New Village Farm is a diverse educational farm located in Shelburne, Vermont. The small raw milk cow and goat dairies, poultry operation, gardens and wilderness areas form an extensive outdoor learning space where people of all ages are invited to actively participate.

Our primary focus is creating opportunities of participation and belonging for youth, as well as fostering connections with the earth, plants and animals. The farm hosts a summer camp, adult and family workshops, farm school, and other year-round programming. Our basic philosophy is that healthy lives and actions are founded in healthy relationships to ourselves, to each other, and to the natural world. Our vision is to create a space where all are welcome, and we can embrace the richness of working the land together.

Our daily curriculum is dictated by the challenges presented by the land, the seasons, the plants, and the animals. Our agricultural practices are earth centered. Our approach to education is immersive, and restorative. We believe that trust, responsibility, and freedom are essential to growing moral, resilient, and confident children.

Our summer camp counselors are the backbone of our summer here at New Village. We host around 300 campers over the course of the summer, many of whom return year after year because they love the blend of freedom, trust, responsibility, and fun at the core of our programs.

1. Pathfinders Camp: Open to children ages 5-6, Pathfinders is a program designed to serve our youngest campers with smaller group sizes and a space all their own for exploration, imagination, and the joyful work of the farm. This program eases newcomers into the magic and responsibility of work with animals and plants at a more moderate pace. We follow a rhythm similar to Farm and Garden Camp; we spend our morning working with the animals and in the garden, and our afternoons are spent exploring the woods, quarry, fields, and marshes around the farm, and diving into the interests that emerge from the group. Projects can range from animal care, gardening, carpentry, wilderness skills, nature crafts, and whatever we dream up together.

2. Farm & Garden Camp: Farm and Garden Camp is our longest-running program. We provide children with exposure to nature, interaction with animals, the freedom to learn and grow from experiences, and the time and space to breathe deep. We are committed to their participation in the stewardship of animals, farms, gardens, and wild spaces. We build our programs around their love of nature and animals, their capacity for kindness, their competence in work, and their right to belong. Mornings are spent working with animals and in the garden. Afternoons are spent in a mixture of free play and planned activities, including craft and construction projects, marsh/field/forest play, and lots of animal time.

3. Crew Camp: The focus of this camp is continuing to grow the skills and competence of the many kids who value animal husbandry, gardening and outdoor engagement.  Crew members are responsible for the execution of all chores that go beyond the scope of the younger camps, including milking cows, daily pasture rotations and fence maintenance, gardening, etc. Crew also engages in carpentry and other projects that serve the farm’s infrastructure. 
 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Relevant educational or childcare experience
• Professional and compassionate interpersonal skills
• A contagious passion for the outdoors and the work of farming and gardening 
• The ability to direct and support farm chore times for a mixed-age group, such that they experience satisfaction and competence
• The ability to support kids in pursuing healthy self-directed projects and interests
• A Behavior = Communication approach to discipline, familiarity with restorative practices 
• Exceptional group management skills
• A passion for fostering nature awareness, mindfulness, wonder and creativity
• Experience in animal husbandry and gardening are a huge plus

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Managing the arc of the camp day, including farm chores (milking, chicken chores, garden tasks, etc.)
• Leading morning and closing circles
• Teaching daily nature skills (weaving with cattails, plant-ID, natural dyeing, spinning wool, fire by friction, building skills, clay, etc)
• Mediating challenges within the group using restorative practices 
• Teaching and practicing safe farm boundaries
• Co-leading with our other counselors and other farm staff

Extra responsibilities may include:

• Managing written and verbal communication with parents
• Managing the CIT program (mentoring, giving feedback, etc)
• Curriculum design and implementation 

The counselor position runs from M-F, 7:30-3:30 pm. The program runs from June 13-August 26th (one week off during the week of July 4th), with many opportunities to work with students on-farm prior to the beginning of the camp season.

Hourly wage $15-20 depending on experience