What are the responsibilities and job description for the Camper Advocate position at Minnesota Jewish Community Center?
About the Opportunity
A Camper Advocate is a camp staff member who provides inclusive support, accommodations, and modifications for a specific camper or group of campers to facilitate a meaningful, positive, and inclusive camp experience for all. The Camper Advocate seeks to integrate a child/teen with a disability into camp programs to the maximum extent possible, ensuring a positive camper experience at Camp Olami (St. Louis Park) or Camp Butwin (Eagan). Planning and foresight are required of the advocate, especially when the activities/programming may need to be adapted to wnsure the child/teen’s participation.
Essential Functions
This job description is not intended to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee in this position. Activities, duties, and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
- Responsible for being conscious of and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of all campers at all
times. - Provide assistance (e.g., interpreting instructions, physical assistance, prompting, social skills modeling, etc.) in order to help the youth participant learn and participate in new recreation and leisure skills.
- Encourage appropriate social interactions between assigned youth and other individuals of all abilities.
- Adapt, both individual and group activities, as needed, to allow active participation by the youth.
- Provide positive behavior supports, reinforcement, and intervention, when needed, to facilitate the youth’s involvement and acceptance in the group.
- Enthusiastically participate in recreational activities with campers, to include: swimming, arts & crafts, rock climbing, sports, gardening, canoeing, etc.
- Modeling best inclusive practices for both staff and campers to promote an inclusive and accepting environment.
- Complete and provide brief daily updates and partnered camper’s progress the progress after each program session or camper’s parents and Inclusion Coordinator/Director.
- Attend and participate in all counselor trainings, as well as, inclusion specific trainings.
