About the YSSC Family
Meet the Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp Directors
Executive Directors, Steve “Cujo” and Sara “Salsa” Kuljis, have been at the helm of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp since 1998. They are second generation directors of this well loved and respected program which was founded in 1973 by Sara’s parents Jim and Manya Slevcove. With three kids of their own, they know the value of having heroes and role models who help shape their children in positive ways.
Sara has served on the board of the American Camp Association, Southern California/Hawaii Section, and is a frequent speaker and trainer for the Association. In addition, Sara conducts a variety of parenting workshops and podcasts.
Steve brings extensive experience in building and facility management, business administration, and wilderness camping. Steve served as legislative chair for Western Association of Independent Camps, and as a board member of the California Coalition for Youth.
Associate Director, Reverend Ron “Skeeter” Eckert, has served with YSSC for over twenty years. As a long time director, Ron honed skills essential for effectively leading programs and shaping the lives of children and youth. He also serves as the onsite Director of YSSC’s sister program Emerald Cove Day Camp in San Juan Capistrano.
Jessica Peterson is the Program Director for Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp. Jessica joined the camp directors full time in 2019 after serving on staff in a myriad of ways for 8 summer seasons. She graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Masters in Theology and brings a passion for spiritual and youth formation. With her background in church ministry and youth development, she is enthusiastic in shaping and serving campers and staff alike. Jessica shares her love for camp ministry with her husband, Brandon, having both met while working at camp. He’ll be seen around camp participating in campfire songs and eating monster cookies!
Savannah Lawrence is the Administrative Director for Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp. She started her camp journey at seven years old at our resident program, Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp! Her love for camp led her to become a counselor in 2017 as well as a Young Life leader for four years at Azusa Pacific University. She has a B.A. in Journalism with a Media Studies emphasis and background in marketing, writing, graphic design, and social media management. Her passion for child development and camp has led her to our team!
Melanie Mackay is the Program Director of Emerald Cove Day Camp. After spending her 4 summers of college on staff at Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp, Melanie joined full time with the Day Camp team in 2016. With a background in youth development, Melanie is now in her sixth year working to shape the program, staff and campers of ECDC with a passion for training and developing young people. Melanie’s husband, Teddy, is a high school English teacher who continues to invest his summers into the program, staff, and wonderful campers of ECDC.
Want to Join the YSSC Staff?
Campers love YSSC because campers love our summer staff! Working at YSSC just might be the most challenging, surprising, exhausting and meaningful job someone could ever have. And probably the most fun too! Typically, our staff family includes 70 college students and graduates. These young adults represent 25-30 colleges and universities, and nearly 55% of them return for multiple summers. YSSC’s summer camp program provides an opportunity for all staff members to interact with children, and also hone their skills in leadership, communication, team building & collaboration, teaching & oral communication, problem solving & critical thinking, and putting Christian faith into action.
Applications are still open!
Please note that with the Covid-19 vaccine now FDA approved, YSSC will be requiring all 2022 seasonal summer staff to be fully vaccinated before arriving at camp for contracted employment dates. If you have questions or concerns, please call our office (949)361-2267.
Now more than ever, young adults (like yourself!) are facing high pressures to gain experience, skills and an impressive resume all before ever graduating college. Gaining those experiences doesn’t have to be in an office building. What if you could spend a summer in the beautiful high sierras, building relationships that last, deep joy in service, teaching kids play and silliness, all while adding skills, certifications and trainings that will translate in the work place?
At Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp, we have been hiring, training, and nurturing young adults for 50 years. Our staff alumni have become some of the best in their fields, shaped by their experiences at camp. Join us for a summer (or 3!) and see what we’re talking about.
“You can have a camp with all the best facilities and toys and a mediocre staff, and campers will have a good time. But, you can hold camp on a sandlot with extraordinary staff, and campers lives will be changed.”
– Jim “Kimo” Slevcove, Founder
Apply Here2024 Dates & Rates of Employment
Counseling: June 7 – August 23
Boat Drivers and Backpack Guides: May 27 – August 23
Activity Specialists: June 2 – August 23
Food Service and Operations/Maintenance: June 7 – August 23
Infirmary Staff: June 3 – August 23
Office and Media Staff: June 7 – August 23
Program Leads: May 31 – August 23
Priority is given to qualified applicants who can serve the entire summer. Please do not hesitate to apply if your available dates are different than those listed, discussions around dates will be initiated during interviews.
2023 Salary: $301 per week (plus room and board which equates a $510 per week value)
2024 Salary TBD
Rates are based on working a six-day work week.
Available Positions
Click on the photos below for descriptions of the positions that we are hiring.
Counselor
This position is ideal for those who love working with kids, desire to positively shape the lives of youth, enjoy outdoor adventure and want to share their faith with kids.
Staff in this role will hone interpersonal and leadership skills, creativity, and interpersonal and problem solving skills.
Responsibilities include management of camp schedules, enforcement of camp guidelines, leading activities and enhancing community living skills. Experience in teaching Bible study and behavior management desirable.
At least 18 years old and entering second year of college. Provide care and round-the-clock supervision for a cabin of 5 -7 campers per session.
This position is supported by the Head Counselor Supervisors.
Activity Specialist/Rotator
This position is ideal for those who love working with kids, have specific transferable skills/experience, enjoy working with both big and small groups and want to share their faith with kids.
Staff in this role will hone oral communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and interpersonal and leadership skills.
Responsibilities include teaching specialty activities (marksmanship, archery, skateboarding, ropes course, crafts and nature study), serve as 24-hour substitute counselor, provide general program support and enforce camp guidelines.
At least 18 years old and in college, upperclassman desired with experience in supervising both children and peers.
This position is supported by the Activities Supervisor.
Boat Driver
This position is ideal for those who love working with children, enjoy water sports, desire to teach children water skills and want to support creative programmatic play.
Staff in this role will hone critical thinking and problem solving skills, oral communication skills and interpersonal and leadership skills.
Responsible for boat driving and maintenance, and instructing campers in water-skiing, wake boarding, knee boarding and banana boating fundamentals, as well as implementing safety rules. Provide general program support as requested.
At least 18 years old and in college. Must have experience driving ski boats and have current lifeguard certificate.
This position is supported by the Boats Supervisor.
Backpack Guide
This position is ideal for those who are passionate about the outdoors, desire to inspire awe in creation in children, are comfortable with spendings days on trail and enjoy working particularly with middle and high schoolers.
Staff in this role will hone critical thinking and problem solving skills, leadership and interpersonal skills and collaboration skills.
Responsible for leading multiple 3-day backpacking and camping trips, belaying climbing/ropes courses, behavior management in children and general program support.
At least 19 years old and in college. Must have at least a minimum of current certification in Wilderness First Aid, however, Wilderness First Aid Responder (WFR) is preferred. Experience required in wilderness mountaineering, orienteering, and rock climbing and the ability to teach these skills to campers. Experience in teaching Bible studies, counseling and behavior management is desirable.
This role is supported by the Backpack Guide Supervisor.
Food Service
This position is ideal for those who love working with kids, enjoy serving in behind-the-scenes roles, desires to grow in culinary skills and thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
Staff in this role will hone collaborative skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and interpersonal and leadership skills.
Responsible for helping prepare 2 of 3 meals per day for 200+ people, kitchen chores, working alongside other team members, accommodate specialty dietary needs and supporting camper and program needs off-shift.
At least 18 years old and a high school graduate. Must have strong work ethic and ability to take direction, work with minimal supervision and work well with others. Must be able to operate standard kitchen equipment and able to lift/carry up to 50 lbs.
This role is supported by the Food Service Manager.
Office Assistant
This role is ideal for those who love kids, desire to support the mission through behind-the-scenes work, enjoy bringing organization and detail-orientedness and feel comfortable supporting camper parents.
Staff in this role will hone interpersonal and leadership skills, oral communication skills and critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Responsible for daily updating camp website, providing administrative support, communicating with camp families, distributing high volume of camp mail, assisting in office projects and chores.
At least 19 years old and in college. Must have ability to take direction and multi-task, be well organized, accurate and dependable, work with minimal supervision and able to lift/carry up to 40 lbs. Word, Excel, and Internet literate with strong communication skills desired.
This role is supported by the Administrative Director.
Photographer/Videographer
This role is ideal for those who love kids, are passionate about capturing the magic of camp in photo/video, enjoy archiving and organizing photo/video, and desire to work on a team.
Staff in this role will hone collaborative skills, creativity, and critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Responsible for taking, editing and uploading photos on the website daily, producing video and slideshows throughout each summer session, cataloguing of images (including archiving, backing up, etc.) and assisting with media equipment set up as needed.
At least 19 years old and in college. Experience in video and digital photography. Ability to take direction and multi-task, responsible, well organized, and work with minimal supervision. Personal photography equipment and photo editing skills (i.e. Photoshop) preferred.
This role is supported by the Media Supervisor.
Health Center Staff
This role is ideal for those who love kids, desire to care for the health of campers/staff, enjoy organizing health care systems and communication, and feel comfortable communicating with health care professionals, parents and campers.
This role will hone oral communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, interpersonal and leadership skills, and collaborative skills.
Responsible for managing camp infirmary (“Club Med”) and guest RNs who rotate each session.
At least 20 years old and nursing student, EMT, registered nurse, or higher. Must be able to administer first aid, assess injuries, maintain files and supplies, communicate with local doctors and camper parents relating to medical cases, and train staff in general health and hygiene guidelines. Excellent organizational, record keeping and communications skills required.
This role is supported by the Health Center Manager.
Operations/Maintenance
This role is ideal for those who love kids, enjoy working outdoors, desire to work in manual/hands-on capacities, and thrive working behind-the-scenes.
This role will hone collaborative skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and maintenance skills.
Daily responsibilities include dishwashing, cleaning of facilities, general maintenance tasks, upkeep of grounds, and special event set up. Longer term projects may include building repair, construction and landscaping projects.
At least 18 years old and high school graduate. Must take direction well, demonstrate strong work ethic, and work with minimal supervision, and work well with others.Related experience is not required, but preferred. Must be healthy, have stamina and able to lift/carry up to 50 lbs.
This role is supported by the Operations Director.
Internships
Interested in an internship for academic credit? We'd love to chat. Submit an application and ask about internship opportunities.
“Truly an amazing ministry. Working there completely changed my life.”
– Kent, Former Staff Member
Our Campers
YSSC campers range in age from 8 to 16. Approximately 70% come from Southern California, with the remainder coming from Northern California, other states and even a handful from other countries. The majority of our campers come from middle to upper income households, although YSSC remains committed to providing opportunities for financially disadvantaged children to also attend the program.
Our Staff
Staff are selected based on Christian maturity, experience working with children, communication skills, and zest for life. We purposefully hire a diversity of temperaments, talents, and backgrounds to create a balanced and healthy staff family. Length of service ranges from 10 to 13 weeks depending on a staff member’s role.
Our Community
Before you apply, please review our community life standards that we ask all of our seasonal staff to uphold.
Our Process
Our process is as simple at 1, 2, 3! Submit an application linked below. A team of Directors are waiting to get to know you. Two Directors will reach out to schedule a first & second interview with you over Zoom. Once the interviews has been completed, we will pursue the references you have provided. We have a hiring team that will assess qualifications, skills, and available roles. Once all references have been received, you will receive an email and/or phone communication regarding the job you’ve applied for. Background checks will be run on all potential employees prior to the start of summer.
We look forward to exploring summer opportunities with you!
To apply, simply fill out the online application and submit.
Applications for Summer 2024 are open!