Summer Youth Program - Crew Leader

Now Hiring Summer Staff:  Earn with a Purpose

Are you a teacher, college student, or looking for a summer job? This is a great leadership experience to build your resume as you make a difference in the lives of young people and improve your community!

Leading a Tree Trust crew is hard work, but it gives back in spades. At the end of the summer, you will have helped your crew members learn landscaping and landscape construction skills, develop resilience, work as a team, enjoy the summer sun, make new friends, and build lasting memories. A summer with Tree Trust is a great learning experience for both the youth and our staff.

This position starts in June and runs through August 2023.  There are multiple openings for this role that pay $18.50 per hour.  We are also offering returning Crew Leaders a $350 sign-on bonus payable with their first paycheck.

Job Summary:  Supervise and motivate up to 8 youth and young adults (14-21) with barriers to employment* on a daily basis in a safe, educational, and professional manner by providing high quality job-training experiences through the completion of community-based projects. Past projects have included landscape construction (timber staircase, bocce ball court, retaining walls), conservation/natural resources (vegetation management, invasive species removal, stream bed remediation).

Job Purpose:  To transform lives and landscapes by engaging youth and young adults to build skills to achieve meaningful, family-supporting, skilled-trade green careers to create economic opportunity and equity while making our community a greener, healthier place to live.

Tree Trust actively seeks to build a staff that reflects the diversity of the population and community it serves, and that’s why we strongly encourage people of color to apply. 

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Essential Functions:

• Provide leadership, supervision, guidance, support, and motivation to approximately up to 8 youth/young adults at a time on two part-time crews.
• Lead and perform all work activities, ensuring quality work performance, safety, and the general well-being of the crew.
• Provide deliberate and effective feedback to youth to foster continuous growth within a job training setting.
• Organize work projects for the crew in conjunction with the site supervisor and supporting staff.
• Provide basic First Aid as needed, report all work injuries following Tree Trust policy and procedure, and work with program staff to assess and take corrective action on safety issues.
• Maintain tool and material inventory and notify supervisor of project material needs.
• Responsible for the operation, cleanliness, and maintenance of equipment; report any damaged equipment to site supervisor.
• Accomplish work goals to the satisfaction of supervisors and funders and according to project proposal specifications.

• Set and maintain clear expectations for work attendance, appearance, language, and behavior among both crew leaders and youth.

• Accurately maintain, complete, and submit paperwork and reports in a timely manner, including crew time sheets, accident/ incident reports, receipts, crew member development, project records, and others as assigned.
• Implement fair and appropriate discipline of crew members based on handbook.
• Assure implementation of education and service-learning components.

Participant Service Requirements

• *Provide service to participants with all types of employment barriers, including participants with varied ability including Autism, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, trauma, experience with the criminal justice system and substance abuse issues.
• Develop trusting relationships with participants and express constructive ideas to educate and help the participant through difficult situations.
• Communicate with participants and families under sometimes stressful circumstances.
• Set appropriate boundaries with participants, staying focused on service goals.
• Respond to crisis situations with composure and empathy.

Qualifications/Skills Required:

• Valid MN driver’s license with clean driving record as determined by our insurance carrier.
• Ability to transport up to 15 participants between pickup locations with a company provided vehicle.
• Ability to successfully listen, give feedback and motivate youth and young adults.
• Ability to pass a criminal and motor vehicle background check.
• Excellent judgment, risk management skills, and calm decision-making ability in challenging situations.

Qualifications/Skills Preferred:

• One year of college education in a related field (including but not limited to, education, special education, social work, youth development, psychology, environmental sciences, or landscape related)
• Prior experience working with or supervising youth/young adults.
• Technical skills in landscape construction, conservation, and/or chainsaw operation.

Work Environment:  — Regularly works outside in conditions that include bad weather, heats up to 100 degrees, rain, and humidity. Noise level may be loud at times.  Sturdy/closed toe footwear required.  All tools will be provided by Tree Trust.

Physical demands:

• The ability to stand for long periods, sit, twist, bend, grip, and lift and carry heavy objects up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to learn how to safely and effectively use all tools and equipment needed for job tasks, which may include operating a chainsaw.

Salary : $19 - $350