Experiential Youth Educator (Seasonal)

Job Title: Experiential Youth Educator
Salary: $600/week room & board
Reports to: Program Director

PROJECT KINDRED MISSION
To disrupt segregation by uniting and empowering diverse young leaders through transformative experiences.

We do this through a 6-year youth-driven experiential leadership development program for diverse cohorts of young people led by caring, consistent, culturally competent, diverse, near-peer mentors.

POSITION MISSION
To serve as a group leader for eight youth participants and facilitate campers' growth through their time at camp

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Facilitating experiential activities and dialogue circles with groups of young people in grades 3-12.
• Collaborating with “Co” to plan a week of engaging, age-appropriate activities and dialogue circles.
• Proactively creating an environment of mental, emotional, and physical safety.
• Leverage naturally occurring learning opportunities at camp to facilitate group growth in areas of cultural competence, positive identity, and social skills.
• Assist with program design, camp set-up, clean-up, inventory, and other tasks that help camp function smoothly

WHAT YOU’LL DO

If you were in this role right now, you might be:

• Leading a game of capture the flag for a large group of campers and staff.
• Interrupting a microaggression from one camper to another and processing this experience intentionally with those involved.
• Leading a small group discussion about Self-Awareness.
• Facilitating downtime activities that keep campers engaged during rest times
• Facilitating the cooking of a meal around the campfire.
• Leading an activity that you planned based on a passion or hobby of yours
• Putting on a costume and acting in a skit at the opening campfire.

VALUES
We expect candidates to demonstrate accountability to and alignment with Project Kindred’s Vision, Mission, and Strategic Plan. Additional values we expect a candidate to demonstrate are:

• Self-Awareness - We are true to ourselves, and we own our impact
• Kindness - We uplift ourselves and others with thoughtful words and actions.
• Courage - We choose to stand up for ourselves and each other, even when it's hard.
• Community - We include, respect, and empower one another.
• Joy - We share our passion, playfulness, and positivity with one another.

PRIORITY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, EXPERIENCE
To be successful in this role, you will excel in the following areas:

• CULTURAL COMPETENCE - Possesses the ability to appreciate and interact effectively with individuals and groups across cultural boundaries. Acknowledges that “culture” goes beyond what’s visible, and extends to many other facets of the human experience, such as sexual orientation, socio-economic status, ability, etc. Understands their own dimensions of difference and how those inform the lens through which they approach cultural differences. Continuously works to develop relationships with people of various backgrounds.
• JUDGEMENT & SAFETY - Considers the long-term as well as immediate short-term outcomes and actions. Recognizes when to escalate appropriate or specific situations to the next higher level of expertise. Refrains from “jumping to conclusions” based on no, or minimal, evidence; takes time to collect facts before decision-making. Considers alternative available actions, resources, and constraints before selecting a method for accomplishing a task or project.
• KINDNESS: Genuinely cares about others and takes an active interest in their concerns. Able to understand and share another person’s feelings, experiences, and emotions without judgment. Puts self “in the shoes of another.” Tries to understand how a person is feeling in the moment or around a particular issue by actively listening. Accepts others for who they are.
• RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Establishes rapport and builds trust easily. Demonstrates effective interpersonal communication skills. Deals effectively with others in order to get work accomplished. Balances concern for productivity and results with sensitivity to others’ needs or problems. Meets others “where they are at.”
• FACILITATION SKILLS: Is effective in a variety of facilitation settings; one-on-one, small and large groups with audiences inside and outside the organization. Gains others’ attention and can manage group process. Facilitative; brings out the best in an audience and can adapt tactics when needed.
• EMPOWERING OTHERS: Empowers others by providing tactical support, recognition, information, and the tools for others to succeed. Shares authority appropriately so people can make meaningful decisions in their roles. Allows mistakes and encourages learning from experience.
• TEAMWORK: Promotes cooperation and commitment within a team to achieve goals. Understands when and how to contribute to a project or team, both as a leader and as a contributor. Provides constructive feedback to others as appropriate. Collaborates willingly; volunteers assistance and undertakes additional tasks to support others. Shares credit; acknowledges and celebrates the achievement of others.

REPORTING & RELATIONSHIPS
The Experiential Youth Educator reports to the Program Director. You may work independently or be paired with a “co” to lead a group of 8-10 campers.

POSITION AVAILABILITY
This is a 24-hour on-call position. During training held at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station (CWES) in Amherst Junction, WI, and during camp you’ll be residing at the camp facility and/or wilderness campout location.

Mandatory Training Dates:

• June 6th & 7th, 2024 (in Milwaukee)
• June 10th - 12th, 2024 (at CWES)

Summer Sessions (Apply for one or both)

• Session 1: June 16th - June 21st, 2024
• Session 2: June 23rd - June 28th, 2024

CERTIFICATIONS
Valid CPR/AED and First Aid certification is required before working directly with participants. Project Kindred will schedule training for all staff and cover the cost of this certification.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 18 years of age or older
• Have documented experience in youth development programs, outdoor living skills, group leadership, or camp programming.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• $600 per week
• Room & board
• Excellent professional development

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORKING CONDITIONS
Must be physically and mentally able to meet the challenges of navigating and working in a remote, natural wilderness camp setting.

This position lives on-site at CWES during the summer sessions. Opportunity will be available for selected staff to participate in an overnight backpacking expedition in northern Wisconsin.

PLEASE CONSIDER…
In the spirit of transparency, we want to share some additional information about this position and our organization to help in your decision-making. In this position you will:

• Other than a few hours off a day, you’ll be interacting with and supervising a group of young people all-day
• You’ll sleep in a cabin in a bunk bed or in tent for most of the summer
• Limited cell reception and wifi
• Cell Phone use only on your time off
• 2-3 hours of time off per day
• Eat family-style meals in a dining hall or camp meals cooked on a camp stove

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY & JUSTICE IN OUR HIRING PROCESS
We are committed to racial equity, and we encourage people of color, indigenous people, gender-nonconforming people, people from poor and working-class backgrounds, women, and people with historically more marginalized identities to apply for open positions.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. Please do not hesitate to apply if our mission aligns with yours and if this position interests you.

The purpose of our hiring process is to select the best possible candidate to fulfill the duties outlined above. Our Hiring Committee will assess qualifications based on an individual's skills and ability, rather than credentials, degrees, or access to social power and resources.

THE HIRING PROCESS

We are committed to equitable and transparent hiring practices. To that end, we want to be up-front about the hiring steps for this position:

• Complete online application (Please set aside about 30-40 minutes. Work is NOT saved - you must complete the entire application all at once. The first step will be uploading a resume - please prepare before starting the application
• Experiential Interview (1-2 hrs) (you'll be interviewed with other applicants in person to practice real-world scenarios)
• Virtual Interview with two members of our leadership team (60 minutes)
• Hiring Committee performs reference checks.
• Hiring Manager extends an offer contingent on background check results.

At each step, the applicant pool will be assessed, and we will inform you whether or not we are inviting you to the next round.

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made in appropriate circumstances to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $600.00 per week

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Overnight shift
• Weekends as needed

Application Question(s):

• Are you able to be available for all training dates and at camp (on location) for the duration of the session?

Work Location: In person