What is a Program Aide?

Program Aides are high school girls who spend the week working on their leadership skills in and around camp.

Program Aides are an extremely valuable resource to campers and adult volunteers. Each Program Aide has been through a week of training to ready themselves to lead your daughters through camp. They are given leadership opportunities to teach songs, games, graces, and so much more.

Each unit will have at least two program aides. You can't miss them -- they'll be in bright pink, green, or blue shirts that say "Staff" on the back and will go by a crazy name like Ponyo, Stitch, Ace, etc.

Program Aides are the most trained people at camp, but they are NOT adults.

Requirements

Must have successfully completed their AIT year.
Must arrive at camp on Sunday at 2 p.m. and stay until dinner time on Friday to set up and clean up camp.
Must spend the night Sunday night and Wednesday night.
Must be able to take initiative without being asked to take care of campers, pick up around camp, and make the week the best it can possibly be.
Willing to turn in cell-phone for the week, aside from scheduled phone time.
Must be respectful, courteous, and inclusive to their directors, adult volunteers, campers, and former program aides.

Registration

Program Aides/Teen Mentors will register on the same date as regular campers. Everyone will be automatically placed on a waiting list and will be notified when they have moved off of it -- at that point, we will need further information regarding your registration process, so please be sure to log on promptly to secure your spot.

Please Note:

Space is limited and PAs will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. PA and AIT evaluations from previous years will also be considered.
As with regular campers, PAs with parent volunteers will have priority.
The cut-off date for Program Aide registration is TBD, and accounts must be paid in full by TBD to guarantee spot.

Important Notes for Current and Former PAs

PAs are required to spend the night at camp Sunday and Wednesday nights. If you don't plan on spending the night at camp the rest of the week, please select "Daytime Only" on your registration.
All PAs will spend the night at home Tuesday night.
ONLY current PAs are allowed to spend the night at camp. Former program aides may stay the night on Friday, with the stipulation that they must stay and help finish cleaning up camp Saturday morning.
We will be having a mandatory Parent/PA meeting once everyone is registered. Stay tuned for that date.

The Fun Stuff

During the day, Program Aides will be paired up in Units, where they hold leadership responsibilities, working with their unit leader to keep campers safe and having an awesome week! They lead songs, games, crafts, and so much more!

Program Aides are invited to spend the night Sunday-Friday, going home on Tuesday evening to catch up on some sleep. After campers go home, program aides get to swim, play games, eat dinner, and bond with their other aides at a week-long sleepover in the lodge!

Meet Your Program Aide Directors

Kenzi Surkin and Tori Ellingsworth

Formerly known as Mac Daddy and Melon, Kenzi and Tori are going on their 19th year of camp in 2022. Since their early program aide days (when Jeanne made the mistake of partnering them up in a unit), Tori and Kenzi joked that they were going to run Camp Shantituck someday. They ended up finding their niche in camp with the Program Aides.

They both have previously served as Program Aides, 5 Day Adult Volunteers in units, and the AIT Unit Leaders. 2020 will see their second-year together as Co-Program Aide Directors.

If you have any questions about the Aide program, please send them an email at area13programaides@gmail.com