Camp Counselor for Campers with Special Needs, Camp Grossman, Summer Day Camp

Do you enjoy the outdoors? Do you like to have fun? Do you have a sense of humor, patience, empathy, and compassion? Are you flexible and adaptable? Would you like to help children with special needs develop a love of summer camp? Come share your passion and skills as a Counselor in one of our many "Pathways" bunks dedicated to campers with special needs. Pathways, the broader inclusion program at Camp Grossman, enables children with a broad range of developmental and/or cognitive disabilities and/or mental health challenges to successfully access Camp Grossman with varying levels of support.

As a Pathways Counselor, you will lead small groups of campers in a fun, safe, and engaging environment, striving to create a warm and inclusive camp community where every camper feels valued and confident. Supported by your Unit Head and Pathways leadership, you will help to ensure all campers can successfully access our incredible program - including lakefront swimming, fishing, boating, arts, drama, sports, games, and more - playing a pivotal role in making this a summer campers will always remember.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Responsible for caring for assigned campers – leading group activities, supporting the group in all activities (sports, drama, climbing wall), managing both group and individual needs
• Guiding and supporting campers during both structured and unstructured time
• Ensuring the safety and well-being of campers
• Creating a fun/joyful dynamic
• Working in partnership with peers and Camp Leadership to provide a happy, safe, and memorable summer for the children
• Discussing camper involvement and concerns about campers with camp leadership
• Daily written communication with each camper's family (with guidance from camp leadership)

Standard staff expectations include:

• Actively create a welcoming dynamic that contributes to an environment where everyone is valued and respected
• Actively participate as an essential team member and attend all staff meetings during or after camp as required
• Support JCC Greater Boston’s mission, vision, and values of belonging, joyfulness, collaboration, and transformation, including through role modeling
• Enthusiastically represent the organization, modeling excellence and achievement
• Complete all staff payroll and onboarding on time and before Orientation begins
• Complete all pre-camp asynchronous online training modules and attend all pre-camp in-person orientation sessions
• Other duties as assigned

We are an outdoor camp, located on beautiful, wooded property in Dover, MA. This is an hourly position, Monday - Friday, for the camp season. The regular Camp day begins when you arrive at Camp (typically between 8:45 and 9:15) and ends at 4pm. In addition, all Camp Counselors are expected to attend 3 or 4 staff meetings on Monday evenings at JCC Greater Boston. Camp Counselors also work 1 or 2 additional evenings and/or overnights (meals provided!) over the course of the summer - depending on their placement in camp. Offering great perks, including JCC Health & Fitness center access, a supportive, vibrant in-person work environment, and a competitive starting pay rate of $16 - $19 per hour. The pay rate offered will ultimately be determined by relevant qualifications, experience and JCC's internal equity.

The regular camp season begins June 23 and ends August 15 (with the option to also work the following “9th Week” as well). Orientation takes place (in-person and with different hours and no transportation provided) the week of June 16th and ends with Visiting Day (a pre-camp visit for all campers and families to meet staff) on Sunday, June 22. The hourly rates above apply to regular daytime/evening hours. Overnights will be compensated at a flat rate of $75 - $100 per overnight.

Education and Experience:

• High school graduates strongly preferred
• Counselors must be 16 years-old and have at least 4-weeks experience supervising children
• Junior Counselors must be 15 years-old and completing at least 10th grade this year
• Experience with children with special needs is helpful and preferred, but not necessarily required
• Experience working in and/or attending summer camp is a plus

Skills and Abilities:

• Models maturity and reliability with the ability to stay playful – exhibiting flexibility, patience, empathy, innovative problem solving and collaboration
• Has experience and enjoys working with young children
• Shares Camp’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Models a positive, proactive, and kind approach while concentrating on providing children with a pleasant and safe camp experience
• Possesses ability to manage situations calmly, effectively, and diplomatically
• Has a strong desire to make a difference every single day
• Possesses the ability to work independently and as part of a team, with strong relationship-building skills
• Demonstrates excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple tasks and/or competing priorities
• Must be a self-starter who takes initiative
• Demonstrates a history of superb interpersonal and active listening skills

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to work in-person, on-site in Dover, Massachusetts
• Must be able to navigate 70 acres of rugged, uneven and rustic campgrounds independently
• Comfortable working all or most of the day outdoors or inside without air conditioning
• Able to work well in a busy, dynamic and sometimes noisy environment involving multiple tasks and priorities
• Able to lift and carry objects weighing up to 30-40 pounds (boxes of supplies, children's backpacks etc.)
• Able to sit and kneel; getting down at eye level with children regularly.

Individuals must possess these criteria for knowledge, skills, and abilities or be able to explain and demonstrate that the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation and using some other combination of skills and abilities.

In addition to offering rewarding work and great career opportunities within our mission-driven, values-driven, and family-centric environment, JCC Greater Boston proudly offers employees the generous benefits listed below.

JCCGB Perks! Each seasonal employee is eligible for access to JCC Greater Boston's top-class fitness, recreation, and wellness facility in Newton! Seasonal access to the JCC Fitness Center includes:

• Use of the Fitness Center at Leventhal-Sidman JCC during active seasonal employment
• Free or discounted Camp Grossman enrollment for camp employees' children during the weeks worked. Discount prorated based on number of regularly scheduled hours.

Benefits are subject to review and change by the Organization, and plan documents are the primary determinant.

JCC Greater Boston is consciously evolving as a great place to work! In our recent 2023 employee engagement survey, at least 88% of our staff gave us top ratings on:

• Supportive colleagues
• Team camaraderie
• How their managers treat them
• Individual autonomy
• Knowing what their work contributes to and how it impacts others
• Pride in working for the JCC
• Program and service quality
• Holding ourselves accountable

Our staff and leadership bring experience, excellence, and commitment to everything we offer, and we are dedicated to a culture where all our employees may thrive. Our culture is built on our values, driven by our mission, and nurtured through the expert contributions of our professionals.