacation days about one a week (any days off outside of those result in a loss if pay)
The "daily time off" you are giving is actually during the night so there isn't any actual breaks on a daily basis
The first week is "training" and manual labor and we do not actually receive the proper training to do our jobs.
We are directed to constantly lie to the campers about various things that happen at the camp
Worst of all there was some criminal behavior occurring at the camp which everyone was aware of but nothing was done about.
Please don't work here
I do on the other hand recommend working at any other summer camp they do usually tend to be a lot of fun, but not this one.please.

Camp is highly specialized and organized in such a way so as to accommodate youth with a variety of different special needs. Office staff are friendly and rooting for the success of each employee, but sometimes too busy to offer their assistance due to understaffing. Staff who succeed are driven, can work long hours, and love working with children. Campers have a variety of different needs, but there is support available if you need it. Only cons this year was understaffing, leading to not as much support available for staff as would have been ideal, and low pay which makes working at camp a big financial sacrifice. Highly recommend for anyone who is passionate about working with kids. 

Camp Kodiak will be the most rewarding summer job of your life. Not only do you get the opportunity to make a difference in a camper's life, but you are also able to meet incredible people and make memories.
I have worked at Kodiak for 2 summers and am (impatiently) waiting for the start of my third summer. I have learned so much about myself in the past two summers and became more confident in my abilities. 
There is something for everybody to enjoy at camp such as various land sports, water sports, arts & crafts, horseback riding, rock climbing, ropes courses, and many other activities. 
I highly recommend Camp Kodiak for anyone who enjoys working with children and being outdoors.

Camp Kodiak is a wonderful camp that does wonderful things for the children it caters to. However, there were many aspects of the camp itself that were not up to code. As part of the maintenance team, I was able to observe various times where the team was forced to do something we don't agree with, something that was not healthy for either the workers doing it or the kids that would b around it. When these concerns were brought up to management, we were told that the camp doesn't have enough money. The Owner also happened to buy a new boat at around the same time.

I was skeptical of this camp at first but after arriving and feeling so welcome and appreciated I knew this overnight camp felt like home! The hardest part was being new and getting familiar with everything but eventually I did. I enjoyed working with my co workers but most of all the kids! A lot of these kids at this camp were like me when I was young so It helped me relate to them and offered me a challenge! The management team works hard to keep this camp running year around! Pay is contract based but not totally unreasonable.

cant wait for next summer!  

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