California Summer Camp - Find Magic & Meaning at Augusta

<h4>What inspired you to work for <a title="undefined" href=https://www.goabroad.com/providers/camp-augusta rel="" target="_self" class="clickTracker" rev="domainID=0&amp;refererType=1&amp;refererID=3361&amp;abbreviation=CSCT&amp;clientID=27976" data-ga-client="Camp Augusta" data-contentlink=""><ins>Camp Augusta</ins></a>?</h4>
<p>I was drawn to Augusta because of the unique philosophies and activities available for staff. I stayed because these philosophies and community changed my life in a profoundly positive way.</p>
<p>It changed the way I relate to people, myself, and youth. The things I learned at Augusta had ripple effects into the rest of my life.</p>
<h4>Describe a typical day at work.</h4>
<div class="awesome-image right-aligned wrap-mobile" ><img src="https://images.goabroad.com/image/upload/v1764055995/images2/interviews/Fww8r6T7lBx5ft0rpJCbVRT314B9t1tjl2mh47i9.jpg" alt="Man in green bandanas and face paint running"><div class="caption"><p>Capture the Flag!</p></div></div>
<p>A typical day includes:</p>
<ul>
<li dir = "auto">A special wake-up</li>
<li dir = "auto">Four activity blocks</li>
<li dir = "auto">A camper's choice of a fun activity called PlayStation</li>
<li dir = "auto">A cabin activity that you do with your campers</li>
<li dir = "auto">An epic and unique evening program in an immersive world</li>
<li dir = "auto">A meaningful end-of-the-night activity with your campers</li>
</ul>
<p>No two days are the same. I encourage you to see a movie about a day in the life.</p>
<h4>What is your favorite part of your job?</h4>
<p>Over the years, my favorite things at camp have included:</p>
<ol>
<li dir = "auto">Learning the philosophies</li>
<li dir = "auto">Teaching the philosophies</li>
<li dir = "auto">Engaging in the epic all-camp programs</li>
<li dir = "auto">Sharing meaningful and memorable moments with fellow staff</li>
<li dir = "auto">Finding moments of presence in the most beautiful nature I have found.</li>
<li dir = "auto">Being able to move my body, get over 10,000 steps a day, and sleep in beautiful, clean, fresh air.</li>
</ol>
<h4>What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?</h4>
<p>I think about what an investment is in myself and my life. Looking back, I see a person's 20s as a formative time with an immense amount of possibilities and potential for the development of self. I encourage people to choose a program that they can experience as much as possible.</p>
<p>What I loved about Augusta is the massive diversity and challenge that growth can present. From the activities and skills to the readings and philosophies, and the challenging moments to the endless opportunities for new creativity to be brought into existence, there is always something new and novel to learn and explore.</p>
<div class="awesome-image centered " ><img src="https://images.goabroad.com/image/upload/v1764055996/images2/interviews/OyxFUlnOcCLHkT6mVqPpxvNotLh1WZm25UFVCIaK.jpg" alt="Teenage boys at camp, some in chef hats and white bandanas"><div class="caption"><p>Me as "Mr. Pies" in our evening program: BLAMMO!	</p></div></div>
<h4>Why should someone choose Camp Augusta over competitors?</h4>
<p>There are over 12,000 camps in the United States, but Augusta is a very special one. It is a non-secular camp, but with a huge amount of spirit. It holds a vast diversity of people, activities, and experiences.</p>
<p>The type of people and the standards and expectations for people at Augusta far surpass those of most summer camps, so the community becomes a very special place with very meaningful connections. These are people with a deep sense of social-emotional intelligence, care, and interesting life stories.</p>
<h4>What is Camp Augusta's mission, and how do you continue to work toward it?</h4>
<p>The Camp Augusta mission is to reclaim and foster the beauty, wonder, awe, potential, and innocence of childhood.</p>
<p>No two years at Augusta are the same. No two days at Augusta are the same. Every day and every summer, a camper comes back and experiences something new because they hold such a degree of agency in what their camp experience is. From the Cabin Acts to the Special Wake-ups to the Evening Embers, the camper and staff experience at Augusta is full of intentionality.</p>
<p>The intention: the healthy development of children and adults.</p>
<div class="awesome-image centered " ><img src="https://images.goabroad.com/image/upload/v1764055996/images2/interviews/qABtZMkrbt4xbHa2lTYWoeVduNQcULSMNXRrpw4z.jpg" alt="A guy in a US flag shirt with a hay phoenix sculpture."><div class="caption"><p>Celebrating the 4th of July with a nighttime celebration of lighting a phoenix on fire with flaming arrows</p></div></div>
<h4>What do you hope participants take away from your programs?</h4>
<p>We hope that participants take away a sincere and deep curiosity for life and its beautiful, tech-free facets, which are becoming increasingly forgotten.</p>
<p>We want staff to come here because they are seeking a challenge and leave here grateful that it was the hardest and most fulfilling job they have ever had in their life.</p>
<p>Some things that I would hope participants would take away would be:</p>
<ol>
<li dir = "auto">A Deeper Sense of Self-Knowledge and Self-Reflection.</li>
<li dir = "auto">A reconnection to their childlike sense of play, fun, and wonder.</li>
<li dir = "auto">A network of new friends that feel like life-long connections that they can continue to be in contact with and hopefully visit for years to come.</li>
<li dir = "auto">A healthy summer with lots of activities and lots of new skills to learn.</li>
<li dir = "auto">A toolbox of skills for working with people, whether those are friends that already exist, new friends, or others.</li>
</ol>
<h4>Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?</h4>
<div class="awesome-image centered " ><img src="https://images.goabroad.com/image/upload/v1764055997/images2/interviews/VxxMa6EZ5r5XZViq1mXlBiEj9zNk0dC2Z4ptFBTr.jpg" alt="Person in giraffe onesie looking at a large lake"><div class="caption"><p>Going on a nearby overnight trip with campers</p></div></div>
<p>It is in the new experiences that we are exposed to the novelty of ideas, environments, and cultures.</p>
<p>Those new experiences allow for an expansion of self and ideas, which equips us with the capacity to be exposed to new things and to be able to stand tall and steady with those new things. It gives us a foundation of self that we can take with us to all new hardships and new experiences.</p>
<p>Beyond in our life, it gives us the courage to go forward and try new things rather than spend a life stuck in the comfort of our status quo.</p>
<h4>What does meaningful travel mean to you?</h4>
<p>Meaningful travel to me means going to a place that you know will be challenging, but in a way that you also know you will end the experience looking back and being proud of what you just did. Proud of the stories, the challenges, and the impact that you had.</p>
<p>The director of Camp Augusta actually created an entire website on finding meaning in life. The container of Camp Augusta to help find that meaning is an intentional and sincere one.</p>


Matthew Malecha

Get to know the people behind Camp Augusta! Check out this GoAbroad Staff Interview with Matthew Malecha.

Matthew Malecha | Camp Augusta Staff Interview

Camp Augusta Staff Interview with Matthew Malecha

🌍 Work, Live & Play at Camp Augusta – A Workaway Adventure!

Camp Augusta isn’t just a job – it’s a journey. Live in community, play the wildest games you’ve ever imagined, and grow through training in child development, leadership, and unique activities like high ropes, horseback riding, blacksmithing, archery, and arts. With a 1:5 counselor-to-camper ratio and 70 staff for 100 campers at a time, we teach (and prioritize) intentional and meaningful connection and communication.

Staff and campers live in rustic cabins without electricity, creating music, stories, and adventures away from screens. Roles include Counselor, Program Coordinator, Master of Fun & Games, and more!

📅 Dates: May 12 – Aug 8, 2026 (options from Apr– late Sept)
💰 Compensation: Usually around $3500 for summer (depends on agency), with/ housing, meals, and ZERO living expenses
🥗 Fresh organic meals with dietary accommodations provided

Requirements: Age 19+ by June 1, full summer availability, excitement, and experience for FULL days with kids 8-16
Outcomes: Meaningful impact, deep personal and professional growth, lifelong relationships.

👉 See our Webpage to learn more and fill in an Interest Form!

Camp Augusta

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A Day At Camp Augusta

If you want to grow professionally, but also personally, this is the place to go! You'll experience magic in the woods with children -- creating experiences that I've never seen anywhere else. You will work very hard, but learn a ton too. If you love kids, I really recommend Augusta! 

When I first went to Camp Augusta as a counselor at 22 years old, I had already worked at three other summer camps and traveled abroad to two other countries. I was anticipating it to be a familiar run-of-the-mill summer camp, having a good time, and then moving on with my life. Within a month of being there, I knew that this place was different. The games, the people, the activities, the opportunities for growth, the connection with nature, the mission, and the philosophies. It seemed like every day was full of challenges, but also full of so much meaning and reward. I knew that although it was the hardest job I had ever had, I had grown so much in my first summer and needed to come back. Since then, I have returned to many summers and many roles in Augusta. No two summers are the same. Each has its own challenges and growth that have been foundational for my growth at and with Augusta. Despite the hard work and long hours, I look back with gratitude at the impact that Augusta has had on my life personally and my relationships - in Augusta and outside. It's a life changing place for all who tread on those woodchips. :) 

Camp Augusta is one of the best places on planet earth. Through camp, I’ve made lifelong friends around the world and learned skills that I carry with me every day. It’s hard work but the most fulfilling. They support every individual and foster a safe community with a growth mindset. Small cabin sizes allow for you to connect on a deeper level with campers. Yummy, nourishing food. A beautiful setting with waterfalls and forest in the mountains. An abundance of play and fun. You’ll never be bored here and happen upon some true magic.

A Life Changing Place of Culture, Community, and Personal Growth

I joined Augusta about a year after graduating with a major in secondary education and biology. I had worked at several other summer camps and found them to be fun jobs that were memorable, sociable, healthy, and useful for my future (in many ways!). I wasn't expecting to be at Augusta for more than a summer, though the philosophies/ideas/community/programs of Augusta were so incredibly different from what I had experienced elsewhere as a camper or counselor and they had a significant impact on my life - personally and professionally. There is SO much to learn there, and most of the things I found more useful and powerful than what I had learned through my entire undergraduate degree. The community they created was mature, passionate, creative -- it was amazing. While it was hands down the hardest job I had had in my life, it was the most life changing and fulfilling, and when I left I immediately knew I needed to return to counsel again; there was so much left to learn and do.

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