Nature Camp Educator

Learn the ins-and-outs of nature-based education at a local land trust with over 30 years of success. By serving as the Nature Camp Educator, you will gain valuable people skills, mentorship from talented lead educators, and teaching experience that will help you become a stronger environmental communicator.

This position is part of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board AmeriCorps (VHCB AmeriCorps). The VHCB AmeriCorps program supports the innovative dual-goal approach to creating stable affordable housing opportunities for Vermont residents while preserving the natural and working landscape. VHCB AmeriCorps is a national service program that places members with non-profit housing or land and energy conservation organizations around the state.

The Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT) works with our community to conserve natural and productive landscapes, and to enhance scenic, recreational, and educational opportunities. Based in Middlebury, Vermont and serving Addison County, this AmeriCorps Member position will connect over 180 youth with 1,000 acres of conserved lands and 30 miles of public recreation trails. The member will inspire and foster a strong environmental ethic through nature and science education for youth.

Essential Functions:  Co-develop and teach nature summer camps for children ages 3-12;  Co-facilitate a stronger, more engaging teen counselor program;  Recruit, mentor, and supervise the teen counselors;  Develop evaluation tools measuring program success. Maintain performance measurement records for all summer camps;  Serve on a team that strives for a safe, nurturing, and welcoming experience for all campers;  Collaborate with the Executive Director, Programs Coordinator, VT ECO AmeriCorps member, and seasonal interns to achieve outreach and education goals, develop new summer camp themes and content, and cultivate connection and engagement with local families;  Attend professional development opportunities for improving the quality and reach of our programs and individual professional growth;  Participate in evaluations of AmeriCorps experience, including written final report, documenting hours spent providing outreach, recommendations for future outreach, and evaluating the education programs;  Participate in an Independent Service Project under the guidance of VHCB AmeriCorps  Participate in VHCB AmeriCorps Trainings, Service Days, Events, and Program Initiatives.  Engage in professional and personal development activities and networking opportunities. Secondary Functions:  Help publicize stories and experiences via social media, website, flyers, and blogs;

Desired Qualifications:  Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Education, or related field AND 1-2 seasons of teaching experience, preferably in an outdoor or alternative science education setting. Additional field and/or teaching experience may be substituted for completion of a Bachelor’s degree, if the field of study is applicable and the candidate shows dedication to the field of environmental education.  Strong interest in and knowledge of conservation, natural history, and environmental pedagogy. These include core routines of nature connection (e.g., sit spot, journaling, mapping), and natural history topics (e.g., birding, environmental sciences, animal tracking, wilderness living, climate change science, animal behavior, botany, and geology);  Experience developing and leading outdoor environmental education activities, as well as mentoring preschool-age (3 to 5) to school-age (6 to 18);  Strong group management skills; ability to manage and engage a group of up to 16 children;  Love of outdoor exploration and questioning, ability to model curiosity, wonder, and play in the natural world;  Ability to serve independently as well as part of a team;  Excellent organizational and communication skills, experience with outreach and social media tools such as Facebook, Instagram, blogs, Mail Chimp, and Survey Monkey;  A strong service ethic and desire to do meaningful and challenging work to better a community;

How to apply:

Read the full position description here.

Apply here.