Staff Life

Camp is an experience in communal living. You and your co-staff get to create your own rituals and culture in your cabin, making a unique experience for campers each year. For example, you may wake them up with the same song each day or do the same activity before bed each night. Some of the best times to bond with your campers happen during downtimes in the cabin, such as rest time after lunch or shower hour before dinner

Prior to each meal, we meet at our flagpole to regroup, sing and cheer. After washing our hands, we head inside where we gather the entire community in our dining hall. Staff sit with their cabin, assisting campers and sparking conversation at the table.

We provide 3 meals a day plus an afternoon snack and an evening staff snack. Coffee, tea, and fruit are always available for you. To learn more about our food, please click here.

There are a total of four activity periods in one day with two cabin activities and evening programming. Throughout each week we also offer Hobby period where campers are able to pick a specific program or activity to participate in. Specialist and counselors will have the opportunity to lead Hobbies. We encourage you to actively participate in all camp activities with your campers. Check out our sample schedule for details.

Day and night, you are responsible for your campers. You are their role model, acting as their older sibling, parent, and their biggest supporter. You will set the example for them as we sing and cheer at flagpole before meals, and guide them in keeping themselves and their cabins clean. You will be their biggest cheerleader as they try new things, and their rock when they are having a tough day.

Staff assist our programming team in planning programs for their cabin or unit. Following dinner, you and your campers will head to evening program (which might be with your cabin, unit, or all of camp). While most of these programs take place in the evening after dinner, there are occasionally daytime programming slots as well.

At the end of evening program, staff divide responsibilities. Some will return to the cabin with your campers, some will escort campers to the health center for night meds, and others will stay behind to assist in cleaning up evening program. Campers and staff will reconvene in the cabin for your nightly bedtime ritual. After that ritual is complete, one staff member will be on duty (OD) with the campers in the cabin while the rest attend a short unit meeting before having time to relax, unwind, and hang out with friends.

During each day, staff will have dedicated time off. Additionally, each evening staff who are not on duty (OD) will have time off until curfew (usually midnight). We provide staff snack in the evening and make sure you have fun and meaningful programs throughout the summer as well. Staff also receive one day off per week worked where you may choose to sleep out of camp. Camp provides free internet and computer use for each staff.

We welcome adults of all faiths to come work at Camp Seneca Lake. We embrace a values-based approach to Jewish living. We expect you to come with an open-mind and nothing more. We encourage participation in our rituals as a role model for our campers. Campers and staff feel the comfort, spirit, and love of our community. We do not have daily prayer services at camp. We welcome a delegation of Israeli staff, creating unbreakable bonds with our homeland.