Nature Camp Director: Call of the Wild Camps

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Openings: Summer 2024 in Oakland and Berkeley or Cupertino/Los Altos Hills

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Do you love working with children and camp counselors? Do you love the outdoors, nature, and hiking? Do you have a passion for children's books, reading, and writing? Are you skilled at supervising and leading camp counselors or similar staff? Do you care about creating an inclusive and fun environment for children of all abilities? How about combining your passions into one fun seasonal job? We are looking for an on-site Camp Director to lead staff and children in outdoor Call of the Wild Camps in Oakland and Berkeley. We seek an enthusiastic, energetic, dynamic, and creative leader to join us in designing and implementing educational and recreational outdoor programs for seasonal camps. Open a door to the wonders of nature as a living classroom in nature camps, where kids in grades K-5 come to hike, read, write, explore, learn, and play!

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Our ideal camp director:

• You are adaptable, friendly, outgoing, energetic, and eager to inspire and engage both children and camp counselors in learning by doing.

• You have experience supervising and managing staff for outdoor camps, nature camps, elementary school education, outdoor education, environmental education, literacy education, after school programs, outdoor recreation, or related fields.

• You are vegan: "Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals." - The Vegan Society

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WHO WE ARE: We believe that to inspire learning is to inspire action! We believe in experiential education and lifelong learning. Inspire Behavioral Learning's mission is to empower people to live happier, more independent and fulfilling lives by achieving their health and educational goals. Outdoor educators in Call of the Wild Camps provide a fun, safe alternative to screen addiction; inspire nature connection and curiosity; and foster healthy, positive relationships with flora and fauna in our natural environments.

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WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE:

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• We believe in the wisdom of "be kind to every kind" and the benefits of veganism on animals and the environment.

• We value diversity and include children with disabilities and typically developing children alike in our programs.

• We value the integrity of the whole person and are dedicated to a well-rounded blend of head, heart, and body -- being constant learners, kind and caring, and focused on learning by doing.

• We use emergent curriculum and principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the science of learning that focuses on observable interaction between the learner and environment.

• We are a small company focused on quality over quantity.

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ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

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• Manage, administer, and oversee daily operations of youth programs on-site for outdoor nature camps in coordination with the camp supervisor

• Reliably attend and actively participate in camp director and camp counselor training online and on-site, rain or shine (training is the week before the first camp session)

• Create and oversee K-5 level nature-themed science, outdoor education, language arts, art, and motor activities for Call of the Wild Camps, including the theme weeks Enchanted Forest Reading, Enchanted Forest Art, Enchanted Vegan Nature, and Enchanted Forest Writing

• Create and facilitate fun and positive nature education curriculum on vegan topics such as animal rights, speciesism, health, food, clothing, and the environment

• Reliably and punctually attend outdoor nature camps on-site, rain or shine, M-F 8:25 AM-4:35 PM 

• Supervise and train camp counselors on-site, providing modeling, prompt fading, positive feedback, and constructive feedback

• Greet parents at drop-off and pick-up times, checking children in and out

• Communicate with parents/guardians in a friendly and professional manner

• Communicate with parents/guardians a brief summary of their child's day at pick-up time

• Safely lead hikes in parks for K-5th graders in small groups up to approximately 6 miles per day

• Maintain a 4:1 or 5:1 student: staff ratio

• Lead outdoor language arts activities for children with nature and wilderness themes, including but not limited to circle time with story time and singing, literary show-and-tell, skits, nature journaling, mapmaking, creative writing, and authoring and illustrating books

• Lead activities applying English Language Arts Common Core State Standards to science, such as life science, biology, ecology, zoology, environmental science, stewardship, conservation, preservation, etc., integrating naturalistic observation, exploration, games, group discussion, and relevant children's books and writing activities

• Lead and oversee camp counselors engaging children in outdoor activities that blend recreation and education, such as nature-themed field games, hide and seek and chase games, forest "I Spy" games, and scavenger hunts

• Engage children and staff with a fun teaching style and high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity

• Supervise and facilitate children's rest breaks, snack and lunch breaks, and physical play breaks

• Provide naturalistic executive function teaching across diverse activities, including planning, organization, and time management

• Implement teaching and behavior management based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), including prompting, positive reinforcement, and group contingencies of reinforcement based on student preferences and choices

• Facilitate emergent curriculum and child-centered, student-centered, naturalistic, incidental, and play-based teaching and learning opportunities

• Create both structured and naturalistic learning opportunities

• Keep work materials neat, organized, and in good working condition

• Record accurate, objective incident reports

• Follow all health and safety requirements

• Make sure campers and staff follow safety rules and leave no trace principles

• Follow directions and implement feedback from the camp supervisor

• Proactively communicate camp updates, questions, and concerns with the camp supervisor

• Interact with students and staff in a kind, caring, respectful, positive, and professional manner

• Represent Call of the Wild Camps in a positive and professional manner with customers, staff, and park visitors

• Perform other duties as assigned

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

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Education: 

• Provide proof of a Bachelor's degree

• Provide your academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are permitted); must be in good standing

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Certification and Safety Requirements:

• Provide proof of unexpired CPR and First Aid certification

• Provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination

• Pass a DOJ and FBI background check

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Experience:

• Minimum of one year experience as a director, supervisor, or manager supervising staff and children for outdoor education camps, outdoor recreational camps, nature camps, science camps, literacy camps or equivalent experience

• Minimum of one year experience working with elementary school age children in K-5th grade

• Experience hiking trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles a day

• Experience working with culturally, linguistically, and developmentally diverse children

• Experience working with students with widely diverse abilities, including disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, dyslexia, speech and language delays)

• Experience taking initiative leading staff and groups of children

• Experience leading extracurricular enrichment activities for children

• Experience implementing effective and appropriate behavior management for elementary school age children

• Experience with child development and selecting age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, developmentally appropriate activities for ages 5-10, grades K-5

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Skills:

• Ability to model and educate about veganism as more than a diet

• Ability to hike trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles a day five days a week for multiple consecutive weeks

• Ability to carry a loaded hiking backpack weighing up to 20% of your body weight for the duration of each camp day

• Ability to stand, bend, squat, stoop, sit, climb, and lift (up to 50 lbs)  

• Demonstrate a fun and engaging leadership style with high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity

• Friendly, kind, caring, compassionate, and patient teaching style for learners of all skill levels

• Eagerness and openness to continually learn and develop your skill set

• Command of American English phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics

• Excellent ability to break concepts down into simple and easy steps

• Excellent time-management and organizational skills

• Outstanding oral and written communication skills

• Ability to confidently take initiative with minimal direction

• Eco-conscious skills with a demonstrable love of nature and the outdoors, life sciences, biology, environmental science, outdoor education, or environmental education

• Health-conscious skills with a demonstrable love of active and healthy living

• Enthusiasm for nature-themed language arts and literacy teaching

• Enthusiasm for making education relevant to children's lives

• Demonstrate care for children and a desire to help the whole child learn and grow in enjoyable ways, in addition to subject-matter competence in language arts and relevant life sciences  

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Other Requirements:​

• Provide proof of a valid California driver license

• Possess your own reliable transportation to regional and city parks in Oakland and Berkeley or Cupertino

• Submit a relevant cover letter specific to the position and company

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PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

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• Experience hiking in Joaquin Miller Park, Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Tilden Regional Park, or Rancho San Antonio County Park and familiarity with flora and fauna in the parks

• You are vegan, as defined by The Vegan Society, and you can articulate the benefits of veganism on animals and the environment

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PERKS AND BENEFITS:

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• Have fun teaching and inspiring kids and novice educators in the great outdoors!

• Employees get paid training; paid rest breaks; off-duty lunch breaks; and retirement plan if working at least 30 days

• Supportive and friendly environment with coaching and mentorship

• Become part of a company that truly cares about both the employee’s and student’s happiness and success!

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LOCATIONS: ​

• Berkeley and Oakland summer camp training:

  • Remotely in Google Meet: Monday, 6/3/24

  • Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland: Tuesday, 6/4/24 

  • Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland: Wednesday, 6/5/24 

  • Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley: Thursday, 6/6/24 

  • Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley: Friday, 6/7/24

• Cupertino/Los Altos Hills summer camp training:

  • Remotely in Google Meet: Monday, 6/17/24

  • Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve, Cupertino/Los Altos Hills: Tuesday-Friday, 6/18/24-6/21/24. There is some flexibility for Saturday or earlier weeks for applicants unable to attend all five dates above.

• Summer camps:

  • Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley: 6/10/24-8/9/24

  • Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland: 6/10/24-6/28/24

  • Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland: 7/1/24-8/2/24

  • Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve, Cupertino/Los Altos Hills: 6/24/24-8/2/24

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​SCHEDULE: 8:25 AM-4:35 PM, Mon-Fri (except Thursday, July 4th is a day off). Berkeley and Oakland training Jun 3-Jun 7. Berkeley and Oakland summer camps Jun 10-Aug 9. Cupertino/Los Altos Hills training Jun 17-21. Cupertino/Los Altos Hills summer camps Jun 24-Aug 2.

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CLASSIFICATION: Non-exempt employee for temporary, seasonal work.

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COMPENSATION: $24.00 - $26.00 per hour DOE

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Keywords: Oakland Camp Director, Oakland Camp Supervisor, Berkeley Camp Director, Berkeley Camp Supervisor, Cupertino Camp Director, Cupertino Camp Supervisor, Oakland Camp Manager, Berkeley Camp Manager, Oakland Camp Counselor, Berkeley Camp Counselor, Cupertino Camp Manager, Cupertino Camp Counselor. This type of position may also be known as camp leader, camp teacher, camp instructor, camp coordinator, lead instructor, outdoor education instructor, summer camp nature instructor, outdoor programs instructor, outdoor education science instructor, naturalist, program coordinator, environmental educator, outdoor educator, outdoor program director, outdoor program supervisor, youth group leader, youth program supervisor, youth program instructor, youth programs lead instructor, program leader, program supervisor, lead camp counselor, elementary program leader, recreation leader, recreation director, recreation supervisor, summer instructor, summer program director, summer program supervisor, youth program director, and youth program supervisor.

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APPLY: Click the button below, providing your resume and a cover letter specifying why you might be a great fit for the Nature Camp Director in Call of the Wild Camps at Inspire Behavioral Learning®! We look forward to connecting with you!