2024 Camp Environmental Education Assistant

Job Type
Temporary
Description
At Caldera, we believe in the power of creativity. Our mission is to inspire and support youth from underserved rural and urban communities by awakening the potential of their creative voice. We do this through a unique fusion of art, environment and mentorship. Our Youth Program provides students from Portland and Central Oregon with long-term relationships with caring adults, which nurtures individual creativity, beginning in sixth grade and continuing into young adulthood.
Caldera has a $4M budget, a 18-member board, 15 full-time year-round employees, and a range of seasonally contracted artists and staff. Its administrative office is in Portland, Oregon, and its Arts Center is located outside of Sisters in Central Oregon.
As part of Caldera's summer learning team, you will gain leadership, communication, and collaboration skills and unparalleled resiliency while building meaningful relationships with young learners and adults. You'll have daily opportunities to expand your own creativity and sense of adventure, upheld in a supportive community full of networking opportunities. During your time off, you'll be centrally located in Oregon's playground for play in the Cascade Mountains, sampling local flavor, or simply relaxing on Caldera's 116 acres of awe-inspiring property.
Position Title:Environmental Education Assistant
Supervisor: Adventure Team Supervisor
Compensation:

• Salary/Rate of Pay: $105/day, with 1% increase for each year of experience working at Camp Caldera (not to exceed 7%)
• Training Salary/Rate of Pay: $50-75/day
• Room and board provided during days with programming; room only during non-programming days. A light dinner will be provided on staff arrival days. Brunch is served on the last day of each session.

Location: This is a seasonal position at our Arts Center- 31500 Blue Lake Drive, Sisters, OR 97756 (transportation not provided).
Choose one or more sessions; placement is dependent on availability & scheduling (must be available for all dates in session(s) chosen). Must be available for training dates and on the following dates and times to start each session:

• Arrive 11:00 am June 30 for Staff Training June 30-July 3
• Arrive between 1:00-2:00 pm July 5* for the Immersion 1 (High School) session July 6-15
• Arrive between 4:00-5:00 pm July 18* for the immersion 2 (High School) session July 19-27
• Arrive between 4:00-5:00 pm July 30* for the Discovery 1 (Middle School) session July 31-Aug 7
• Arrive between 4:00-5:00 pm Aug 10* for the Discovery 2 (Middle School) session Aug 11-18

*Indicates Half day compensation
Sample Daily Schedule:
8:00-8:30 Breakfast
8:40-9:20 Community Circle
9:30-12:25 Assist in Classes OR Break
12:15 Kitchen Prep
12:30-1:20 Lunch
1:20-1:50 Staff Meeting
1:50-3:10 Lead Free Time Activity or Class Prep
3:10-6:20 Assist in Classes OR Break
6:30-7:30 Dinner
7:45-8:45 Capture the Flag or Other Evening Activity
8:45-9:45 Campfire
10:30-11:30 Night Duty (once per session)
Equity & Inclusion
We recognize that Caldera communities face many societal inequities. We recognize the history and ongoing impacts of racism in our country, state, and institutions. We acknowledge that we will always have room to grow as an organization and as individuals in our understanding of racism and oppression.
We commit to continually examining our role in both perpetuating and combating institutional racism. We also commit to ongoing alignment of our policies and practices to advance racial equity, inclusion, and freedom of expression.
We commit to integrating equity and inclusion into all areas of our work to better serve our mission; when we do, we get closer to the world that we want for our youth. To ensure our own accountability, we will 1) seek deeper relationships with and feedback from our larger community; 2) use our Equity Plan to guide ongoing work; and 3) apply our Equity Lens to decision-making. We will also seek inspiration from artistic and cultural traditions.
Caldera is an equal opportunity employer encouraging applicants of all backgrounds and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
We encourage people of color and Caldera community members to apply.
Environmental Education at Caldera:
The goal of Caldera's Environmental Education program is to inspire curiosity about nature and help students build lasting connections to the environment. We hope to increase student knowledge of the natural history of Caldera's land in Central Oregon and to develop a sense of place through an emphasis on direct sensory exploration of the diverse habitats immediately surrounding camp. Campers may learn about trout habitats while wading barefoot in the creek, make observational sketches of forest regrowth with charcoal from wildfire-charred trees, and taste wild mint during a field lesson in ethnobotany. Many of them are experiencing just being kids in the outdoors for the first time in their lives. Beyond lessons taught in the context of class, Caldera uses common daily practices to model environmental responsibility. Campers weigh the amount of food that is thrown away at the end of each meal and graph the reduction of waste over the course of their stay at camp. Fruit and vegetable matter are separated for compost to nourish our vegetable garden. It is our hope that when complemented by discussion, hands-on activities like these help students draw connections between environmental lessons learned at camp and the far-reaching ecological impact of small choices they make everyday at home.
Position overview:
The Environmental Education Assistant supports the Environmental Educator to implement environmental curriculum and incorporate program goals into daily sessions, inspire curiosity about nature, and build connections to the environment. This position will help facilitate discussions about environmental justice with a population that has historically been marginalized in the environmental movement.
Requirements
Specific Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Environmental Educator to ensure effective delivery of environmental instruction
• Help prep and organize materials, supplies, equipment, and classroom space
• Assist with evaluating Caldera's youth and programs
• Help organize and set up for final exhibition of student work
• Help document, archive, and organize student work
• Assist with setup and breakdown of classroom and teaching spaces
• Conduct daily composting/food waste procedures
• Alert supervisor to relevant camper issues
• Other duties as assigned

General Responsibilities:

• Promote program understanding and involvement through Caldera's goals and agreements, participation agreement, and responsibility process
• Actively participate in all aspects of camp life including: camper orientation, community meetings, evening activities, campfire, free time, etc.
• Model appropriate camper behavior at all times
• Perform duties with consistency and integrity
• Set and respect personal boundaries while acting as mentors, guides, and allies to campers
• Oversee health and safety of charges in fire drills and emergency procedures
• Maintain cleanliness of living and common areas and help with clean-up at the end of each session

Required Qualifications:

• At least 2 years experience working with youth from underserved communities, and a background in environmental studies, through education or profession
• Knowledge of high desert and forest ecosystems or willingness to learn about them
• Ability to understand our racially diverse student population's perspective, either through lived experience, previous qualifications, or work experience
• Ability to navigate through potentially triggering and challenging conversations and situations while maintaining focus on the wellbeing of youth
• Ability to set appropriate boundaries in a proactive and positive manner
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Willingness to work with a range of educators across different mediums
• Must pass a background check. Caldera considers systemic injustices when investigating findings
• Willingness to live in a camp setting and work irregular and long hours. Additionally, you must have the ability to deal with limited cell and internet service and daily exposure to outdoor factors such as sun, heat, bugs, bats, snakes, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with culturally responsive and anti-oppression frameworks and experience working with racially and ethnically diverse staff and youth
• Bilingual and/or bicultural skills
• Wilderness First Responder certification

Living Conditions:

• Requires on-site living in shared staff quarters.
• A vegetarian option (that may include eggs and/or dairy) will be available for all meals. We do our best to accommodate other dietary restrictions; however, employees with special dietary needs should plan to bring food to supplement or replace provided meals. Please address specific needs with your supervisor.
• Typical days are 12 hours in length, with sessions that make for up to 10 straight days of work without a full day off.
• Alcohol and drugs are not permitted on campus, even in personal living quarters.

Working Conditions:

• Must be physically able to move around 116 acres of camp property with varied terrain
• Must have visual, perceptual, and cognitive ability to recognize and respond quickly to health and safety concerns of students and appropriately re-direct any behavior that is misaligned with Caldera agreements
• Employee must carry out their duties regardless of inclement weather, which can include but is not limited to, heat, rain, wind, cold, and smoky or dusty conditions.
• Moments of quiet and non-activity are few and spread out
• Creating a cohesive staff environment round the clock can be challenging. It is crucial that staff see youth and adults through a strengths-based lens and prioritize creating the best possible youth experience at all times, despite what challenges may arise at the staff level
• Physical Demands (which can include bending, stooping, hiking, climbing and stretching) are: 5% Sitting, 45% Standing, 30% Walking, 25% Lifting/Carrying/Pushing/Pulling Pounds 5 -80 lbs.

Salary Description
$105/day