Campers-in-Leadership-Training (CILTs)

Building Leaders for the Next Generation

Campers in Leadership Training (CILTs) is a transformative two-week program for 16 and 17 year olds that fosters young leaders. Through the four pillars of self-awareness, servanthood, faith, and collaboration, CILTs cultivates leaders of consequence who go on to transform their communities and their world.

“CILTs was an incredible opportunity to stretch myself to the limit. It inspired creative thinking and self innovation while teaching me to work as a leader with people I will never forget. The friends I made in CILTs are my best friends today… Team CILT has made such an impact on my life that I will forever cherish that last summer as a camper.” – CILT camper

The Four Pillars

The Secret Sauce of Leadership Development

Our transformative program is built on the four pillars of self-awareness, servanthood, faith, and collaboration. With intentional, challenging programs that teach these values, we provide young leaders with the knowledge and hands-on experience they need to make a difference back home in their own communities.

Self-Awareness

Great leadership starts by understanding yourself. Our program helps campers explore their strengths and weaknesses, their personalities, and their role in a group setting. Through specific, honest feedback from loving counselors, campers learn how they impact those around them, and how they can excel in any situation.

Servanthood

Great leaders help others succeed. With a servant mindset, CILTs undertake a number of service projects here at Camp and in our local community. In addition, CILTs shadow overnight counselors and day camp counselors to learn more about how our counselors act as servant leaders to their campers.

Faith

Like all of our programs, the CILT program helps our campers grow in faith. From devotions geared toward teenagers gaining independence, to the opportunities to lead a chapel, to special praise & worship sessions, CILTs teaches campers how to live out the “I’m Third” motto as leaders. 

Collaboration

Collaboration is a key skill for 21st century leaders. That’s why CILTs helps leaders grow both as individuals and as members of a team. Through numerous team-building activities and discussion sections, CILTs learn how to provide and receive honest feedback, and how to work with others who think differently. 

 

 

CILT Programming

Opportunities to lead and grow

Mornings are spent growing as a CILT group. Through CILT-exclusive team building activities, camp adventures, service projects, and more, CILTS grow closer as they learn about themselves and each other.

Afternoons are spent with “adopted cabins.” CILTs shadow overnight camp counselors during afternoon and evening activities while acting as role models for younger campers. We will continue to receive guidance from the CDC, the American Camp Association, and the local health departments regarding the safest practices with COVID. This may impact the “adopted cabins” aspect of the CILT program.

Additional activities include

  • CILT-exclusive Team-building activities at The Leadership Center
  • Leading chapel as a CILT session
  • Creating an original CILT song and cheer
  • Service opportunities at Camp and in our local community
  • Shadowing day camp counselors for a day

Relationships that Stick

Cultivating Family

The CILT program isn’t just about leadership. Friendships made during CILT sessions are some of the strongest bonds formed at Camp. With 30 campers and 5-7 counselors and staff who live together, learn from one another, and spend purposeful time together, close friendships form and significant growth occurs. Through team-building activities, devotions, service projects, and more, CILTs get to know each others’ stories, passions, and strengths as they build each other up with encouragement and support. These are relationships that stick.

 

“CILTs is the reason I can see God’s love. All of these amazing leaders are brought together by our faith. My time at camp last summer is still impacting my life today.”

CILT REGISTRATION CHANGES

Over the last few years we have seen a continual increase in the interest for CILTs. Because of this we’ve been looking at the registration process for the last few years with the goal of making registration as fair and equitable as possible. We used to open CILT registration at the same time as the rest of our summer registration (June 1) which resulted in the program filling up in an hour or less. In recent years we pushed the registration date to the first Wednesday of September which allowed us to talk to every torchbearer who came through camp about what CILTs was all about. Through this process we saw how the campers who registered and attended CILTs had a better understanding of what they were signing up for and therefore had a better experience. 

So, in an effort to make the registration process as fair as possible, CILT registration is now done in a lottery system. On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, we will open registration for one hour (from 9:00 – 10:00 AM Eastern Time). During that window, any eligible camper can put their name on the list for one or more CILT sessions. At 10:00 AM, we will close the registration window and will randomly sort all applicants, putting 20 girls and 10 boys in each session. All applicants will be notified by 12:00 PM ET on Thursday, September 7 as to whether they are registered or waitlisted for a session(s).

Starting at Noon ET on Friday, September 9 we will re-open the CILT registration so that campers who did not apply during the lottery window can be added to the waitlist.

FAQ

What are the requirements for registering for CILTs?

In order to attend CILTs, campers must be 16 or 17 years old by the first day of the CILT session. Campers are not eligible to attend if they are 18 years old during their session of CILTs. There are no exceptions to these criteria and before running the random lottery we will ensure that all applicants fit both of the criteria.

Will there be any preference given to campers who register earlier in the lottery window?

No, all campers who apply between 9:00 – 10:00 AM Eastern Time have the same chance of being registered.

Will there be any preference given to campers if a registration is brought into the office?

No. We prefer for all registrations to be done online. If a registration is brought into the office during the lottery window, it will be included in the same lottery as all online applications.

Can a camper apply for multiple sessions of CILTs and if so, which session will they be registered in?

Yes, campers can apply for multiple sessions of CILTs. If you do put the campers name on multiple sessions, we ask that you fill out the online form (Under “Forms and Documents”) to rank the order that you would prefer. If a camper’s name comes up in the top 10 (boys) or 20 (girls) on multiple sessions, we will look at your rankings and enroll the camper in the higher ranked session.

If my camper is waitlisted, how does the waitlist order work?

The waitlist order will be determined by the same lottery system so campers will be placed on the waitlist in the order that their name comes up. If you are notified that your camper is on the waitlist, we will let you know what number on the waitlist you are. All registrations after the lottery window will be time stamped and placed in order of their time of registration.

Will there be any preference given to campers who have attended for x years, had siblings attend, etc.?

No, all campers who apply within the 9:00 – 10:00 lottery window have the same chance of being enrolled in CILTs..

If my camper’s name doesn’t come up in the lottery, are there other options?

Yes, we do have Adventure Trips available for boys and girls ages 13-17.  You can find more information about these trips at www.camptecumseh.org/adventuretrips

If my camper does not attend CILTs, does that mean they will not be able to work on staff down the road?

No. CILTs is not a counselor training program. Attending CILTs does not guarantee a job on staff. Attending CILTs is not a requirement to apply for staff. We have had many staff, both on Day and Overnight Camp, who did not attend CILTs and we’ve had plenty of individuals who attended CILTs who did not work on staff.

More questions?

If you have questions about registration, please contact our Registrar, Jamie Jones, at 765-564-2898, or via email at jamiej@camptecumseh.org. If you have questions about the program, please email our Overnight Camp Director, Meg Piechocki, megp@camptecumseh.org

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Boys Overnight Summer Camps (ages 8-15)
Boys Overnight Camp Week 1 June 9-15 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 2 June 16-22 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 3 June 23-29 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 4 June 30-July 6 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 5 July 7-13 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 6 July 14-20 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 7 July 21-27 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 8 July 28-August 3 Waitlisted $850
Boys Overnight Camp Week 9 August 4-10 Waitlisted $850
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Girls Overnight Summer Camps (ages 8-15)
Girls Overnight Camp Week 1 June 9-15 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 2 June 16-22 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 3 June 23-29 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 4 June 30-July 6 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 5 July 7-13 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 6 July 14-20 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 7 July 21-27 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 8 July 28-August 3 Waitlisted $850
Girls Overnight Camp Week 9 August 4-10 Waitlisted $850
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Boys Equestrian Summer Camps (ages 11-15)
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 1 June 9-15 Available $950
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 2 June 16-22 Available $950
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 3 June 23-29 Available $950
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 4 June 30-July 6 Available $950
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 5 July 7-13 Waitlisted $950
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 6 July 14-20 Available $950
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 7 July 21-27 Waitlisted $950
Boys Equestrian Camp Week 8 July 28-August 3 Waitlisted $950
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Girls Equestrian Summer Camps (ages 11-15)
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 1 June 9-15 Waitlisted $950
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 2 June 16-22 Waitlisted $950
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 3 June 23-29 Waitlisted $950
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 4 June 30-July 6 Waitlisted $950
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 5 July 7-13 Waitlisted $950
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 6 July 14-20 Waitlisted $950
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 7 July 21-27 Waitlisted $950
Girls Equestrian Camp Week 8 July 28-August 3 Waitlisted $950
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Boys CILTs (Campers in Leadership Training) – ages 16-17
Boys CILT Session 1 June 9-22 Waitlisted $1,800
Boys CILT Session 2 June 23-July 6 Waitlisted $1,800
Boys CILT Session 3 July 7-20 Waitlisted $1,800
Boys CILT Session 4 July 21-Aug 3 Waitlisted $1,800
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Girls CILTs (Campers in Leadership Training) – ages 16-17
Girls CILT Session 1 June 9-22 Waitlisted $1,800
Girls CILT Session 2 June 23-July 6 Waitlisted $1,800
Girls CILT Session 3 July 7-20 Waitlisted $1,800
Girls CILT Session 4 July 21-Aug 3 Waitlisted $1,800
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Adventure Trips (ages 13-17)
Whitewater Rafting 1 June 16-20 Available $1,300
Whitewater Rafting 2 June 23-29 Available $1,300
Whitewater Rafting 3 July 28-August 3 Waitlisted $1,300
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Day Camp (ages 5-12)
Day Camp Week 1 June 17-21 Waitlisted $195
Day Camp Week 2 June 24-28 Waitlisted $195
Day Camp Week 3 July 1-5 Waitlisted $195
Day Camp Week 4 July 8-12 Waitlisted $195
Day Camp Week 5 July 15-19 Waitlisted $195
Day Camp Week 6 July 22-26 Waitlisted $195
Day Camp Week 7 July 29-August 2 Waitlisted $195

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