About our Youth Staff

The volunteer youth staff who work year round to plan and produce our two week-long summer camps give their time because of the excitement and personal growth they receive while participating in White Stag camp. Our youth come from many ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, representative of the communities we serve.

Individual Background

Volunteering to serve on youth staff is not a trivial committment. The youth meet once a month for an entire weekend ten months a year. They spend additional time between meetings planning and preparing leadership sessions, reviewing and studying program materials, and may occasionally meet with their staff for special events, like our twice-a-year fundraisers at the Big Sur Marathon. Youth staff need supportive parents who find value in the White Stag experience. In addition to volunteering their time, the youth and adult staff pay for their own food, site fees, and transportation costs throughout the year. See the complete staff schedule.

Qualifications

A teen may apply for youth staff after completing at a minimum Phase II Patrol Leader Development. We interview applicants carefully, looking for a willingness to put the group ahead of self, to work hard, to attend every staff development event, and to learn. If a youth staff member has not been a candidate in Phase III Troop Leader Development, they are encouraged to return as a candidate in that phase before continuing on youth staff.

All our youth staff are experienced campers or are required to become proficient in camp craft skills so they can teach the candidate participants the same things. In many cases they have advanced first aid knowledge. Each year the youth staff select their leaders from among their peers.

Youth staff are constantly counseled and mentored by the adult staff. The Phase Program Advisors must have at least five years of prior experience as an assistant advisor. They must be encouraging, enthusiastic, sensitive, and patient. Serving as a Phase Advisor is demanding position, requring exceptional dedication. This must take the time to learn about each youth staff member's need and characteristics and creatiing a growth experience that challenges and stretches each individual.

Personal Safety

All of our adults must complete the Boy Scouts of America Youth Protection training. All of our adults must be fingerprinted and are subject to a thorough background check. Every adult volunteers to participate in random drug screening.

We never allow an adult to meet one-on-one with any youth without another adult being present. We always have both a male and female adult present at all activities.

Only then are the adult volunteers permitted to work with the youth staff.