Company description

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 kids, as well as fostering connections with the 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.

Farming in the company of children and community can be chaotic. Flexibility and comfort working in the gray areas, trust in ourselves and in others, and a willingness to grow are essential characteristics. Our curriculum and systems are constantly evolving in relationship with the animals, the land, and with each other. We prioritize building community around the farm and allowing our animals to live out the essential expressions of their species over meeting specific production goals.

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities.

Job description

We are hiring day camp counselors for our three summer camps: Pathfinders Camp (ages 5-6), Farm & Garden Camp (ages 6-11, plus Counselors-in-Trainings or CITs from age 12+), and Crew Camp (ages 10+).

Our summer camp counselors are the backbone of our summer here at New Village. We host around 350 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.

Our camps:

Pathfinders (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 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, painting, and whatever we dream up together. Those applying to lead Pathfinders must have relevant, professional experience working with 4-6 year old children. Our Pathfinders camp will run for only 8 weeks of summer, taking off the week of August 21st-25th. In Pathfinders, there are 2 counselors for the 12 campers plus at least 2 CITs.

Farm & Garden Camp (ages 6-11, plus CITs from age 12+): Farm and Garden Camp is our longest-running program. 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. In F&G, there are 3 counselors for the 18 campers, plus at least 4 CITs.

Crew Camp (ages 10+): 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. In Crew, there are 2 counselors for the 8 campers, no CITs.

Required Qualities:

• Relevant educational or childcare experience

• Prior farm experience, in livestock or veg, is strongly preferred but not required

• A passion for the outdoors and the work of farming and gardening

• A passion for fostering nature awareness, mindfulness, wonder, and creativity

• The ability to direct and support farm chore times for a mixed-age group, so that they experience satisfaction and competence

• The ability to support kids in pursuing healthy, self-directed projects and interests

• Exceptional group management skills

• A Behavior = Communication approach to discipline, familiarity with restorative practices

• Professional and compassionate interpersonal skills

• Exceptional intuition and judgment, and willingness to use it

• Reliable transportation (car, bus, or ability to coordinate carpooling with other counselors)

• A personal cell-phone for inter-counselor communication

Responsibilities include:

• Managing the arc of the camp day, including farm chores (goat milking, chicken & bunny chores, pasture management, 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 counselors and other farm staff

• Managing the CIT program (mentoring, giving feedback, etc.)

• Managing verbal communication with parents

The counselor position runs from M-F 8-3:30 pm. The program runs from June 12th-August 25th. The first week is devoted to staff training. We will take off the week of July 3rd-7th. Additionally, there are many opportunities to work with students on-farm prior to the beginning of the camp season. We are also currently hiring an educator to co-lead Farm School on Tuesdays and Fridays in the Spring (starting in March), and for After School in the Spring (Mondays 2:30-5:15 pm, Wednesdays 1:45-5:15 pm, Thursdays 2:30-5:15 pm).

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline