Focus

The only award a boy can receive at Camp Carolina is for being a positive member of the community. The Old Man of the Mountain Award is based on citizenship. Boys do not receive awards of any significant merit for athletic prowess or excellence in any activity.

We hold the Backcountry Institute at Camp Carolina each spring. We offer courses by American Canoe Association, American Red Cross, National Archery Association, National Rifle Association, United States Youth Soccer Association and Wilderness Medical Association, to name a few! We offer these courses to the general public, other camps and provide these courses for our staff, allowing us to have the most medically and professionally trained, certified camp counselors in the country! The average age of our staff is 23 years old. 98% of our Program staff takes advantage of Backcountry Institute courses. Our average staff population is 23% American, 30% Australian, 18% European, 13% South African and 12% New Zealanders. Our overall ratio: camper/staff is 2.5/1.

We travel the planet in search of the finest role models, the most skilled instructors, and staff with the highest degree of moral character and maturity. Our staff application is six pages and has 16 essay questions. Applicants must go through our interview process by our administration, have a clean criminal background check, provide a minimum of three character or work references, provide us with work history, and pass a drug test.

Activity Diversity and Opportunity

Every activity at Camp Carolina is available to all age campers on a level specifically designed for their age group with the exception of wakeboarding, surfing and paintball which are offered to the two oldest age groups and Counselor Assistants.

We have a lesson plan for every activity for each age group so that all boys can be safe and successful. We do all the team sports that boys do at home but put camaraderie and sportsmanship first over competition. Boys are seldom on the same team more than once. We have a strong focus on individual sports that are designed to build confidence and self-esteem.

Our cost is all inclusive, except for incidentals, prize trips, camp store charges and pizza parties. We run all our own programs. We do not contract out any of our activities. For instance, the Raft Guides & Climbing Instructors are part of our community. They arrive at camp with specific skills and are trained at Backcountry Institute. All our staff go through the same rigorous hiring procedures.

Our commitment to the younger boys, as well as the older ones, transcends throughout our camp program. If you shop camps, you will find that there are few camps, if any, that allow boys under 12 to climb, bike, raft or kayak out of camp. The diversity of our in-camp program combined with our extensive tripping program gives boys an experience they can only get at Camp Carolina!

Staff Maturity and Hiring Procedures, Safety and Professionalism