7th and 8th Grade Trips Lead

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF DENVER

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The JCC Ranch Camp is not just the Denver JCC’s overnight summer camp, it’s also one of the best places to work during the summer. As a staff member, Ranch Camp will become your home away from home as you work to create a community where people can thrive. You’re a hero to your campers; you have the chance to do something you really care about and have a whole lot of fun doing it. Your experience as a staff member is just as important to us as our campers’ experience. That being said: We’re here to serve kids and make sure they are in the safest environment possible while having the time of their lives. First and foremost, all our staff are madrichim or counselors.

Requirements

Must have a valid driver’s license and ability to transport campers using company vehicles as needed
One year experience in a childcare setting or a vested interest in working in a professional childcare setting
Personal experience in the backcountry with backpacking skills and knowledge of camper equipment
Satisfactorily fulfill requirements for employment at the Staenberg-Loup JCC, including background screening, three references, documentation, and compliance with CDHS law
Must be high-energy, enthusiastic, creative, and open-minded!

Nice To Haves

One year experience in a camp environment
Experience using a SatPhone and Spot Device
Bachelor’s degree or degree in progress in outdoor education, psychology, social work, education, or other related field or equivalent experience
Current Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness First Aid certificate.
One year experience with group facilitation of teenagers with the ability to instill confidence in and lead others

Responsibilities

Take care of your campers by prioritizing their physical, social, and emotional health, safety, and well-being.
Work as a team with your co-staff to make sure every day runs smoothly and to the schedule.
Create a community that you want to be a part of and that you want campers to be a part of.
Include everyone and make sure everyone is included.
Jump into the camp life: ride horses, swim, camp, play games, sing songs, roast s’mores, be ready to do everything the campers do!
Know where your campers are and what they are doing all the time.
Care for the campers and manage camper behaviors using the tools you learn in Staff Orientation week (We’ll go over positive behavior management techniques, enforcing appropriate safety policies, emergency procedures, camp rules, and more.)
Be flexible and adaptable because things change quickly at camp. You have to be able to roll with it.
Live in a bunk with your co-staff and your campers.
Fill out daily Camper Bunk Notes to track campers’ physical and emotional health, cabin social dynamics, and overall camper wellbeing.
And other duties and responsibilities as assigned: you might need to make your campers’ dreams of a beach themed ice-cream campfire song session come true or become your favorite legendary Pokémon for an evening program.
Make sure that everything is functioning as it should on the trip and in the bunk- cleanliness/organization, friendships/social dynamic, routines and rituals, etc.
Shape the daily routines and rituals campers follow with their bunkmates.
Support campers in their day-to-day life at camp including helping to facilitate personal care routines, providing programmatic adaptations, guiding transitions, providing sensory breaks, and mediating conflict resolution.
Work on an individual level with campers who have identified needs, such as cognitive, social-emotional, psychological, physical and behavioral needs, to carry out camper care plans and ensure accommodations in care plans are implemented effectively.
Have flexibility to step in to help other cabin groups who may need extra daily support.
Work directly with Camper Care Coordinators to manage crisis intervention with campers as needed, such as major dysregulation, emotional/mental health struggles, and sensory overload. Be ready to do this on your own during the trip.
As a guide on the 7th and 8th grade trips, you will lead a 3-to-4-day camping and/or beginner backpacking trip with up to 12 campers to build campers’ backcountry camping, survival , and interpersonal skills, bond your group of campers together, and give them the tools they need to be self-sufficient while camping.
Assist in assessing trip intensity and adjusting in real time to fit camper needs.
Facilitate meal preparation in the backcountry allowing campers to learn how to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner while on the trail and camping.
Drive 15 passenger Turtle Top Bus – must be over 21.
Assist with issuing and return of gear to ensure gear is in good repair.
Ensure camper safety through conscientious decision making and effective boundary setting.
Work with your Unit heads to create multiple programs for each day for campers on and off the trail that are safe, fun, and memorable. Run the programs while on the trail.
From recognizing something small like trying a new food, or big like a negative social interaction between campers, you always know what’s happening in their bunk. Nothing slips through the cracks.
Help develop programming for staff, such as Onegs, staff appreciation, or other events
Help develop all-camp programming, such as evening programs or special days
Work with the SIT (Staff in Training) program as a mentor