sous chef

managing director

dishwasher

cleaner

Camp Winston

Spending a summer at Camp Winston is one of the best decisions a young adult make for themselves. Immersing oneself in the work/life culture of Camp is unlike any other experience; every day is an event, whether on the job or off-shift, which causes one to feel alive and purposeful.
Your first summer will challenge you because it is so unlike plenty of other monotonous experiences in life. You will learn how to empathize  with others on a scale that you may not realize you that are capable of. The children are highly aware of when counselors are honestly caring for them; I would argue that there is nothing as fulfilling as bonding with these children who truly value your care.
There are certainly challenging days at Camp Winston; this is openly acknowledged and embraced within the Camp culture. One of the most wonderful experiences at Camp Winston is how the organization responds to counselors who need someone to speak to when workload begins to take a toll. Upper management values the health of the counselors as a top priority. However, in my experience at camp, the support that one feels by their fellow counselors goes miles beyond any potential rigid organizational support which could be implemented in a policy. The environment at Camp Winston is one of love and care, not simply for the children, but for every person who spends their summers there.
Everyone should be aware that as far as money goes, there are other jobs which can offer more. But for young adults, especially students who are looking for a job between semesters, there are VERY few jobs which can offer you the impressive resume skills which will launch your professional identity in the right direction. Not to mention the fact that on a personal level, every counselor who spends a summer at Camp Winston blossoms in ways which they may have never otherwise known they were capable of.
I applied to this job on a whim four years ago. I never imagined that I would fall in love with this place in the way that I have, and four years later I'm incredibly grateful that I took the leap of faith to spend my summers working at Camp Winston. All I can do now is share my experience in the hope that more young people will invest their time in a summer full of joy, learning, empathy, and experience.

Education children with special needs including autism, tourettes, ADHD, OCD, ODD and many more neuroligcal disorders. Camp Winston teaches staff how to approach those with disorders and help them better their understanding on the world through a camp environment. I have learned how to be a patient, and understanding person through this job by working with children and providing a non-judgmental environment where a child can learn and grow from their experiences at Camp Winston in a positive, successful manner. 

The hardest part of this job is working with a child over, and over again in order to teach them a specific skill that they are missing, through all the frustration and believing that they can succeed at doing what most people would call a simple task.

The most enjoyable part of this job is seeing the children when they have learned a specific skill or task that they have been working on for years, and how happy and exciting they are that someone actually was able to take the time out of their day to work with them on that skill.

•	Provided exciting recreational opportunities for kids with complex neurological disorders such as: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder who need highly specialized support
•	Made children feel welcome and secured enough to participate at camp activities without being rejected or alienated by their peers
•	Encouraged and supported as they participated in various recreational activities such as, swimming, tubing, kayak and canoeing, crafts, theatre, ropes courses, nature studies and canoe trips
•	Taught vital social and gross motor skills specific to their needs while having fun
•	Created a peaceful, respectful, physical  and emotional safe environment for children and youth
•	Well trained in collaborative problem solving 
•	Used different social skills that include the ability to change the campers images that had in their minds
	Art and Craft Instructor at Camp Winston

Here is a place where you can trust that the kids will always come first. Staff are trained and you will be a better person from working here. Best time off compared to most camp settings. The kids are like no others kids you will meet. Its incredible. The camp community will aim to set you up for success. Great networking opportunities and amazing place to live for the summer. 

Camp Winston was a job that opened my eyes to so many things and is some of the most rewarding work I've ever experienced. They taught me values, lessons and techniques I still apply to my everyday life! There can be challenges some days but you have so much support around you to overcome what ever obstacle it may be. There can be some long days yes, but the staff and kids are so fun they fly by and your co workers and managers always make you laugh or smile by the end of it. Theres always advancement to move up for returning stuff and after 1 summer I wish I could've kept coming back!

Camp Winston will fill you with amazing memories and teach you so many different things not only about the kids but about yourself and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a super fun and rewarding job!!

Camp Winston has entirely changed my career path. I was influenced by the relationships that I built with neurodiverse to pursue both education and work in this field. 

This job is tough. Days are long, sometimes the unexpected behaviours that you work with are challenging, and emotionally it was often exhausting. The pay is definitely not incredible and is absolutely that of a camp counsellor. But! The relationships with the kids are meaningful and beautiful, the staff support and environment are supportive and I truly met some of my best friends here. If you are looking to challenge yourself and grow, this is the place for you.

This camp allows children which complex neurological disorders to feel safe, secure, and form friendships with other campers and staff. They learn different strategies to cope with their disorders and make them feel more confident. Confidence and Self-esteem are top priority for these campers. Staff are trained to be emotionally stable, patient, and able to help campers learn to solve life problems using collaborative problems solving. The staff and directors at this camp are so supportive and encouraging, the community and atmosphere at Camp Winston is unlike anywhere else on earth.

There’s no denying that the work that Camp Winston does is incredible and life changing for the kids that we serve. That be said the work atmosphere is toxic and can have significant impact on ones mental health. Front line staff receive very little support from management and are often treated with poor regard. The exective director bullies staff and belittles them when they ask for support. Staff do not feel comfortable going to the camp director for support when needed and seasonal supervisors are often tasked with cleaning up the messes made by the directors.

Camp Winston provides neurodiverse children and young people with summer camp.
- As a counsellor, you work with a team of 4 other people to take care of 4 campers (shifts rotate)
- Need to be committed to long hours (max. 11hr days with a couple hours of break)
- Rewarding, fun and adventurous summer employment opportunity
- Highly recommend that workers are 20+
- long hours, and high paced environment requires employees to have strong grounding and coping techniques

I'm a university student from England and worked at Camp Winston for two summers, it was such a life changing experience that I had to go back for a second summer. I found the atmosphere was unbelievably friendly and welcoming. I arrived on my birthday and people who were pretty much strangers at the time even got me cake with candles. I woke up every day feeling like I had a true sense of purpose, working to improve the lives of children who really need and appreciate everything you do for them.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sous chef 2 salaries reported	$5,000 per month
Managing director 1 salary reported	$92,500 per year
Dishwasher 1 salary reported	$3,400 per month
Cleaner 1 salary reported	$22.00 per hour

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