Top 10 Typical Staff Experiences at Swift Nature Camp

The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love

Hi, I’m Lonnie, and I’ve been the Camp Director at Swift Nature Camp for over 30 years. Every summer, more than 100,000 college students across the country become camp counselors. They do it for many reasons—leadership experience, adventure, friendships, and because camp has a way of changing lives.

At Swift Nature Camp, we do things a little differently. We’re intentionally small, with a staff of about 20 people, which means you are seen, heard, and truly matter. When you join our team, you’re not just filling a role—you’re shaping a summer.

As we empower our Camp Kupugani campers, our staff experience just as much growth, challenge, fun, and transformation. Here’s what typically happens during a summer at Swift Nature Camp.

1. Seeing Kids Transform Right Before Your Eyes---At camp, it’s not if campers will change—it’s how. You’ll witness shy kids find confidence, nervous campers try new things, and friendships form in ways that amaze even veteran staff. You’ll feel the impact of your work every single day

2. All-Camp Lake Parties---This is summer fun in its purest form—music, sunshine, laughter, and everyone together on the waterfront. These moments remind you why summer camp jobs are unlike any other job.

3. When a Camper Finally Opens Up---Camp can get deep. When a camper trusts you enough to share something personal—or just sit quietly with you—you realize how important your role truly is.

4. Day-Off Adventures with Fellow Staff---Days off turn into stories you’ll tell for years. Whether you explore Chicago, head to Mall of America, or just relax by the lake, these shared adventures build lifelong bonds.

5. The Hug You’ve Been Waiting for All Session---There’s a moment when a camper finally feels safe enough to trust you—and sometimes that trust shows up as a big, heartfelt hug. Those moments never get old.

6. Learning About Other Cultures and Perspectives---Camp brings together people from different backgrounds and experiences. Come with an open mind, and you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of the world—and yourself.

7. Gaining Confidence in Your Leadership---From staff training through the final day of camp, we intentionally help you grow as a leader. You’ll leave with stronger communication skills, confidence, and a clearer sense of who you are.

8. Enjoying the Beauty of Nature Every Day---The lake, the trees, the wildlife, the sunsets—and yes, even the bugs—become part of your daily life. Nature has a way of grounding you and recharging your spirit.

9. Making Friends for Life---There’s something special about camp friendships. After a summer full of shared challenges and laughter, you’ll likely leave with at least one new best friend.

10. Leaving Camp Changed---No one leaves camp the same person they were when they arrived. You’ll head home more confident, more capable, and more prepared to make a difference wherever life takes you next.

Why Swift Nature Camp?

Swift Nature Camp is an overnight summer camp in Wisconsin offering paid summer camp jobs and paid internships for college students. With our small staff team, you’ll gain real responsibility, real mentorship, and real impact.

If you’re looking for a summer camp counselor job, a college summer job, or a paid internship working with kids outdoors, this just might be the experience that changes your life.

The toughest job you’ll ever love.
— Lonnie
Camp Director, Swift Nature Camp (30+ Years)

College is about more than just textbooks and lectures. It's a pivotal time for growth, and a summer at camp is the perfect catalyst for success. Imagine a transformative experience where young adults embrace diverse cultures, nurture leadership skills, and develop critical thinking—all under one sun-soaked sky.

1. Worldly Perspectives: Camp unites global minds, fostering cultural understanding without the hefty travel bill.

2. Essential 21st Century Skills: Camp cultivates creativity, collaboration, and communication—qualities that employers seek and admire.

3. Real-Life Leadership: Supervising, making decisions, and ethical living—the essence of leadership, learned and applied in the real world.

4. Glowing Recommendations: Camp directors write personalized, standout recommendations, showcasing the skills honed in the great outdoors.

5. Financial Perks: Earn while you learn with covered room, board, and living expenses. Extra cash for your academic journey awaits!

6. College Credits and Internship Opportunities: Camp experiences can be translated into credits or serve as invaluable internships for your future career.

7. Powerful Networking: Connect with a dynamic community—camp staff, alumni—opening doors to future opportunities and friendships.

8. Professional Growth: Immerse in continuous learning, gaining certifications and expertise that boost your resume.

9. Earning Potential: Camp counselors enjoy competitive salaries, rewarding their hard work and dedication.

10. Unmatched Fun: Camp is an adventure, an arena of growth and joy, where every moment is a chance to learn, laugh, and make lifelong memories.

Dive into the Summer Camp Adventure. Join Swift Nature Camp. Prepare for a future beyond your wildest dreams!" 🌲🚀 #CampJobs, #CampCounselor

Learn more about Summer Camp Jobs at camp by visiting CAMP JOBS

All the latest News From SNC

Summer Camp! What do you think of? Fun, Excitement, New Friends, Camping, Smores? All those things happen but summer camp is more than games and friends, especially when you are a Camp Counselor.

Camp is about knowing you made a difference in a child's life. Do you know how you tell? It's the last evening of the session, you have spent a few weeks with the kids, some amazingly cool while others were a bit more challenging.  Then a camper who took the most energy comes up to you with tears in her eyes and says "You’ve made a difference in my life, I will remember you forever" and in the same breath asks "Are you coming back next summer? I want to be in your cabin." This is the moment when you know you changed a life and in some small way changed the world. It becomes clear all your effort was worth it. But what is surprising is you know your camper leave camp a better person and on your last day at camp you too will find that you have grown tremendously from the summer camp experience.

Here are the top reasons being a Camp Counselor is a summer job every student should try.

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   1. You are in a place where you and your campers grow to form the most unique and wonderful friendships you could ever have. You will want to stay in touch with your new friends long after camp is finished.
5. 2. There will be nights when you are awaken by a camper who needs to go to the bathroom, so you get and go outside, while looking up the stars it take your breath away and your camper feels honored that you pointed them out and to have spent that time with you

3. At some point you will realize our clothes, hair,dirt under our fingernails and smell are really not as important as we might think. What matters is who we are on the inside. This is a freeing experience that role models for the campers what is important in this world.

4. Camp is all about creativity, imagination and spontaneity. Your job will change every 15 minutes, from playing, to cleaning, dressing up like a super hero. Nothing beats the feeling of being a kid again and finding the simple joy of a pillow fight before going to bed.

5. The campers look up to you. They’ll mimic what you do, they will dress like you, they will believe everything you say. In short they think your the coolest ever and they want to be like you.

6. Tie Dye will be a staple of your wardrobe and you will keep trying to make the perfect one.

7. Many of your stories back home will start with “This one time, at camp…,” and most folks, except your camp friends wont get it.

8. Your happy to make time for an extra long hot shower. These are rare yet, most appreciated.

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9. You’ll will be outside everyday in nature. So sunscreen will be art of your ritual as well as bugspray. You will thank the creators of these 2 wonderful products almost daily.

probably get the best tan-lines. Farmers tan? Check. Shorts tan? Check. Headband tan? Check. Flip-flop tan? Check. It’s an inevitable truth, sadly. But the tan-line competitions are real

10. Your summer will be separated from the outside world and technology. Relationships will form face to face with face-time or face-book. Real faces & real people. This is a 21st century life skill.

11. you will appreciate your time off and away from camp but on the drive back you will be wondering how your kids are, whats been going on. The excitement will only increase as you get closer to camp and once you hit camp you will want to find your co-counselor to hear how everyone is.

12. Your coworkers become your best friends because you have spent "camp"together and they get it.

13. You quickly learn life’s most important lessons are easily solved by campers.  Oh sure they sometimes need help finding the path but they always figure it out. They just need a freiend like you to guide rather than fix things.

14. Helping a camper gain confidence and face their fears builds a self-worth unlike any other. Cheering on a camper who is swimming for the first time or holding a camper who is affraid of a storm. although they will meet challanges, they will love camp as much as you.

15. Sadness is the last day of camp, your campers are gone, the work is over and their is only you and your co counselor in your cabin packing. It's then you get you see why camp is such a magical place.and how much camp and your campers have changed you.

16. You learn how important sleep is, you look forward to going to bed early and snuggling up for a long cool night or you cherish that 15 minute nap under the shade of a pine.

17. You make time to refocus on all the beauty nature can show you with out a screen.

18. Camp will forever have left it's mark on you and you will be a part of the fraternity of camp counselors who value the importance Summer Camp Counselors truly have on today's youth. You’ll never be the same.