Nature Camp Counselor in Call of the Wild Camps: Inspire Behavioral Learning has an opening for day camps in Summer 2024! This opening is for immediate hire as camps are already ongoing June 10-August 9.

Do you love working with children? Do you love the outdoors, nature, and hiking? Are you vegan? How about combining your passions into one fun seasonal job? Call of the Wild nature camps in summer 2024 include sessions with art, reading, writing, and vegan theme weeks. We seek an energetic, innovative, creative, and dependable outdoor enthusiast to join us in creating and implementing educational programs outdoors in Oakland and Berkeley. Camp counselors lead children in outdoor nature camps for elementary school age kids to connect with nature, hike, read, write, explore, learn, and play in forests of the Bay Area!

You may be the ideal camp counselor for this job if:

• You are a communicative and collaborative team player bursting with creative ideas, fun, adaptable, friendly, outgoing, energetic, and eager to inspire and engage children in learning by doing.
• You have experience in early childhood education, elementary school education, special education, outdoor education, environmental education, nature education, literacy education, outdoor recreation, and 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

WHO WE ARE: Inspire Behavioral Learning, LLC believes that to inspire learning is to inspire action! We do this by moving individuals to learn in ways that are personally meaningful, motivating, and relevant to their entire lives.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE:

• We value new ideas, positive and constructive feedback, and intrapreneurship - a system allowing an employee to act like an entrepreneur within the company.
• 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.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Complete five days of training the week before you begin independently working with campers (availability for training dates is preferred the week of June 17 and at the latest the week of June 24)
• Complete training and work at camps located in Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, and Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland
• Punctually and reliably attend scheduled work hours, including training, staff meetings, and camp session dates (Summer 2024 weekly camp sessions are Mon-Fri, 8:25 AM-4:35 PM, June 10-August 9, with Thursday, July 4th as a day off)
• Attend outdoor nature camps, rain or shine, each scheduled day for the season you are hired to work
• Safely lead hikes for campers in small groups up to approximately 6 mi./day
• Maintain a 4:1 or 5:1 student: staff ratio
• Create and facilitate fun and positive nature education curriculum on vegan topics such as animal rights, speciesism, health, food, clothing, and the environment
• Lead outdoor language arts activities for children with nature and wilderness themes, including circle time with story time and singing, literary show-and-tell, skits, nature journaling, mapmaking, creative writing, and authoring and illustrating books
• Apply English Language Arts Common Core State Standards to science, such as topics in biology, ecology, zoology, life science, environmental science, outdoor education, environmental stewardship, conservation, preservation, etc., integrating naturalistic observation, group discussion, games, and children's books and writing activities
• Engage children in outdoor activities that blend recreation and education, such as nature-themed hide and seek and chase games, crafting and playing forest "I Spy" games and scavenger hunts
• Facilitate nature-themed arts and crafts with children
• Facilitate vegan culinary arts activities with children
• Engage children 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
• Implement teaching and behavior management based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), including prompting, positive reinforcement, and 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
• Work closely and cooperatively with the Camp Director in creating and implementing both structured and naturalistic learning opportunities for the camp schedule
• Implement age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, developmentally approprirate activities for K-5th graders
• Keep work materials neat, organized, and in good working condition
• Record accurate, objective incident reports
• Follow all health and safety requirements, and make sure campers follow them
• Follow leave no trace principles, and make sure campers follow them
• Actively contribute and participate in staff training and meetings
• Proactively communicate camp questions and concerns to the camp director and supervisor
• Follow directions and implement feedback from supervisors
• 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

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Provide proof of your high school diploma or higher degree
• Provide your academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are permitted) in good standing

Certification and Safety Requirements:

• Provide proof of unexpired CPR and First Aid certification that remains unexpired through all camp dates you're applying to work
• Provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination
• Pass a DOJ and FBI background check

Experience:

• Minimum 1 year experience as a camp counselor, outdoor educator, recreation leader, or teacher for outdoor education camps, outdoor recreational camps, nature camps, science camps, STEM camps, STEAM camps, literacy camps, after school programs, or equivalent experience
• Minimum 1 year experience working with elementary school age K-5th graders
• 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, such as giftedness, typically developing children, children with disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia, speech and language delays), and English Language Learners (ELL)
• Experience taking initiative leading 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 age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, developmentally appropriate activities
• If you lack the experience requirements for employment, you are welcome to apply from the company website www.inspirebehavior.com for an unpaid internship to build your experience!

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 each day
• Ability to carry a loaded hiking backpack weighing up to 20% of your body weight for the duration of each camp day
• Fun and engaging teaching style with high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity
• Kind, caring, compassionate, and patient with learners of all skill levels
• Demonstrate care for children and a desire to help the whole child learn and grow in enjoyable ways, in addition to language arts and/or biology subject-matter competence
• Command of American English phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics
• Eagerness and openness to continually learn and develop your skill set, no matter how minimal or extensive your experience
• 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 work independently and as part of a team
• Punctuality and reliable attendance
• Demonstrable love of nature and the outdoors, eco-conscious, and health-conscious
• Demonstrable love of language arts and literacy teaching
• Enthusiastic about making education relevant to children's lives

Other Requirements:

• Provide proof of a valid California driver license
• Possess your own reliable transportation for commuting to and from work sites

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience hiking in Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Joaquin Miller Park, Tilden Regional Park, and familiarity with East Bay flora and fauna
• Majoring in or degree in biology, environmental science, education, or related field
• You are vegan, as defined by The Vegan Society, and you can articulate the benefits of veganism on animals and the environment.

​PERKS AND BENEFITS:

• Have fun teaching kids in the outdoors!
• Paid training
• Paid rest breaks
• Off-duty meal breaks
• Retirement plan
• Supportive and friendly environment with coaching and mentorship
• Successful hires may be invited to return for additional seasonal camps
• Become part of a company that truly cares about both the employee’s and student’s happiness and success!

LOCATIONS: Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland, CA (camps Jun 10-Jun 28). Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, CA (camps Jul 1-Aug 2). Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA (camps June 10-Aug 9). Only applicants residing in the East Bay are considered.

SCHEDULE: Availability for training dates is preferred the week of June 17 and at the latest the week of June 24. Summer 2024 weekly camp sessions run Mon-Fri, June 10-August 9, work hours from 8:25 AM-4:35 PM. Thursday, July 4th is a day off.

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

APPLY: Submit an accurate, up-to-date, relevant resume and complete application specifying why you might be a great fit for the Nature Camp Counselor in Call of the Wild Camps with Inspire Behavioral Learning! You may also apply from our website www.inspirebehavior.com. If you lack the experience requirements for employment, you are welcome to apply from the company website www.inspirebehavior.com for an unpaid internship to build your experience! We look forward to connecting with you!

Please note when applying on the Indeed website: Indeed automatically labels custom screener questions as optional; this is an error on Indeed's part. Completing all application questions is required for your application to be considered.

Keywords: Oakland camp counselor, Berkeley camp counselor, summer camp counselor, camp leader, camp teacher, camp instructor, outdoor educator, outdoor camp educator, outdoor camp counselor, naturalist, nature camp counselor, science camp counselor, reading camp counselor, writing camp counselor, youth leader, youth group leader, program leader, lead camp counselor, and elementary program leader.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $19.00 - $22.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Retirement plan

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift

Application Question(s):

• Do you have your own reliable vehicle for commuting to and from work in Oakland, CA and Berkeley, CA? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "optional")
• Can you meet the physical requirements of the job for hiking up to approx. 6 miles a day with a backpack weighing up to 20% of your body weight each day? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "optional")
• Why do you think you might be a great fit for the Nature Camp Counselor position, specifically in Call of the Wild Camps with Inspire Behavioral Learning? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "optional")
• Are you an adult with a minimum of a high school diploma? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "optional")
• Are you available to work from 8:25 AM-4:35 PM Mon-Fri (except for Thursday, July 4th as a day off)? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "optional")
• Summer camp sessions are M-F from June 10-August 9 (with Thursday, July 4th as a day off). Are you available to work from June 17-August 9 , including Friday, July 5th? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "optional")
• Veganism is not a diet. It is an ethical philosophy and lifestyle advocating for cruelty-free options and against unnecessary animal exploitation in all forms, including food, clothing, sports, recreation, entertainment, experimentation, cosmetics, and household products. Are you vegan, as correctly defined, and what are the benefits of veganism for animals and the environment? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "optional")

Experience:

• camp counselor/rec leader/educator for K-5th graders: 1 year (Required)

License/Certification:

• UNEXPIRED CPR and First Aid Certification (Required)
• California driver's license (Required)

Work Location: In person