SCITs shine at first full day of Session II

After a weekend of river rafting on the South Fork of the American River and group bonding, the 42 Specialists and Counselors-In-Training (SCITs) returned to camp to begin putting all of their training to use. The SCITs have not failed to impress the Tawonga community — their tenacity and enthusiasm is truly infectious and we look forward to continuing to see them work with the Session II campers.

“We bond [the SCITs] to be a group that supports each other. Since day one, they’ve been interested in what we’re teaching them — they ask smart questions and have great examples. A lot of them mentioned how they feel very bonded as a group already,” said Nikanor C., one of the four SCIT leaders.

The SCIT program is a selective leadership program for 10th and 11th graders looking to develop leadership skills and to gain experience working with children. Taking place during the first three weeks of summer, the SCITs spent the first week of the program in training learning about the Tawonga mission and the overall philosophy that creates the Tawonga experience.

In order to prepare for Session II, SCIT leader Mo W. shared that the teens have really come a long way as a group learning about communication skills.

“I think it’s a great experience for the SCITs to be hands-on with campers. I think they will realize how rewarding it is to work with children,” Mo said.

For the next two weeks, the SCITs will work with campers and learn what it means to be a leader and role model. While the CITs are paired to work with bunks under specific counselors, the SITs will learn the ins and outs of the different specialty areas at camp such as Arts & Crafts, Programming, and Waterfront.

The SCIT program is unique in that the staff have high expectations of the teens, and through that, the SCITs are empowered to grow and develop their leadership skills. We know they will do a fantastic job and hopefully have a fun time through the process!

Below are some photos from the SCITs river rafting trip as well as more photos from the first full day of Session II. As we say here at camp, good night friends, until we post again!