Lead Counselor/Educator (opens in new tab)

Seeds of Peace Camp; Maine; On-site; USD 19,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Furnished room in farmhouse

All meals included

Competitive weekly stipend

Job summary

Hart to Hart Farm in Maine is seeking qualified individuals to teach sustainable agriculture and environmental lessons to campers aged 5–14. You will engage youth with hands-on activities across gardens, fields, forests, and ponds, helping them form lifelong connections with the natural world on an organic farm.

You will lead farm chores, gardening, and cooking activities, while role modeling healthy living and environmental stewardship.

Qualifications

• Passion for sustainable farming, agriculture, and environmental education.
• Previous experience working with children in a camp or educational setting.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a good sense of humor.
• Willingness to get dirty, hike, work with farm animals, and dig in the garden.
• Knowledge in sustainable farming/gardening and/or environment education.

Responsibilities

• Plan and co-teach a range of outdoor farm/environmental activities through hands-on, inquiry-based learning.
• Set up and clean up all supplies and equipment; schedule starts at 7:00 am and ends after prep work.
• Role model healthy living, positive energy, clear communication, and good stewardship of the environment.
• Participate in daily farm chores with campers.
• One overnight outing with campers attending Farm Extravaganza.
• Participate in family programs and school field trips.
• Attend staff trainings, weekly meetings, and maintenance duties to improve the camp.
• Implement all camp policies and provide first aid as needed.
• Report to Camp Director daily and share concerns.

Skills

Sustainable farming

Environmental education

Child engagement

Team collaboration

Job description

About Our Farm:
Hart to Hart Farm is a 285-acre organic dairy farm in central Maine. 1.5 hours from Portland, and just half an hour from beautiful coastal Belfast, spend the summer working on our farm and engaging with youth from the community. Our mission is to foster awareness of farm stewardship, growing healthy foods, and the importance of sustainable, local agriculture, through education and experience. We believe hands-on education can plant future seeds that will help all people become better stewards of the Earth. If you want to be part of this work, we hope you join us this summer! The farm includes a historic barn, outbuildings for chickens, goats, sheep, horses, rabbits, and a free-stall barn which is home to 130 dairy cows. Scenic pastures, organic gardens and orchard, ponds, wetlands, forests, and farm provide an ideal camp setting to explore.

About the Job:
We are seeking qualified individuals to teach sustainable agriculture and environmental lessons utilizing our gardens, farm, fields, forests, and ponds. Educators collaborate to inspire and engage campers ages 5 – 14 to build lifelong, meaningful relationships with the natural world on an organic farm. Campers participate in farm chores, gardening, and cooking as well as a wide range of environmental and agricultural activities. You will play a pivotal role in creating a memorable and educational experience for camp participants. Be a part of a team growing the Future of Maine Agriculture, One Child at a Time

Responsibilities:

• Plan and co-teach a range of outdoor farm/ environmental activities through “hands-on”, inquiry-based learning. Topics include but not limited to animal care and feeding, gardening, sustainability, insects, birds, soil science, freshwater ecology, wetland ecology, forest ecology, art, cooking. Topics taught through exploration, games, art, songs, and stories.
• Set up and clean up all supplies and equipment.Day starts at 7:00 am and ends when prep work finished for the next day. Some weekend prep work may be required.
• Role model healthy living, positive energy, clear communication, and good stewardship of the environment.
• Participate in daily farm chores with campers
• One overnight outing with campers attending Farm Extravaganza.
• Participate in 1 family program & school field trips.
• Participate in staff trainings, weekly staff meetings, community chores and miscellaneous maintenance duties to contribute to the ongoing improvement of the camp.
• Implement all camp policies, rules and regulations
• Provide first aid to campers according to camp policy
• Reset and clean camp space, bathrooms, and kitchen as a team at the end of each day and session
• Supervise JCIT who are assigned to your group
• Communicate and report to the Camp Director daily updates and any concerns regarding the camp or campers.

Qualifications:

• Passion for sustainable farming, agriculture, and environmental education.
• Previous experience working with children ages 5 -13 years in a camp or educational setting.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a good sense of humor
• A willingness to get dirty, hike, work with farm animals, and dig in the garden
• Knowledge in sustainable farming/gardening and/or environment education (strengths can be in one or the other – animal husbandry a bonus)
• Must be patient, fun-loving, creative, enthusiastic, and confident in their ability to motivate and assist campers in learning new knowledge and skills while creating a safe environment
• Excellent multitasker, and team player, with a genuine passion for working with and empowering young people.
• Physically able to lift 50 pounds
• CPR and First Aid certification
• Minimum of 17 years old

Date: June 7th – August 14th (10 weeks, includes 1 week mandatory staff training)

Compensation: Compensation includes a furnished room in the farmhouse (a $800 value based on area housing options for studios), all meals included with lodging, and a $420 -$470/week stipend (additional compensation based on education and experience). Individuals not needing room & board will be offered a competitive salary. Excellent opportunity for a paid internship