Description

Spend the summer working on beautiful Lake Thompson and at the same time supporting underprivileged kids from Greater Boston and Maine.  This is a unique opportunity that allows you to give back to the community while enjoying a pristine camp setting.  As an Agassiz Village Cabin Counselor you are responsible for the overall health and well-being of a cabin group and ensures that cabin life articulates Agassiz Village’s program philosophy. The Cabin Counselor ensures Agassiz Village Social & Emotional Learning curriculum implementation and makes sure that the camp experience of those campers is fulfilling and enjoyable. The Cabin Counselor is responsible for overseeing all activities of the cabin group and is accountable for the daily needs of it. This would also include behavior management, personal grooming, cabin clean up, bedtime routines, scheduled cabin time activities, etc. Counselors are the ambassadors of fun, while ensuring safety and adherence to Agassiz Village values and work closely with the Village Leader to ensure a service vision for camp which is consistent with the mission and goals of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• 18 years of age or older.
• In good physical condition.
• Experience in work and/or play interaction with children.
• Understand at-risk youth.
• Excellent verbal communications skills.
• Commit to the entire summer season.
• Strong interest in motivating campers to effective action.
• Be able to work as a team member.
• Demonstrate integrity, honesty and knowledge that promote the culture, values, and mission of Agassiz Village.
• Possess the following qualities: patience, compassion, fairness, listening skills, and the ability to relate to children.

This position requires a consistently high energy level, an extremely elevated level of visual awareness, humor, creativity, the ability to recognize unhappiness and nurture children accordingly, and the desire to be a positive influence on the lives of children

DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Act as a role model in all aspects of camp and be expected to be fully and actively engaged with campers while on duty (including meals, cabin activities, program areas, special and all-camp events, etc.).
2. Implement daily Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum components: conduct self-reflection session with campers, assist campers with completing self-assessment forms as scheduled, ensure SEL self-assessment forms are turned in on time, and complete daily camper’s behavior logs.
3. Plan and execute specific cabin group activities each day as scheduled and carry out daily cabin and village clean up.
4. Respect the daily schedule of camp and ensure their campers are on time and attend scheduled activities.
5. Promote and encourage program participation and positive behavior (i.e., sound judgment, calm problem solving, enthusiasm, appropriate use of language, silence during announcements, etc.).
6. Enforce good manners during meals such as serving, passing, and eating of food as well as observe habits and diets of campers and report any health issues to the Health Center or Village Leader.
7. Role model and enforce good daily personal hygiene, especially regarding washing hands before every meal, daily brushing of teeth and regular showers.
8. Be sensitive to the camper’s individual needs, manage the behavior of their campers, especially regarding physical, emotional, or verbal abuse of others.
9. Provide feedback to the Village Leader and fill out camper logs daily and submit them to the Village Leader.
10. Work together as a team with the other counselors in and out of your cabin and village, creating a trustworthy, fun, and enjoyable environment.
11. Ensure that all health regulations are followed: appropriate and diligent use of sunscreen and bug spray; addressing conditions like sniffles, coughing, rashes, sores, blisters, and head (or other) scratching; and getting enough rest, proper eating, and drinking plenty of water.
12. Help the campers with daily self-maintenance tasks (i.e., helping campers prepare for swimming, etc.).
13. Supervise and assist in daily cabin activities, rest period, meals, bedtime preparation, etc.
14. Work closely with the Village Leader in coordinating cabin/village activities.
15. Report maintenance needs to the Village Leader.
16. Rotate with other staff, monitoring bunk after lights out - “on duty.”
17. Be responsible for session ending cabin clean-up as well as ensuring all camper personal belongings get home at the end of the session.
18. Accept direction, feedback from supervisors, and follow through appropriately.
19. Act as a responsible member of the camp community both in and outside of the camp environment during periods of employment.
20. Participate in staff and other meetings, such as in-service training and staff development and orientation activities.
21. Perform all other duties as assigned.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:  

18 years of age or older.
In good physical condition.
Experience in work and/or play interaction with children.
Understand at-risk youth.
Excellent verbal communications skills.
Commit to the entire summer season.
Strong interest in motivating campers to effective action.
Be able to work as a team member.
Demonstrate integrity, honesty and knowledge that promote the culture, values, and mission of Agassiz Village.
Possess the following qualities: patience, compassion, fairness, listening skills, and the ability to relate to children.