S and D both made far less than minimum wage working at scout camp. We had many discussions about this. Scout camp is very low cost, and many camperships are available for students who have limited family income. If my kids (and others working at camp) demanded minimum wage (or more), then many low income kids would be unable to afford camp. We saw their working at below minimum wage as a way of giving back.We are fortunate to be in a financial position where our kids do not havehave to work in the summer. So working for a low wage while helping kids across the financial spectrum worked for them. YMMV.
Helping those less fortunate was more important than impressing college counselors. Schools that shared similar values would - and did - recognize the value of their summer work. But, these were also kids who did not see Ivy and comparable schools as the ultimate goal. They sought out schools that had similar values and were also also had higher likelihood of admissions and scholarship $$.