Summer Garden Camp Counselor

ABOUT THE GARDENS OF GOLDEN GATE PARK

ThemissionofGardensofGoldenGateParkistoconnectpeopletoplants, theplanet,andeach other.

Gardens of Golden Gate Park is a public/private partnership between the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society (SFBGS) to jointly operate the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and San Francisco Botanical Garden. A Lease & Management Agreement between RPD and SFBGS, approved by both the Recreation & Park Commission and the Board of Supervisors, sets the terms of the partnership. The agreement is a cooperative management agreement that outlines the roles and responsibilities for each partner.

Key areas of responsibility for SFBGS include volunteer engagement, education, visitor experience, philanthropy, membership, marketing, and other functions. RPD has primary responsibility for horticulture and facility management and maintenance, master planning and capital improvements conducted in collaboration with SFBGS, as well as other functions. Together, RPD and SFBGS collaborate on collections management within the Gardens.

The Conservatoryof Flowers is a national, state, and local landmark and a place of exceptional beauty. Built in 1879, the Conservatory was the first formal structure erected in Golden Gate Park and remains an internationally renowned icon, displaying and cultivating unusual plants to heighten awareness of the pressing need to preserve threatened rainforest environments.

The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America. This garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden and was originally created as an exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition.

SanFranciscoBotanicalGarden opened in 1940 and is a 55-acre living museum within Golden Gate Park,

showcasing 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. San Francisco’s oceanic climate with cool dry summers, mild wet winters, and presence of fog allows the Garden to grow a diverse array of species from around the world.

POSITION SUMMARY

San Francisco Botanical Garden’s Garden Camp program serves children in grades K-5 with all-outdoor programming that focuses on educational and positive social-emotional development with peers in nature. Garden Camp connects children to plants through a combination of structured, themed activities and open-ended time to develop curiosity, initiative, imagination, and creativity. Curriculum will revolve around four main themes: gardening, art, wellness, and ecology.

Counselors are members of the Programs & Partnership Department, report to and are supervised by the Garden Camp Director. This year’s team will support the program from June 10 through August 9, 2024.

Counselors will be responsible for the care, comfort, and safety of participants. Counselors’ primary objectives are to: provide an engaging, fun, educational, age-appropriate, and safe experience for participants; provide excellent customer service to parents and caregivers; work collaboratively within the Learning and Engagement team; lead by example; and inform the development of the Camp programs in seasons to come.

Our Health and Safety Plan and other safety protocols must be met, including completing Mandated Reporter and First Aid/CPR training.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Duties

• Provide in-person care for children with a co-counselor in a public setting
• Build and nourish positive relationships with campers while promoting a sense of nature connection among the participants
• Enforce camp rules, policies, and safety guidelines consistently, ensuring a safe and secure camp environment

Content Delivery and Community Building

• Foster a community that values relationships, thrives on empathy, sees opportunity before challenge, uses positive reinforcement, and anticipates joy around every turn
• Promote character development and model positive and inclusive culture
• Always ensure the physical and emotional safety of all campers through routine safety and wellness checks
• Communicate with participant families to foster a warm camp community, and ensure a positive, open dialogue about health, safety, and other issues as they arise
• Collaborate within the Camp Team and across departments to ensure both the Garden and campers thrive
• Provide play and learning experiences which foster engagement with the natural world, develop empathy for all living things, and increase understanding and appreciation of plants and our relationship to them

Camp Group Management and Support

• Contribute to curriculum with additional, appropriate, thematic content and activities that align with curricular framework
• Stock and manage camp materials and supplies
• Lead a group size of 10-12 participants in partnership with a co-Counselor
• Attend weekly staff meetings

QUALIFICATIONS

• Coursework in Early childhood Education OR equivalent experience
• Experience teaching or working with preschool and/or elementary school-aged children
• Coursework in environmental education, botany, ecology, or other life sciences is highly desirable
• Ability to meet the physical demands of working with children in an all-outdoor setting (lift at least 50 pounds, ability to run short distances and walk extensively, transition from sit to stand easily, and sit on the ground with campers)
• Demonstrate a passion and respect for the natural world. Be willing to get dirty, teach through play, and engage deeply
• Commitment to full-time work from June 10 through August 9, 2024
• Based on working environments, COVID-19 vaccination is highly recommended
• Understanding of conservation best practices within the parameters of a public botanical garden strongly preferred
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
• Strong organizational, problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Ability to prioritize tasks and independently manage time
• Fluency in a secondary language (especially Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, or Russian) highly favored
• Social-emotional competencies are highly valued
• If you have previously been employed as a Garden Camp Counselor, please email gardencamp@gggp.org with a brief reintroduction to yourself and why you’d like to apply

ENVIRONMENT

• Must be able to engage in a range of physical motions, including standing or sitting at a desk or computer, and walking (sometimes on uneven surfaces) or working outside in varying weather conditions for extended periods of time
• Must be able to lift/carry up to 30 pounds
• This role is required to be onsite Monday – Friday for the duration of the program

HOW TO APPLY: go to - https://recruiting.paylocity.com /Gardens-of-Golden-Gate-Park or email jobs@gggp.org

Pre-employment requires a clear background check and reference checks.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information or any other category protected by law.