Leadership in Training Programs (LIT)
Aides Program The Aides program is an eight and a half week leader-in-training program offered to boys finishing their sophomore year in high school. Dr. Russell Irons started the current program in 1951 as the first step in the camp's leadership development program. Its participants consist of approx. 20 former Becket campers selected from a very competitive pool of applicants. A single aides director leads these boys on work projects around camp and provides guidance as the Aides develop counseling strategies. The focus of the Aides Program is to learn how a resident camp operates by assisting in the office, store, infirmary, and kitchen. Aides also partake in lifeguard training and join cabin groups to learn how to become counselors.
Service Corps The Service Corps formed later, during Camp Becket's centennial summer in 2003. The Service Corps, formerly a four week program, will become an eight and a half week program during the summer of 2011. There are 12 boys in the group, with one director. While the Aides spend most of their time doing behind the scenes work and building valuable counseling skills in preparation for future work on Camp Becket's staff, the Service Corps will help plan large events and help with on camp service projects. The Service Corps also do work off-campus, in soup kitchens, community farms, Habitat for Humanity, and other locations around the Berkshire community as well as two individual one week in length service trips outside of the Berkshire community.
REACH The REACH program, which is explained more in the Chimney Corners section, used to be a co-ed program where people are trained to become counselors solely in South Dakota. As of 2012, the REACH program has become single sex, and the participants now spend part of their time working on Native American reservations in South Dakota, and the other part in Camp Becket. It has also become a six week program.
Read more about this topic: Camp Becket
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