Manice Education Center Looking for Outdoor Educator at Florida, Massachusetts Full Time

Christodora, a 125-year-old nonprofit, nonsectarian organization, based in NYC, seeks Outdoor Educators (OEs) to work at its Manice Education Center (MEC) located in the heart of the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts on a 200-acre wooded campus for the spring, summer, and/or fall seasons.  This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to an environmental education program for up to 500 youth from New York City in spring, summer, and/or fall.

Each spring and fall, MEC hosts two outdoor, ecology field trips a week for NYC public middle schools, serving approximately 30 students during each trip; and each summer, MEC offers a full season of environmental and expedition (backpacking an canoeing) courses for NYC youth in grades 6-12 with approximately 40 campers at each of the typically five sessions.

Enjoy living and working in a phenomenal setting for nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers in a forested playground, sandwiched between multiple state forests, rivers, and ponds.  This role is especially applicable for guides, facilitators, teachers, learning specialists, mentors, paraprofessionals, interpretive rangers, adventure guides, and youth development specialists.

OEs in the Fall/Spring School Programs work as residential, recreational camp counselors, facilitating three-day, school-chaperoned, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field trips at and nearby MEC for our partner NYC public schools.  Staff work closely in a supportive atmosphere and teach small, mixed-gender groups of 10 youth in all types of weather (there is no bad weather, only bad planning!) in forest, mountain, and pond settings during the spring and fall.  The MEC staff lives in similarly rustic housing as students from Monday through Thursday each week: large, canvas-walled tents on top of large wooden platforms that can fit up to eight beds.  Each school trip engages in nature hikes to a summit with a view of four states, an 80-foot cascading waterfall, and a unique bog ecosystem.

Join our Spring Team: April 11 – June 8, 2022

Join our Summer Team: June 9 – Aug 28, 2022

Join or Fall Team: Sept 6 – Nov 6, 2022

Spring/Fall Training Opportunities

Red Cross First Aid, CPR/AED, low-ropes challenge course facilitation, and Verbal Intervention through the Crisis Prevention Institute.  Additionally, all educators receive hands-on training and ongoing professional development in the delivery of an active, outdoor, experientially driven curriculum, grounded in social-emotional development and trauma-informed care

Summer Training Opportunities

Wilderness First Aid through SOLO Wilderness Medicine; low ropes challenge course facilitation through Project Adventure; and Verbal Intervention through Crisis Prevention Institute.  Additionally, all educators receive hands-on training and ongoing professional development in the delivery of an active, outdoor, experientially driven curriculum, grounded in social-emotional development and trauma-informed care

Responsibilities

• Facilitate low-ropes challenge course activities designed for teamwork, communication, leadership skills, trust, and social-emotional outcomes
• Inspire curiosity about the natural world through discovery-based activities in a variety of ecosystems
• Use basic chemical testing equipment in our camp science lab
• Plan active and experiential lessons from MEC’s discovery-based curriculum
• Introduce composting and gardening (including a small flock of chickens) to students
• Lead nighttime hikes to see the stars and cultivate sensory awareness
• Work closely with other educators within activity groups to create meaningful, problem-based, experiential, and active environmental science lessons
• Provide overnight supervision on a rotating schedule for up to six youth in canvas-walled, cabin-style tents on large wooden platforms
• Celebrate as a camp community with skits, music, and s’mores at our campfire program (rain or shine) in a covered gazebo surrounded by forest
• Problem-solve unexpected student behavior through restorative circles
• Adhere to the latest Christodora COVID-19 Safety Plan for MEC, which may include masking, pre-arrival and screening testing (both PCR and/or rapid antigen testing), cohorting, and physical distancing, and this plan is subject to change according to federal, state, and local mandates for residential programs

Qualifications

Required:

• Adventurous spirit, willingness to learn, passion for the outdoors, and enjoys connecting with youth from NYC
• Background clearances and medical physical from a licensed medical professional required
• BA/BS in related discipline, demonstrable professional experience, and/or previous Christodora program experience

Preferred:

• Experience in environmental education in a residential camp or outdoor setting
• Experience working with middle-school groups from large cities in classroom or outdoor settings
• Spanish/English bilingual a plus
• Valid driver’s license

Compensation/Benefits

• $315-550 weekly salary
• Room and meals at MEC during employment
• Outdoor equipment discounts

Acknowledgement

The staff of the Manice Education Center acknowledges that, as outdoor professionals, we continue to live and make a living on the unceded and ancestral lands of the indigenous people who stewarded these lands for generations before the arrival of European settler colonialism.  These people and sovereign nations include the Mohican, Pocumtuc, Nipmuc, and Wabanaki, though much of this history remains lost or stolen through the effects of European settler colonialism.  These nations are not currently represented in the board, directors, or employees of Christodora, Inc., which owns and operates MEC, and MEC continues to benefit from the oppressive history of colonialism and industrial agriculture that has forever altered the ecosystems of the region.  We recognize there will be implications for how Christodora must alter its thoughts and decisions when educating youth on unceded lands, and we welcome dialogue in this work, as this is only a small step toward repairing the generations of injustice done to these people and nations.

To Apply…

Please email [email protected] with only “[Last Name]/MEC OE” as the subject of the message to request a short application.  There will be a link in the application to upload a resume if you wish.  Three professional references may be requested following an initial phone interview.

Christodora is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, family status, income, ethnicity or race, religious or spiritual practice, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, indigenous heritage, and/or any other characteristic protected by law.