Staff

The Takajo counselor staff is comprised of more than 130 men and women, about 40% of whom are returning veterans. Our counselors are college and graduate students, teachers and administrators from throughout the United States and abroad. Approximately twenty percent are from overseas with representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland, and Germany. The average age of our counselors is 24. There are no C.I.T.'s or junior counselors. Our entire camp personnel totals over 175. Forty of this group are the kitchen, office, medical, and maintenance staffs. In camp, at all times, are a licensed physician and seven registered nurses.

The staff is hired on the basis of character, stability, interest in working with children, warmth and personality, and expertise in a specialty. The order in which the criteria are listed here represents the relative weight given to each, with no consideration given to race or religion.

The entire Takajo staff assembles at camp for an intensive week of pre-season orientation and training. The philosophy of the camp, its aims, ideals, and objectives are covered extensively. The primary concern at the opening orientation meeting is to emphasize those values and attitudes in our society which we deem desirable, how they relate to camp, what our limitations are, as well as what we are striving to accomplish with the boys. The philosophy is reinforced daily throughout the course of the summer by our administrators and group leaders.

At separate meetings, the staffs of the Warrior, Junior, and Senior groups are apprised of pertinent information concerning each camper. Once a week during the season, separate meetings are held with each of the three staffs and its group leader to discuss each camper and his adjustment.