Want to Volunteer?
Watch our Camp Welcome Webinar to learn more!
Camp Twitch & Shout employs a variety of volunteers to impact the lives of our campers. From counselors to medical staff, we are looking for people who have a passion to work with children and make them feel empowered. Energy, enthusiasm, patience, adaptability, and compassion are just a few of the qualities that we look for in our fun and energetic staff.
Volunteers must:
- Be a fun, energetic, and positive person who is willing to get a bit messy & very silly!
- Be age 19 or older (at least 1 year out of High School before the start of camp preferred)
- Complete and pass a background check
- Complete and pass reference checks
- Attend all mandatory training sessions
- Be physically and emotionally capable of supervising campers and participating in all activities with campers the entire week of camp
- Be able to commit to being at Camp Twitch & Shout 24/7 starting with training the Saturday before the campers arrive, through Friday, the last day of camp
- Sleep in the cabins with the campers all week long. Supervision ratio is approximately 1:1 (campers to counselors)
- Arrange and pay for your travel to and from camp. Volunteer food and lodging will be paid for during training and the week of camp.
- Have an interest in working with children with a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome and the possible associated disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, OCD, Autism, sensory integration dysfunction, and learning disabilities.
While adults from all different fields and expertise are accepted, students and professionals with experience or a focus on education, special education, psychology, nursing, medicine, occupational therapy, health related fields, social work, advocacy, behavior management, recreation therapy, music therapy, art therapy, a service industry, or counseling are encouraged to apply.
If you have an interest in joining our team we want to hear from you! Review the job role descriptions below for your chance to experience camp and change the life of child with Tourette’s Syndrome, as well as your own.
Contact campinfo@camptwitchandshout.org with any questions.
Camp Counselor: Camp Twitch and Shout Counselors are the primary caregivers for our Campers. They are responsible for the Campers’ health and safety, communication with their Leadership and Support Teams, as well as inspiring personal growth through the 5 core principles of Camp Twitch and Shout.
Reports to: Cabin Leader
Essential Job Functions
- To ensure the health and safety of all campers at all times.
- To see that all campers are properly supervised at all times.
- To serve as a team member and foster a sense of fellowship, spirit, and community within your Cabin.
- To ensure that camper’s needs are met and to promote a fun, safe, and supportive environment.
- To report to your Cabin Leader any behavior or activity of a counselor, staff member, Camp Twin Lakes staff member, or camper that is concerning, inappropriate, unkind, insensitive, or aggressive in nature.
- To recognize and communicate any personal issue or need of yourself to your Cabin Leader to ensure your emotional and physical health throughout the week.
- To make sure you are knowledgeable of any medical needs of the campers in your care, and access the Medical Team as needed for information, resources, and medical care as needed.
- To ensure timely medication administration.
- To ensure proper clothing, sunscreen, bug repellent, fluid hydration, and any environmental needs (heat related, etc…) of yourself and the campers in your care.
- To take advantage of scheduled breaks and relief when offered to ensure your personal health.
- To read and understand all policies & information listed in the Volunteer Manual.
- To seek the guidance and support of camp leadership as needed in order to gain knowledge and growth in the role of counselor.
- To always be aware of, and follow the programming schedule for your cabin to ensure timely participation in all the activities provided.
- To honestly and effectively contribute to all verbal and written evaluations required.
- To respond in a timely manner to all communication prior to and during camp.
- To participate fully in training and camp: All volunteers are required to be on site at Camp Twitch and Shout 24/7 from the beginning of training until dismissal on the last day of camp.
- To participate fully and enthusiastically in all the activities with the campers.
- To read and agree to all of the policies and information listed in the Volunteer Manual.
5 Core Principles of Camp Twitch & Shout
Resilience: Instilling the process of adapting well in the face of adversity in order to “bounce back” from difficult experiences.
Seeks to learn more about possible struggles and comorbid conditions for those individuals with Tourette syndrome through participation in training, ongoing communication, observation, and active listening.
To foster resilience by being aware of the possible individual challenges of each camper in their care, and to continually provide encouragement and feedback to positively impact their ability to handle those challenges.
Independence: Creates an environment that gives our Campers the opportunity to function independently, with the goal to improve their self-esteem through discovering their gifts and strengths. A counselor will encourage them to adopt and reinforce the routines and strategies that will help them develop self-competence through positive, supportive, and empathetic means.
To continually guide, supervise, and help organize activities related to the campers living in their cabin in order to foster self-competence in meeting their own personal needs and goals at camp.
Seeks opportunities for Camper’s personal growth and provides positive encouragement and compassionate support for each unique individual’s needs and goals.
Friendship: Assists in the development of friendships with others that are kind, and act as a positive influence in their lives.
Consistently acts as a positive role model for Campers and Volunteers by actively engaging in the spirit, community, and fellowship of all individuals living in your cabin.
Understands the importance of peer-to-peer relationships/friendships, and seeks to encourage and develop social skills in order to reach this goal with the support of the Leadership and Support Teams as needed.
Individuality: Assists campers to discover and embrace their unique qualities and gifts that distinguish them from others.
To embrace and respect the individuality and diversity of each camper in your care.
To seek opportunities that increase self-esteem and pride of all individuals by continually acknowledging and reinforcing their unique gifts and strengths.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feeling, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
To gain knowledge of mindfulness practices through the training process, and seek guidance from the Leadership and Support Teams during Camp.
To incorporate the tools and strategies learned in training to effectively calm and reassure campers when they are having a difficult time, feeling stressed, or struggling with their symptoms of Tourette Syndrome or associated disorders.
Cabin Leader: To oversee and guide the Counselors in their cabin to ensure the health and safety of everyone, promote the 5 core principles of Camp Twitch and Shout, and provide an engaging and supportive environment for the Campers in their care.
Reports to: Leadership
Prerequisites: 1 years of volunteer work with Camp Twitch and Shout
Essential Job Functions
- To effectively communicate with everyone in their cabins, and foster a sense of fellowship, spirit, and community within the Cabin and Unit.
- To ensure that your Counselors are complying with all Camp policies and duties detailed in their job descriptions.
- To provide leadership in an organized, calm, and empathetic manner.
- To participate in Pre-Camp meetings, and prepare for your Cabin’s needs prior to Camp.
- To participate in Unit Meetings, and immediately report to the Leadership Team any problems (or potential problems) with individuals in your Cabin, or with the Cabin group dynamics.
- To effectively communicate with the Leadership Team of any identified struggles, or potential issues such as inappropriate behavior, unsafe behavior, or concerns of any individual in your Cabin.
- To promote timely participation in all scheduled activities.
- To take responsibility for the prevention of any heat or environmental illness or injury by ensuring that all the Camper and Counselors have knowledge of proper clothing, sunscreen coverage and bug repellent application, as needed for upcoming activities.
- To ensure that all Counselors have knowledge of what to do for any medical needs, allergies, or possible medical emergencies that might require immediate medical attention in their Cabin (such as seizures or allergies).
- To engage the expertise of the Medical Team, and report to them any additional information and resources you might need to address any medical concerns for the health and safety of those in their care.
- To seek the support of the Leadership Team in order to facilitate communication and awareness of any concerns related to those in your Cabin.
5 Core Principles of Camp Twitch & Shout
Resilience: Instilling the process of adapting well in the face of adversity in order to “bounce back” from difficult experiences.
Seeks to learn more about possible struggles and comorbid conditions for those individuals with Tourette syndrome through participation in training, ongoing communication, observation, and active listening.
To foster resilience by being aware of the possible individual challenges of each camper in their care, and to continually provide encouragement and feedback to positively impact their ability to handle those challenges.
Independence: Creates an environment that gives our Campers the opportunity to function independently, with the goal to improve their self-esteem through discovering their gifts and strengths. A counselor will encourage them to adopt and reinforce the routines and strategies that will help them develop self-competence through positive, supportive, and empathetic means.
To continually guide, supervise, and help organize activities related to the campers living in their cabin in order to foster self-competence in meeting their own personal needs and goals at camp.
Seeks opportunities for Camper’s personal growth and provides positive encouragement and compassionate support for each unique individual’s needs and goals.
Friendship: Assists in the development of friendships with others that are kind, and act as a positive influence in their lives.
Consistently acts as a positive role model for Campers and Volunteers by actively engaging in the spirit, community, and fellowship of all individuals living in your cabin.
Understands the importance of peer-to-peer relationships/friendships, and seeks to encourage and develop social skills in order to reach this goal with the support of the Leadership and Support Teams as needed.
Individuality: Assists campers to discover and embrace their unique qualities and gifts that distinguish them from others.
To embrace and respect the individuality and diversity of each camper in your care.
To seek opportunities that increase self-esteem and pride of all individuals by continually acknowledging and reinforcing their unique gifts and strengths.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feeling, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
To gain knowledge of mindfulness practices through the training process, and seek guidance from the Leadership and Support Teams during Camp.
To incorporate the tools and strategies learned in training to effectively calm and reassure campers when they are having a difficult time, feeling stressed, or struggling with their symptoms of Tourette Syndrome or associated disorders.
Leadership Team: The Camp Twitch and Shout Leadership Team’s responsibility is to oversee development and training of all volunteers. This training will help prepare and empower our volunteers to accomplish the organization’s mission, incorporate the 5 Core Principles of Camp Twitch and Shout, and their responsibilities as outlined in their job descriptions. The Leadership Team will also oversee all volunteers and their responsibilities during the week of Camp Twitch and Shout and serve as a support role to the Camp Director(s).
Reports to: Camp Director(s)
Prerequisites: 3 years of volunteer work with Camp Twitch and Shout
Essential Job Functions
- Collaborate with Camp Director(s) to develop and deliver a training program that meets and supports the needs and interests of the Camp Twitch and Shout Campers.
- Work with the Camp Director(s) to plan and incorporate the mission, goals and objectives of Camp Twitch and Shout into volunteer training.
- Work with Camp Director(s) and Unit Leaders to provide oversight of all volunteers in order to maintain their health and well being, and continued support and development of the staff during the week of camp.
- Provide administrative support to Camp Director(s) as needed.
Medical Team: The Camp Twitch and Shout Medical Team implements strategies of medical support aimed at improving and enhancing the campers’ experience during the week of camp by giving direct medical care as needed. Medical support includes direct medical care, medication management and dispensing of all medications, upkeeping of documentation in medical records for all campers and volunteers.
Reports to: Medical Director and Camp Director(s)
Prerequisites: Physicians, Physician Assistants, RN, LPN, EMT- All Levels
Essential Job Functions
- To provide quality medical care to all campers and staff as needed and appropriate based on medical specialty. These services will include treatment of injuries and illnesses, and medication management.
- To collaborate with the Medical and Camp Director(s) in determining the types of Medical support that may be necessary at Camp.
- Work with camp staff and volunteers concerning documentation and quality assurance measures that may be necessary regarding medical support.