Camp FUNset Offers Leadership Program for Teens

Camp-FunsetCamp FUNset is offering teens age 13 to 16 the chance to learn what it takes to be a camp counselor.

The Leaders in Training Experience (LITE) program is new to the camp curriculum this year, and is for students who have “aged out” as campers. Camp FUNset Director Katie Rizer said she wanted to make sure kids who were too old to be campers but too young to be counselors still had an opportunity to be involved with the camp at Sunset Hill Farm County Park.

So many of our young campers are learning what it takes to be a leader in school and in the community,” she said. “Campers ‘age out’ by the end of middle school and we don’t want to lose the momentum of personal growth before they come back to us as counselors. The LITE Program creates a great link between being a camper and joining the team as a camp counselor.

LITE members will assist counselors as they lead games, songs, hikes and a variety of other activities throughout the summer.

The first week of Camp FUNset begins June 11 and camps are offered until Aug. 2. Most camps take place Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A mini-camp will also be offered on July 2 and 3 and an overnight campout will take place from June 29 to 30.

Rizer said that LITE would be a program that students could highlight on scholarship applications, while they also gain hands-on training to boost their resumes.

Applications for the LITE program can be downloaded from the Porter County Parks and Recreation Web site, www.portercountyparks.org or by emailing Camp FUNset Director Katie Rizer at krizer@porterco.org. Applications must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a non-family member.

About Porter County Parks and Recreation
The mission of the Porter County Parks and Recreation Board and Department is to preserve, protect and manage the natural, cultural and recreational resources within a diverse park system. For more information, call 219-465-3586, e-mail pcparks@porterco.org or visit www.portercountyparks.org.