“Campers in Leadership Training”
The CILT Program
Your CILT summer will be your last as a camper and often your most challenging and rewarding. It’s a summer to give back to a place that has shaped you, to strengthen your leadership skills, and to leave a positive mark on your community. The CILT program is something we’re proud of and continually refining. We seek campers with strong leadership potential and help them develop that potential even further. Skills that will serve them for life.
Overview
The Camper in Leadership Training (CILT) program takes your Cheley Experience to the next level. You’ll still be a camper, but with a new role as a leader in your unit and across camp, dedicating your term to developing and practicing essential leadership skills.
The program focuses on putting others’ needs ahead of your own — a challenge that will stretch and strengthen you. It’s “fun-plus”: first and foremost, it’s fun, plus you’ll learn valuable skills under the mentorship of your unit’s Assistant Director, the CILT Coordinator, and other staff. You’ll be expected to learn from every activity, every challenge, and every moment presented to you.
Being a CILT also means making trade-offs. You give up the chance to go on the 5-day backpack, may find it harder to complete patches, or miss a favorite third-week program like a special EB. These sacrifices are part of what makes the role so meaningful! You’re choosing to put the needs of the camp community ahead of your individual goals.
Past CILTs often describe this as the highlight of their Cheley Experience: “A summer filled with new responsibilities, deeper connections, and a chance to give back to the community that has helped shape you.”
What It Means to Be a CILT
Being a CILT means stepping into a role model position for all campers, not just those in your unit. It’s about learning to lead, support, and inspire through actions big and small.
You’ll build skills in:
- Teamwork & communication
- Responsibility & initiative
- Motivation & persistence
- Listening, observation & problem-solving
- Creativity & adaptability
These skills are taught in a safe, supportive environment through activities, workshops, and real-life leadership experiences. You might help develop the Code of Living, lead a campfire, support a homesick camper, sweep the basketball court without being asked, or spot a need in the community and act on it.
You’ll be mentored by camp staff, including your unit’s Assistant Director, the CILT Coordinator, and your Exchange AD. Throughout the summer, you’ll get frequent feedback, complete self-evaluations, and keep a Leadership Log to track your growth.
As mentioned, the training provided in the CILT program will help prepare you for leadership roles in all walks of life. But please note: Even if you complete the CILT program successfully, it does not necessarily mean that you will be asked to apply for a staff position at Cheley in the future or offered a position if you apply. We are pleased each summer that former CILTs who excelled in the CILT program apply and are part of our staff, and still, being a CILT does not mean you will be hired as a staff member. Sometimes, even young people who have done a great job and learned a lot in the CILT program are not always ready to assume the responsibilities of a staff member at Cheley, especially in the summer directly following their CILT summer. Such people can always apply in future years.
What the CILT Program Is Not
Being a CILT isn’t a special status or a set of privileges: it’s a responsibility. Yes, there are some perks (yellow kerchiefs, hot beverages at meals, and time together as a CILT group), but the greatest reward is the chance to work closely with an incredible team and make a meaningful difference in your camp community.
It’s important to remember that being a CILT doesn’t make you “above” other campers; it just means you’ve been given a role with higher expectations. The best CILTs stay humble, lead by example, and treat everyone with the same respect and kindness they’d want in return. Leadership at Cheley is about service, not status.
The Exchange Experience
CILT Exchange is often described as the most eye-opening week of the program and sometimes the most memorable. During this week, you’ll live and work in a different unit, stepping into the shoes of a counselor. You’ll:
- Support a new group of campers and learn their routines
- Assist with activities and program areas in ways you might not have experienced before
- Work alongside a different leadership team, adapting to their styles and expectations
- Build relationships outside your home unit, strengthening your ability to connect and lead across the camp community
Exchange is a week full of challenges, learning, and fun! And it ends with a celebratory cookout. It’s also a trade-off: you’ll miss a week in your home unit, which means giving up time with your closest camp friends and some of your familiar routines. This is intentional! Leadership often means making sacrifices for the good of the community, and Exchange gives you a safe, supportive way to practice that skill.
The Application Process
The CILT program is for highly motivated campers who are ready to work hard, play hard, and take on the challenges of leadership. It’s open to returning campers entering their junior or senior year of high school the year they apply, meaning you could be a CILT the summer before or after your senior year. While many campers choose to participate, others decide to return as regular campers instead, and that can be just as rewarding.
It’s important that applicants have a genuine interest in learning leadership skills and contributing to camp, rather than seeking the role simply as a step toward a future staff position.
THE APPLICATION
- Applications are distributed on the first Sunday of the term.
- Completed applications are due to the Assistant Director by the third Sunday of the term.
THE CRITERIA
CILT invitations are based on three factors:
- Camper and staff vote
- Application content
- A consultation with their Director and Assistant Director
THE VOTE
Campers and counselors in the upper four units receive a ballot describing the attributes and characteristics of prospective CILTs. The Director/Assistant Director (AD) reviews how to vote, emphasizing the importance of casting thoughtful and informed votes. All applicants are listed on the ballot, and voters are reminded not to vote based on friendships or bunkmates.
The Director team uses these results, along with their own insight, to make recommendations for the following summer. If there are more qualified applicants than available spots, we select the top candidates. Younger applicants (entering junior year) may be encouraged to wait a year to ensure they’re fully prepared for the role.
SPACE IS LIMITED
While we strive to accept all qualified candidates, we’ve found that the CILT experience can suffer if we accept too many participants. To maintain the quality of the program, the number of CILTs per term and unit is typically capped at 8.
We give careful consideration to the votes from fellow campers and counselors, as these reflect the community’s support and confidence, which are crucial for a CILT’s success. When a prospective CILT doesn’t receive enough votes, they often struggle in the program, so we closely examine where the natural break occurs in the voting results.
These decisions are some of the hardest we make each year, as we’ve watched these campers grow up at Cheley. However, it’s important to note that campers who aren’t selected for the CILT program often return and have incredibly strong and successful summers at camp.
The experience of the unit’s director and assistant director, along with the demographics of the unit, also play a part in the final decision. Our ultimate goal is to uphold the high standards of the CILT program and ensure a meaningful experience for all participants.
