Support Counselor At Outdoor Adventure And Mythology Summer Day Camp

Support Counselor at Outdoor Adventure and Mythology Summer Day Camp

Title: Support Counselor

Employment Status: Exempt/Seasonal

Company Summary:

Plato Learning operates outdoor mythology-based day camps for kids ages 6-15. We 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 sixteen camp programs 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 highly adaptable leaders to serve as Support Counselors at all camp locations. Support Counselors are capable of wearing multiple hats and comfortable with a mutable set of responsibilities. Primarily responsible for stepping in for any absent counselors, they receive a new assignment daily. Support Counselors may be tasked with leading a group of 7-15 year-old camper ‘demigods’, assisting with Operations tasks, creative tasks for our Quest Adventures, or helping lead large activities. We are looking for people who feel confident taking on the unknown each day with enthusiasm.

Job Responsibilities:

Forge a Community of Heroes. Support Counselors will be asked to step in for a Senior Counselor in the event of absence and mentor a group of 10-12 campers, which we call Hometowns (Athens, Sparta, Ithaca, etc.). In these hometowns counselors enthusiastically lead and participate in all activities, while managing camper’s behavior, group dynamics, and safety policies.

Train the Demigods. Support Counselors will lead activities such as Forge, Potions, or Combat-Training. They may lead an activity for the group they’re leading that day, or be put in charge of one activity all-day to teach to multiple groups throughout the day. They work off of time-tested lesson plans, while building their own lessons and modifications to make each activity reflect the week’s storyline at camp.

Build the World. Support Counselors embrace their demigod persona, upholding the world of Camp Half-Blood and are able to discuss matters like a chance Cyclops encounter. Support Counselors research and prepare for each week’s storyline, and enthusiastically commit to an active belief in its magic. A story is only powerful for young Demigods when it is wholeheartedly “believed” by their leaders.

Maintain a High Level of Initiative. We are seeking individuals with a working understanding of how an outdoor summer camp program works, who can effectively execute a task with little training or instruction, and can effectively self-manage tasks after assignment.

Steel your Resolve. We are looking for courageous individuals who can lean into the challenges presented by our energetic all-outdoor environment. As 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 even when it is raining.

Rise to the Challenge. When not providing Counselor coverage, Support Counselors will be asked to support camp wherever they’re needed. This may include helping camp set-up/break-down, inventory and maintenance tasks, repairing props/costumes, helping a story moment, leading a camp-wide activity, assisting counselors with particularly tricky groups or activities, or providing additional supervision during lunch/free-time.

The Hours:

• Approx 4-6 hours of self-paced Training
• 2 weeks if their program runs for 6 weeks or less
• Supporting Counselors must be able to commit to working a minimum of 3 weeks at camp
• Attend a 30-40 hour In-Person Training week, the week before each program’s start date

• Monday-Friday; 7:45am-4:15pm with a ½ hour lunch break (Campers present 8:45-4:10)
• 35-40 hours/week in-person at your camp location, for each week of availability committed to Plato Learning.
• Camp does not operate on June 19th, or the week of July 4th, but Camp Directors may run 1-2 training days TBD that week (not the 4th)

What are we looking for?

• Passion about any of the following: literature, literacy, drama, theater arts, storytelling, music, visual arts, science & nature studies, fencing, combat, martial arts
• Age 18 and above by the start of the summer camp season
• This role is an excellent fit for Counselors of seasons past, who would like to return but cannot commit to a full season with us!
• Combines strong initiative, conflict resolution, and communication abilities with a team-player attitude
• Experience working with children K-8th in camps, after school programs or other structured capacites
• In a team, able to lift 25-50 lbs of camp materials without injury
• Enthusiastic about world-building with campers, staff, and actors
• Excitement about working in an outdoor fast-paced environment in the summer
• Courageous Commitment; we find that Supporting Counselors benefit from a 2 year relationship with Plato Learning (at minimum). We find our Supporting Counselors from a variety of places (college students, after school programming, teaching artists, artists, coaches, museum workers, camp counseling, and grad school)

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:

• Pre-Season Training and Staff Training Week- Paid at $15/hour (approx 40 hours)
• Compensation. Support Counselors earn between $3000 - $6000 over the camp season depending on the duration and size of the camp program.
• In-Season- A weekly stipend of $635/week (35-40 hours per week )
• Any absences or sick days are unpaid.

• 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.
• Opportunity for Advancement.As Plato Learning grows, we’re continually looking within our talented seasonal staff to fill leadership positions at Camp, and full-time positions within the company.

Available Summer Camp Locations:

• Brooklyn, NY; Manhattan, NY; Queens, NY; Maplewood, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; Raleigh, NC; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA
• Please review the following website for more details about the start and end dates for the summer season by camp location: https://camphalfbloodbklyn.com/camplocations/

COVID-19 Notice: Our COVID-19 Policies and Procedures will be updated periodically to reflect all mandated state and federal health & safety regulations. All camps operated successfully in 2020, 2021, 2022 and will operate in-person in 2023. We do highly encourage staff to be up to date on their COVID Vaccinations.

Ready to Send an Application via Iris Message?:

Please visit https://camphalfbloodbklyn.com/careers/to fill out an application. Only candidates selected for an interview will be notified of next steps.

Hesitation of Hermes:

Not ready to apply? Connect with usfor future consideration

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $635.00 per week

Benefits:

• Referral program

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Washington, DC: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Experience:

• Childcare: 1 year (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• First Aid Certification (Preferred)
• CPR Certification (Preferred)

Work Location: One location