Dates of employment for Summer 2008:

Most positions are from:  June 8 to August 20*
*Some positions begin as early as June 3rd, and some positions return for Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 3).

Conference Center
The Conference Center is the largest of our three camps located near Santa Cruz, California. During the summer families attend one of our week-long family camps. During the morning and evenings programs are provided for children, teens, and college-aged guests while the adults participate in a number of activities. During the afternoons families have a variety of recreational options to choose from, both at the Center and at nearby Santa Cruz.

About 100 college-aged students are hired as counselors, program staff, as well as in a variety of support positions. All summer staff positions are paid, and include room and board.  Summer staff members also have the opportunity to raise additional support through our Amicus program.

• The number of Adventure positions has increased from seven (7) to twelve (12).
• Discontinuing the rotation system between Adventure and Crafts. Instead, two (2) Summer Staff will be hired to work in Crafts.
• Amata is a new program based out of the Conference Center. Amata (which is Italian for beloved) is a camp for teenage girls to come and find their identity as Christ's beloved. One (1) Director and three (3) Counselors will be hired to help guide these girls through those crucial early teen years.
• Increasing the Audio/Visualstaff from one (1) to two (2).
• The number of College Directors has been increased from one (1) to two (2).
• The team leader positions have been eliminated at Child Care. A director, plus 12 counselors will be hired to work at Child Care this summer.
• The director position has been eliminated at Day Camp. The Day Camp advisor, along with the team leaders, will oversee Day Camp. Two additional special needs counselors will also be hired.
• There will still be twelve (12) Youth Staff, but how the Youth department is staffed has changed. The number of staff hired to work all summer at Youth has decreased from twelve (12) to nine (9). Two directors (junior high, senior high) will be hired, along with a band (3-4 members). The remaining staff will be Youth counselors. Each week three (3) Ponderosa counselors will rotate to the Center to be Youth counselors.
• Multimedia Positions Instead of hiring a multimedia person for Ponderosa and for Redwood, four (4) multimedia staff will be hired to work out of the Graphics department (located at the Center). By centralizing staff and equipment in Graphics, the goal is to provide greater resources to all the camps in meeting their multimedia needs for the summer.

Positions Available at the Conference Center

Bookshop
Sales Work cash register, stock shelves, customer service.

Food Services
Fountain Manager Prefer prior snack-bar or other service experience. Order stock. Supervise staff.
Fountain Assistant  Work register. Make specialty items (sundaes, sandwiches, etc). Keep Fountain clean.
Dining Staff Gift of hospitality. Serving meals in buffet, plated, and outdoor scenarios.

Graphics
Multimedia: Able to film, edit, and create weekly and program videos through out all three Santa Cruz sites. Produce year round promo video at summer's end. Help in other programs.
Photographer  Still/video work, B/W darkroom. Photojournalism skill required.

Day Camp (children in grades 1-6)
Counselor  Experienced with children. Lead Bible studies, games, hikes, skits, swim, boating, etc.
Crafts  Develop/teach craft program, order supplies.
Special Needs Counselor Experienced with special needs children. Provide one-on-one attention for special needs campers.
Team Leader  Prior DC experience. Coordinate activities for a particular age group (grades 1-2; 3-4; 5-6), plus counsel.

Recreation
Recreation Director  Prior recreation/athletic experience. Provide a variety of recreational and sports options for guests.
Adventure Team Leader  Prefer ropes/climbing experience. Assist in staff training and supervision. Staff adventure facilities, assist in other activities
Adventure Staff  Prefer ropes/climbing experience. Staff high ropes course, climbing wall, team building, assist in other activities.
Head Lifeguard  Oversee pool and swimming operations, as well as boat programs. Certified lifeguard with experience.
Lifeguard  Assist with pool and swimming operations, as well as boat programs. Certified lifeguards.

Youth (Jr High: grades 7-9; Sr High: grades 10-12)
Director (one in Jr. High; one in Sr. High) Develop program. Supervise staff. Handle disciplinary issues. Interact with parents. Prefer prior experience.
Counselor  Lead small group Bible studies, provide social/recreation options.
Worship Band  Lead praise/worship times.  Lead small group Bible study and activities.