Company description

The Farm School Inc. is a youth centered 35 year non-profit organization with a mission of connecting people to the land. The 4 major areas of our organization are:

The Program for Visiting Schools and Summer Program, which brings youth to the farm for overnight trips and to engage with all aspects of the farm (small animal livestock, diary, gardens, forestry and the kitchen).

The Chicken Coop School is our year round Middle School open to local 7th and 8th graders that includes farm life as part of its curriculum.

-Our Food Donation program brings over a thousand of pounds of meat, eggs, milk and veggies to our local community, seniors, co-op market, partner school community in the Boston area and to the Nipmuc tribe.

-The Nipmuc Land Project is dedicated to providing the space for Nipmucs to direct a process of connecting back to their ancestral lands where the Farm School resides.

-We are seeking individuals who get joy from sharing their love of land and farming with young people.

Job description

Summer Program Staff Job Posting

The Farm School Athol, MA 01331

There are few things like Summers at The Farm School, it's a special place to go as a young person and an equally special place to work. As a Summer Counselor at the Farm School, you are the go to person for the youth participants from 7am wake up and chores through the evening activity and overnight. You will work with other full-time farmers and/or Counselors to lead the youth through farmwork, games, art, evening activities, campfires and other program activities during the day.

This role requires a love of youth, along with a great amount of stamina,energy and enthusiasm.

Summer Training and Program will run from June 16th to August 8th 2025

Responsibilities and Qualities we are looking for:

● Be welcoming! Include youth by inviting them to join you in adventures, games, farm work, animal care, sports, art, music, nature and centering their opportunity to experience farm life and love of the land in community.
● Be playful, engaging and inquisitive! Build relationships that engage youth in the fun, joy, relaxation, openness, a community feel of the farm as they grow food, ramble the woods, lay under apple trees with books, play soccer, care for the animals and build lasting friendships.
● Be a team player! Ability to communicate, to be reliable, show up on time and prepared as scheduled, to actively engage and problem solve with your team. To be aware of youth engagement and step in to help when you notice someone feeling left out or left behind. Helping with all aspects of the farm, especially during those moments where many hands can make light work like hay loads, off loading supplies or harvesting for the community.
● Hold boundaries that may feel “less cool” in the moment, but ultimately help youth feel safe and supported! To be a point person for the youth in your assigned cabin, to ensure cabin and bunk spaces are inclusive, respectful, clean and well supervised. To participate in an assigned bunk room/cabin sleeping rotation, supervising the youth through the night, taking care of any needs that arise and communicating/calling for support when needed.
● Take scheduled breaks in order to work a schedule that covers a large time span i.e. 6am- 6pm or 9am - 9pm and also sleep overnight with the youth in cabins/bunk rooms.
● Work within a schedule that has multiple transitions.
● Support kids that are shy and help them build friendships.
● Support kids that are playful and need to run around and stay physically active, by playing with them during free times and encouraging others to join in the fun.
● Contribute to the unique fun of the program by sharing your hobbies and interests
● Ability to collaborate with full time farmer teachers to create work area activities that the youth can engage
● Organize your work area, plans and programs in ways that uplift the FS mission and goals towards Racial Equity. To honor and respect people's identities.
● To be kind, thoughtful, respectful, dependable, collaborative in your interactions with youth, recognizing their value, autonomy and personhood.
● To be kind, thoughtful and respectful of your co-workers. To respect the guidelines of shared spaces, to adhere to the policies and practices in the Farm School Staff and Summer Handbook
● Participate in programmatic activities including options, class, chores, variety shows, obstacle courses, campfires, dish clean up, evening activities, community meetings, hay runs, opening & closing circles.

Compensation and Perks
● $6750 starting, $7,750 returning, salary for the period of June 16th - August 8th 2025
● Onsite housing (when not on bunkhouse sleeping rotation there will be 2 counselors on

overnight coverage per bunk side each week)
● Weekends off, (with the exception of 1 weekend during the long session)
● 3 meals and 2 snacks per day (prepared by our talented nourishment team)
● Farm Fresh veggies, meat, eggs, fruit, milk, bread and maple syrup!

While the above is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.

We serve diverse communities of students and we are striving to develop a staff that reflects that. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply to our open positions. The Farm School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin in any of its school administered policies or programs.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, varies DOE, $6,750.00 - $7,750.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline