youth Leadership Programs
Designed for teens who are interested in gaining Camp Counsellor experience and learning transferable job skills, these programs provide teens with an opportunity to develop leadership and facilitation skills, outdoor adventure experience, and learn what it’s like to work in all departments at Fircom as well as cabin groups of kids!
IMPORTANT INFO:
Camp Fircom's L.I.T (Leader in Training) programs are designed to have campers participate first as Junior L.I.Ts, then Senior L.I.Ts the following year, and then are eligible to apply as counsellors when they are 17. Because of this, we require Senior L.I.Ts to be 16 years old by the start of the summer, as this guarantees they meet the legal age requirements to be considered the following year. This, in turn, means that Junior L.I.Ts should be 15 at the start of the summer. These specific age requirements mean that some L.I.Ts may have completed different grades (9 or 10 and 10 or 11 for Junior and Senior respectively) but be the same age because of their birth date.
We ask that campers who are old enough to be Senior L.I.Ts apply for the Senior L.I.T program, regardless of whether they have completed the Junior L.I.T program, as it helps us maintain the cycle of campers mentioned above.
You may have noticed we changed the name of the program from C.I.T (counsellor in training), this change was made to better reflect the outcome and goals of the program. If your teen completed the Junior C.I.T program in 2026 you will be registering for Senior L.I.T.
Junior & Senior L.I.T. (Leaders In Training)
(Formerly C.I.T’s)
Junior L.I.T. Dates: July 18-23 and August 1-6, 2027 (during Mom & Kids Camps).
Senior L.I.T. Dates: June 11-13, 2027 (Training), and all three weeks of our Kids Camps: July 12-16, July 26-30 and August 9-13, 2027.
PARTICIPANTS:
Junior LIT’s - Teens who are 15 yrs old by July 11th, 2027
Fee: $600.00
Max: 10 participants (**see note below)
Senior LIT’s - Teens who are 16 yrs old by July 11th, 2027
Fee: $0
Max: 10 participants, by invitation (**see note below)
Junior L.I.T
We will be on site during our two Mom & Kids Camps. During the day, participants will be split into two groups of five. One week will be spent doing workshops with all the different departments at Fircom (kitchen, garden, and site) and helping with tuck shop, the other week will be spent with the campers during their kids only programming (each group will experience both). We will reconvene as a group in the afternoons to participate in LIT only workshops that will focus on community building, learning transferable job skills, and how to work with kids. In the evenings we will join the rest of camp for our campwide activities. This is an introductory program designed for teens who are interested in gaining foundational leadership skills and work experience, while also giving them a chance to enjoy teen activities (swimming, archery, crafts, campwide games, evening campfires, etc).
Senior L.I.T
We will spend 2 full days on site during Dad & Kids Camp, June 11-13, 2027 for some hands-on training, and then attend all three weeks of Kids Camp. For the first two weeks of the program participants will be split into two groups of five, one week will be spent doing workshops with all the different departments at Fircom (kitchen, garden, and site) and helping with tuck shop, the other you will be assigned to a cabin group to support the Camp Counsellors (each group will experience both). We will get together in the afternoons for L.I.T only workshops and participate in the evening campwide activities. The third and final week will be tailored to each participant's goals and skills and we will be completing a legacy project, as well as celebrating! This program is intended for teens who have foundational skills in childcare or leadership, or have completed the Junior L.I.T (formerly C.I.T) program and are looking to gain workplace experience.
** NOTE **
Both our Junior and Senior L.I.T programs require an evaluation process and possibly an interview, depending on the volume of applications, before applicants are accepted.
If you are accepted into the L.I.T program, you are considered an L.I.T and are unable to attend camp in a regular camper capacity during off weeks, except for the third week of Polaris.
Junior L.I.T registrants will be contacted in the winter. All interested Junior L.I.T aged teens are welcome to register and/or waitlist beginning November 7, 2026.
Those interested in applying for the Senior L.I.T program can send an email to our Assistant Summer Camp Director: natalie@fircom.ca. Do not expect a response until December, 2026 or January 2027. Personal invitations will also be sent to selected teens that have been a part of the Junior L.I.T (formerly C.I.T) or those who have expressed interest in joining the program.
Teens are welcome to email us themselves, we ask that they include their parent/guardian on the email as per our communication policies.
More Teen Programs:
Polaris Adventure Camps:
Week 1: July 18-23, 2027 (Ages 13-16)
Week 2: August 1-6, 2027 (Ages 13-16)
Week 3: August 15-20, 2026 (**Ages 15-16)
Upcoming Polaris Adventure Camp Dates:
What to Expect
Pick up & Drop-off
Checking In/Out
Junior L.I.T participants must be signed in & out by their legal guardian.
Senior L.I.T’s legal guardians will be sent a permission form so Senior L.I.T participants can check themselves in and out.
Boat Departures
Junior L.I.T’s will be travelling to Fircom on our staff boat Sunday evenings and arriving back in Horseshoe Bay late morning on Fridays. You will be meeting one of your L.I.T Coordinators by the red roofed hut on the public dock.
Senior L.I.T’s will be arriving Monday morning with the rest of our campers, please let the staff doing check in know when you arrive. We will be arriving back in Horseshoe Bay late morning.
Exact times will be sent via email to all Junior and Senior L.I.T participants.
Accommodation
Junior CIT’s will stay in a Bell Tent during their two weeks on site.
Senior L.I.T’s will stay in Bell Tents during their June 11-13 training weekend. During the three Kids Camp sessions, L.I.T. participants will stay in cabins with Camp Counsellors and the kids in their cabin group or in a Bell tent with the other L.I.T’s.
Accommodations are all-gendered, L.I.T.s can expect to share an accommodation with fellow L.I.T.s and campers of all genders, gender identities, and gender expressions. This change represents a shift towards making camp a more welcoming and inclusive environment. In order for L.I.T.s and campers to maintain privacy when dressing, we will continue to have covered changing stations in cabins and next to bell tents, as well as private stalls in all of our washroom facilities.
