Looking for ecological education counselors for an international social justice summer program in Rhinebeck

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Louis August Jonas Foundation (LAJF) is looking for enthusiastic and ecologically minded individuals to develop and execute holistic ecological education for its international social justice program, Camp Rising Sun, this summer. Existing knowledge and skills on ecological gardening (such as permaculture or agroecology) and systems thinking are highly desirable.

Our summer program takes place between June 11th and August 26th. We offer a competitive pay within the industry, ranging from $331 to $420/week based on experience. Apply here: echej or elaine.

Your responsibilities could potentially include but not be limited to:

• Implementing and developing our sustainability plan on the ground

• Being in charge of maintaining and expanding a small food garden and a garden compost

• Coordinating a sustainability teamwork done daily by campers

• Ensuring ecological education is implemented in all program areas, including kitchen, art education and outdoor projects

• Supporting curriculum team in implementing entire camp programs on ecological crises, regeneration, and systems thinking. We already have materials from previous years but your additional input would be valuable

We are additionally looking for people interested in nature education to execute wilderness trips this summer. The Nature team’s responsibilities include:

• Work to ensure the presence of outdoor and nature education throughout our program.

• Organizing a team of 2-3 counselors to facilitate the camping or nature trip.

• Coordinating instructions to prepare campers for hikes and environmentally sustainable practices, such as how to effectively select equipment and pack for trips, set up and manage a campsite, build a fire, conduct wilderness first aid, handle emergency situations, leave no trace principles, and safety procedures.

• Guiding exploration of the campgrounds, such as trails, and encouraging learning through the camp’s natural environment.

• Organizing the logistics of camping trips, such as applying for permits, revising off-site emergency protocols, and determining packing rations.

• Purchasing and managing equipment and supplies within the budget.

• Managing other supporting staff while on trips.

• Organizing our reflective overnight vigil experience in the final week of the program.

• Hiking and camping experience is required for this position. A background in youth outdoor education is strongly preferred.

Who are we looking for?

We are building a staff team of people passionate about education and dedicated to our mission of inspiring growth and transformation in young change makers from around the world. We look for hard working and curious relationship builders who are committed to equity, inclusion, diversity and justice across gender, race, sexual orientation, and ability. We hope to build a team of people who think structurally and creatively and can take responsibility for co-creating our emergent environment centering community, regeneration, imagination and care.

Our staff team is responsible for implementing our mission at every level of our program. As a staff member, you will be responsible for guiding campers through thoughtful questioning, reflection, and decision-making as campers take on leadership responsibilities which affect themselves and the greater community. We aim to provide the greatest growth opportunities and support for our campers, which means hiring the most committed and passionate staff possible. Operating in a summer camp setting, we are at heart an international leadership program with an intentional curriculum and mission which drives all of our programming. A background in education and/or previous experience in teenage youth programs is appreciated but not required.

Committed to diversity

Camp Rising Sun considers all applicants holistically and is committed to the goal of building a staff that is diverse in lived, professional and academic experiences. We are constantly seeking to improve the diversity of our staff to better reflect the diverse lived experiences of our campers. We strongly encourage applications from historically underrepresented groups.

Staff responsibilities

While most staff members specialize in a program area, all staff are first and foremost general counselors. Please see more details about the specific responsibilities of each program area in the section below.

Primary responsibilities, regardless of program area, include:

• Participating in all scheduled activities while on-duty. The daily program typically starts at 8:30 AM and ends at 10:30 PM (staff have 3 hours off a day).

• Supervising campers overnight on a rotating basis (you will sleep in a staff-only lean-to)

• Prioritizing the positive experience of campers by monitoring the physical and emotional well-being of campers, upholding health & safety procedures, acting professionally, and modeling constructive behavior.

• Assisting in large-scale and community-wide projects, instructions, or activities.

• Participating in regular meetings with the staff team.

• Participating in program evaluation and self-evaluation.

• Facilitating multiple instructions (90 minute workshops) over the course of the summer.

• Maintaining a substance-free campus.

• We hope you will join us to build the 2023 CRS experience.

Position benefits

• Competitive pay within the industry (ranging from $331 to $420/week based on experience)

• Full room and board for the duration of your contract (mostly in dormitory rooms shared with other staff members, occasionally in outdoor platform tents or lean-tos shared only with staff members).

• A 10-day immersive professional staff training including a CPR and First Aid certification (you will get paid for staff training)

• Workers’ compensation.

• Travel stipend for out-of-state staff

• 1 day off a week and a minimum of 3 hours off per day.

• We cover visa and health insurance costs for international staff.

• The ability to positively impact the lives of over 140 youth from around the world!

Our summer staff gain new colleagues and friends as they become part of our international network of educators and alumni that spans 90+ years. Our network includes the following benefits:

• Access to a graduate school and study abroad scholarship through World Learning, and the George E. Jonas university scholarship.

• Additional virtual program work opportunities after successfully completing a summer season.

• For staff, our summer program begins on June 11th and ends on August 26th.

• This includes a highly experiential 11-day staff training at the beginning.