Counselor In Training (CIT) Program

Counselor In Training (CIT) Programs include nature education, mentoring for youth, and wilderness skills. Participants take part in activities such as animal tracking, kayaking, nature connection practices, planting trees, clearing brush, looking for frogs, eating wild plants, making a fire by friction, dyeing a shirt with berries, local plant and animal identification, and games and filler activities.

• Ages: 13–16 years old
• Schedule: Intensive week, daily 9am–3pm, June 16–19, 2026
• Price: CIT tuition $100; Tuition Per Session - Rate A: $834 $759 (Early Bird Discount Thru Mar 19), Rate B: $710 $646 (Early Bird Discount Thru Mar 19), Rate C: $603 $549 (Early Bird Discount Thru Mar 19)

The Counselor In Training (CIT) Programs are part of Vilda, which has been connecting kids with nature since 2008 and has been running programs since starting in Fairfax, California in 2008. The programs are described as an internship in nature education and mentoring for youth, with experience in nature connection practices and mentoring skills for self and youth. Available CIT options include CIT with Ages 4–6 (Truckee), CIT Tracks & Tides (San Rafael), and CIT with Ages 4–6 (Fairfax), and weeks may be requested at Tracks and Tides Camp, Bay Area 4.5–6.5 camps, or Truckee 4.5–6.5 camps. Staff guide CITs in safety practices, conflict resolution, inclusive leadership, and communication skills, and the programs are run in small group outdoor nature connection settings with very intimate instructor to student ratios. For very strong CITs, additional weeks of camp may be free of charge or include a small stipend, and internship credits are available to volunteers pursuing careers in youth education. The Earth Skills and Leadership - CIT Certification is offered for ages 13–16, and all participants who successfully complete this course receive a certificate, with the regular CIT fee waived for CIT weeks once this program has been completed. Scholarships are available. Vilda is a 501c(3) non-profit and now serves over 1000 kids a year in Marin, Sonoma, and Tahoe. The organization states that, when families choose its programs, they are supporting access to nature connection for all and the continuance of earth skills for future generations. The founder, Mia, grew up sailing in the Finnish archipelago with her family. Testimonials from parents include one parent who said, “What a gift. I see changes and expansion in my children that can only be experienced. They are wide open and noticing nature so much more,” and another who said, “Vilda is officially my son’s favorite camp ever!”

Last updated December 16, 2025.