Hiring Hub

• Boat Drivers & Backpack Guide Staff: May 29, 2023
• Program Staff: June 4, 2023
• Activities Staff: June 5, 2023
• Club Med: June 5, 2023
• Remaining departments: June 9, 2023

If something has changed or come up, please submit a request to change your contracted date by contacting the office, info@yssc.com. Your dates are not considered changed until you have received approval by the Program Director.

We give priority to staff who can be with us for the entirety of the summer. During the application process is the appropriate time to request any special days off. If you have any questions, reach out to the office, info@yssc.com.

Salary begins at $301 per week (plus room and board which equates a $510 per week value) for summer staff.

We take a gentle and nurturing approach to the faith development component of camp. We are a non-denomination camp and we meet kids where they are at while focusing on core aspects of the gospel including God’s love and forgiveness, salvation through Christ, and how we can live lives that honor the Lord. We believe God is weaving “teachable moments” into each day, whether that is on the trail, through a conversation before bedtime, or in a cabin Bible study taught by counselors. While the majority of our campers come from church going families, some have not heard of a personal relationship with God and some practice other religious traditions.

Just like Christ is at the center of everything we do with campers, you will find this true for being on staff as well. Staff can expect to grow and develop in the day to day life of staff fellowship and service. In addition to organic faith development, there is also morning worship and devotions most days of the week, weekly church and encouragement toward personal practices during down time.

While YSSC has community living guidelines, camp does not have a statement of faith. We are open to campers of various faith backgrounds and hire staff from all over that bring diverse backgrounds in faith. We are united in our affirmation of the core beliefs of Christianity and focus on those things in our faith curriculum. Some of that includes:

• We accept the Bible as God’s Word and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
• We strive to help campers take the next step in their own personal journey of faith, whether learning about God’s love for the first time, or allowing Christ to be a greater influence in their decisions, activities and relationships.
• We believe a Christ-centered community is key to shaping the hearts and minds of campers.

Our campers come independently to camp, not in large church groups. Most are from Southern CA and most are from middle to upper class families.  We feel called to shape and positively influence leaders of tomorrow that have opportunities to be game changers in the world. Through our nonprofit, Star Rock Ministries, we deliberately provide opportunities for campers who would otherwise be unable to afford YSSC the chance to attend camp through a campership program. While some SRM campers are embedded in YSSC’s regular 2-week sessions, we also provide two one-week programs especially designed for inner-city children.

Yes! We are passionate about giving every staff member the chance to positively impact a child. We have a cabin buddy program where a staff member is assigned a cabin to be “buddies” with throughout the session. As each role permits, staff are encouraged to eat meals, join activities with and participate in evening programming with their cabin they are buddied with. Some roles are more hands on with children than others but all are encouraged to pursue relationship building with campers.

YSSC hires 70-75 college students or recent graduates. This spans roughly 18-25 years old.

We have an average of 45-55% staff retention year to year.

Everyone works a 6-day work week with 1-day off (this is typical across summer camps). This looks like one day off between each session and one day off roughly mid-way through each two-week session. Work days start early at 7am when morning devotions are offered, or at 8am for breakfast. Some roles like food service or cabin counselor may require an earlier start. All staff are asked to participate in the fun of evening programming and to help sing the bedtime lullaby song to campers at 9:30 pm.

While every role requires a slightly different daily schedule, please check out our camper’s daily camp schedule to get an idea of the flow of a typical day at camp.

Absolutely! We encourage staff to stay in touch. While cell reception is spotty, you are welcome to make phone calls over cellular service or wifi, at any time that is appropriate given your role. This most likely is early in the morning, during a mid-day break such as free time or post-lunch, after 9:30pm or on your day off. We ask that staff do not use cell phones in front of campers. If there is an emergency or unavoidable need outside of those times, you can discuss options with your supervisor. Of course, we also encourage the fun tradition of snail mail letters! We check the mail every day accept for Sundays.

We have laundry facilities on campus available for staff, free of charge. There is also laundry detergent provided for you!

YSSC is located in an ideal location for time off. Staff are always welcome to stay on campus if some down time and sleep is what is needed. If you are looking to go off campus, there is a local town, Oakhurst, that has the essentials such as RiteAid, grocery stores, places to eat out and local thrift shops. You also can adventure in Yosemite National Park and explore the hikes and the Valley. Note that over the last two years, Yosemite has had many different permitting systems in place so staff are encouraged to research this before going in. We are also close to Ansel Adams Wilderness, where are there are plenty of hikes and places to climb. Depending on covid-19 protocols, staff have enjoyed through the years visiting nearby bigger cities such as Fresno or San Fransisco.

With the high quality of community available at camp, not having a car is hardly a hinderance on your day off. Most of the time, you can hop in a car of a buddy as there are usually several groups of people going to different places for days off. All you have to do is ask!

We love having people at camp. In 2021, we were unable to accommodate visitors due to covid-19 protocols. We would love to have visitors on campus this summer, but this will be determined in May, when we anticipate receiving and determining more guidelines. Thanks for your patience in the meantime!

If visitors to campus are allowed, visitors are welcome on the weekend between sessions only. This means they can arrive after 4pm on the last Friday of a session and will be asked to depart after church on Sunday morning. Visitors are not permitted on campus during the session to ensure the safety of the campers.