When Camp and Career Don’t Have to Compete
For 50 summers, Beber Camp has always focused on giving our staff real responsibility and expecting great things from them. In recent years, we noticed a growing tension for some of our most talented college-aged staff:
Camp or Career?
Traditional internships often pull students away just as they’re ready for deeper leadership and impact at camp. For many, it felt like an impossible choice, to grow professionally meant stepping away from a place that helped shaped them.
So we asked a different question: What if camp could be the setting for real professional growth, not a detour from it?
That question led to the creation of the Beber Camp Leadership Internship Program: a paid, structured, mentored internship that allows our staff to gain meaningful professional experience without leaving camp behind.
Not a Summer Job. A Professional Internship at Camp.
This program is intentionally designed for our staff who want real-world experience that counts. Leadership Interns are not “extra help.” They are emerging professionals.
Interns:
- Work closely with senior leadership
- Take ownership of meaningful projects
- Develop skills that translate well beyond camp
- Build resumes, portfolios, and professional confidence
All within the context of a $5 million nonprofit organization, where leadership, accountability, and collaboration matter every day. This is professional work, real responsibility, and intentional growth, in a place that also values community, connection, and purpose.
Multiple Tracks. One Shared Experience.
The Beber Camp Leadership Internship Program is a cohort-based experience, allowing interns to grow together while pursuing different professional interests.
Current internship tracks include:
- Social Work
- Development & Alumni Relations
- Communications
- Maintenance & Facilities
- Health & Wellness
Each internship includes:
- Clear responsibilities and expectations
- Defined learning objectives
- Meaningful outcomes
- Ongoing supervision and feedback
No two internships are identical but every intern is challenged, supported, and trusted with work that matters.
What Makes This Internship Different
There are many internships. There are very few that look like this.
Professional Experience
- Hands-on work inside a large nonprofit organization
- Exposure to leadership, operations, and decision-making
- Projects with real impact, not busywork
Mentorship & Leadership
- Direct mentorship from senior leadership
- Regular supervision and coaching
- Opportunities to see how organizations think, plan, and lead
Cohort & Community
- A named internship cohort
- Dedicated office space
- Weekly cohort check-ins
- Weekly dinners with senior leadership
- Continued participation in camp life
The experience is structured, intentional, and deeply relational which is rooted in Beber’s belief that people grow best when they feel known and supported.
Camp Is the Setting. Professional Growth Is the Outcome.
This internship is not designed as a pathway into camp leadership. It is intentionally built to prepare students for professional lives beyond camp.
Interns develop transferable skills in communication, leadership, problem-solving, accountability, and collaboration, skills that apply directly to careers in:
- Social services and human-centered professions
- Communications and marketing
- Healthcare and wellness
- Operations and facilities management
- Nonprofit leadership and administration
For many students, this program serves as a bridge between college and the professional world offering mentorship, responsibility, and confidence in an environment that already feels like home.
Learn More
If this program resonates with you, we invite you to explore the full overview of the Beber Camp Leadership Internship Program.
Click Here to Learn More about the Beber Camp Leadership Internship Program.
We’re proud of what this program represents: an investment in people, leadership, and growth and one more way Beber Camp continues to evolve while staying true to its values. Contact Michael for more information.