Summer Camp Program Coordinator

Program Coordinator at Outdoor Adventure and Mythology Summer Day Camp

Title: Program Coordinator

Employment Status: Exempt/Seasonal

Company Summary:

Plato Learning operates outdoor mythology-based day camps for kids ages 7-15. They create a world where monsters, myth, and magic transport kids out of the mortal realm into one where they are empowered to develop new skills, take risks, solve problems, and ultimately become Heroes. With seventeen locations spanning from NYC to California, Plato Learning uses actors, live-action role-play, and physically and mentally engaging activities to bring myths to life.

Are you ready to join the team and accept our call to adventure?

Job Summary:

We are hiring an energetic leader to serve as summerProgram Coordinator at our Raleigh, NC location. Program Coordinators are responsible for enhancing programming and engaging all campers that come to Plato Learning for our brand of hero-training, epic adventures, and unforgettable other-worldly experiences. Our Program Coordinator brings collaborative Myths to life with our campers. While similar to live-action role-playing, we put more emphasis on immersive world-building, prioritizing imagination and camper experience over production. The immersive opportunities this role creates gamify the story and support a new week-long adventure arc each camp session. Additionally, Program Coordinators assist the Camp Director with daily operations to keep Camp running smoothly.

Job Responsibilities:

Engage the Demigod Campers.

• Lead and engage campers in activities that grow to meet their development with an energetictone.
• Understand that every camper is different
• Creates multi-modal programming that will immerse and uplift every kid.
• Encourage campers to take risks, participate, and explore their own personal limits, while celebrating the heroic strengths they already possess.
• Support demigods in meeting their victories and defeats with grace.

Organize the Hero’s Journey

• Pre-season: Schedule and adapt camp activities for use at camp.
• Adapt activities to support the week’s adventure storyline, immersing campers and staff alike.
• Keep the scheduled activities exciting and running on-time through a quick-thinking and adaptive mindset.

Train Heroes to Lead.

• Inspire Counselors to be enthusiastic leaders by their example, through core activities like sword training, and electives like potions
• Set the tone for Counselors and CITs by modeling enthusiastic engagement in programming while leading it
• All Camp Half Blood Leadership team members are ready and willing to cover a camper group when necessary.

Bring Stories to Life and Initiate Magic.

• Work with our Story team to adapt Plato’s un-scripted, pre-written stories for the summer and adapt them to your camp.
• Build an immersive and active story-engagement experience demigods will remember for years to come.
• Align with our HQ Story Department to navigate story changes while maintaining cohesion and narrative balance.
• Manage the creation and completion of Quest related props, design elements, and costumes with your ensemble.
• Repair (foam) weaponry when necessary.

Build an Ensemble.

• With the help of the Quest Development Team, review performer submissions.
• Understand the importance of telling a culturally responsible story, and cast appropriately.
• Schedule training and weekly rehearsals using improv and ensemble building techniques to empower performers to make bold, adaptable character choices that center the camper’s experience.
• Manage the ensemble, maintaining healthy work relationships and respecting each individual's time.

Be the “Call to Action”.

• Provide the Call to Action–organize and lead large camp-wide activities, like the Olympics, or the Final Battle for 15 demigods.
• Maintain the presence to keep large activities running safely and the enthusiasm to keep them fun.
• Lead activities with infectious enthusiasm and a flexible mindset.
• We believe the best learning comes from serious play

Steel your Resolve.

• Our Camp is an energetic all-outdoor environment that requires staff and campers to embrace exciting challenges.
• A Raleigh Program Coordinator will spend most of their day on their feet and walk anywhere from 15,000-18,000 steps/day on the job, across changes in elevation and varying terrain.
• As Leadership Staff are the first people our Demigods look to in times of challenge and uncertainty, we are looking for courageous individuals excited by the discomfort in adventure, and who do not shy away from responsibility, in the heat of summer, or when it is raining.

Embrace the Chaos.

• This job is rarely predictable, and requires thinking on your toes. Embrace the importance of story and adapt to the unexpected.
• When a camper responds in an unexpected way, or a schedule/staffing change forces a plot adjustment, adapt the living story and guide the team through changes with a jovial spirit and flexible mindset.
• Create camper buy-in through an effective, engaging story with minimal reliance on conventional theater tech.

Rise to the Challenge.

• Prove their efficacy through action, and handle challenging situations with kindness and readiness to help.
• Resolve conflict in a constructive, uplifting, and non-punitive manner that redirects to engagement.
• Build morale and uplift the team by compassionately managing unforeseen circumstances with decisive clarity and a high level of initiative.
• Care for campers and your fellow staff through service-leadership. This may look like supervising a cabin group, temporarily covering another leadership role, or managing challenging behavioral situations when they arise.

The Hours.

• Approx 6-9 hours/week of remote training and prep-work from April-May for a total of 80 hours.
• Facilitate Performer Training to prepare for In-Person Training Week
• Facilitate In-Person Trainin before each program’s start date
• 40-45 hours/week in-person at your camp location for your program’s 4 weeks
• Camp Schedule: 7:30am-4:30pm; Monday-Friday (Campers present 8:45-4:10)

What abilities are we looking for?

• Experience working with children 7-14 years old in schools, after school programs or other structured capacites
• Leadership Experience (or as we call it- Hero-Training) – previous actor/staff management is a plus
• Organized, versatile leaders with unique vision, capable of telling engaging stories with minimal tech
• Strong initiative, conflict resolution, and communication abilities with a team-player attitude
• Ability to physically and vocally command an outdoor space,
• Ability to maintain stamina and endurance over the course of the Camp Season
• Ability to work part-time April through May/June (~5-7 hours per week), and full-time in Summer
• Camp experience is a bonus, though not required

Plato Learning would like to put forth this statistic. While men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and other underrepresented people often only apply when they match all criteria. Even if you don't meet every checkbox in the job description, but you think you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply.

Benefits and Compensation:

• Compensation. $16/hour for in-season work
• Pre-Season Work/Training (April-May): ~6-9 hours/week at $14.12/hour
• During Camp and Staff Training Weeks: 45-50 hours/week for your program’s 4 weeks
• Referral Bonus: $50 bonus for any referred applicants who are hired for a seasonal position and work at least two weeks. Paid at the end of the season
• Opportunity for Advancement.As Plato Learning grows, we look within our talented seasonal staff to fill full-time opportunities when they arise within the company.
• Community. Containing hundreds of creative-minded heroes, the Plato Learning network carries authors, podcasters, performers, dungeon masters, and many others ready to chat and create.

Please keep in mind the start and end dates for the Raleigh season:

• Training takes place the week of June 17th
• Camp season runs June 24th-July 19th

Ready to Send an Application via Iris Message?:

Please visit to fill out an application. Only candidates selected for an interview will be notified of next steps.

Hesitation of Hermes:

Questions before you apply? Email us at

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $16.00 per hour

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to Relocate:

• Garner, NC 27529: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person