The CIT program at Camp Juliette Low encompasses the spirit of the purpose for which Juliette Low founded the camp: outdoor leadership training.
CIT sessions are three weeks long and run concurrently with the rest of camp. Girls who have finished the 10th or 11th grades are eligible to participate. In recognition of the contribution CITs make to the operation of camp, their camp tuition fees are reduced by half.
CJL's CIT program is a two part, two year affair.
First year CITs refine campcraft skills such as lashing, fire-building, and outdoor cooking and learn outdoor skills not always taught to campers, such as wilderness first aid, axe sharpening, and trail maintenance. They practise teaching these skills, camp songs, folk dances, and games to each other and to the younger campers. By helping in the units and with various classes, they become familiar with counselors' duties and with the needs of campers of different ages.
Successful first-year CITs receive a recommendation to return for a second year during which they can learn more about the behind-the-scenes work done by all the camp's staff, from the unit counselors to the camp director to the dietician. They study the physical, mental, and social characteristics of various age ranges and learn the communication and guidance techniques most effective with each group. They learn to plan and manage camp classes, cook-outs, evening programs, and overnight camping trips.
Graduates from the CIT program will get pay bonuses if they come to work as staff. Better, they will leave with the skills to handle themselves and a bunch of kids in the woods in almost any situation.
A special CIT brochure is available on request.