Ballibay for the Fine and Performing Arts

Each summer a talented team of 50 staff gathers on a Pennsylvania mountaintop to create an exciting, rewarding and safe environment for children called Camp Ballibay. Ballibay staffmembers are creative individuals who care about children, education and the arts; they are students, educators and artists with diverse backgrounds and experience who share a common interest in nurturing, supporting and teaching young people in a non-competitive, individual choice setting.

Staff come to Ballibay from all over the United States; and all over the world through several cultural exchange programs. Undergraduate and graduate students, teachers from primary, secondary and higher education, and professional artists and performers make up the majority of our staff. Most of our staff have some previous summer camp work experience. The minimum age for staffmembers is 19, and the average age of our staff is usually between 21 and 23 years.

Many staff return to Ballibay summer after summer, and these experienced staff provide a strong network for training, supporting and advising first-time staff. All staff attend an intensive orientation program before campers arrive at camp, during which each year's group bonds and learns to function as a team and community.

With the exception of some senior and administrative staff, all teaching staffmembers are also cabin counselors. Each counselor lives in a cabin with at least one co-counselor and 10-14 campers. Ballibay is an activity-oriented camp, and staff spend only 2.5 hours during the program day with campers in the cabin. Staff spend 5.5 hours of a day in program areas, motivating, counseling, teaching and supervising campers in activities.

Although all Ballibay staff are hired for skill and experience in certain areas of specialty, no staffmembers fulfill narrowly defined positions or limiting job descriptions - we call upon our staff to use all of their skills and talents; in their specialty areas, and in the areas of creative teamwork, counseling, sensitivity to problem situations,&c;... There are no 'general staff' at Ballibay, but all staff will often 'wear several hats' as members of the Ballibay community.

The job requires motivation, responsibility, creativity, caring, common sense, and authority. If you feel that you would be a good member of the Ballibay staff community this summer, please send us your application & materials!