Camper Care Director

Join the team at Eden Village West! The Camper Care Director is a seasonal summer full-time non-exempt position, with part-time hours before summer session begins. The Camper Care Director reports to the Executive Camp Director. The Camper Care Director will benefit from being a part of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Yedid Nefesh Community of Practice, connecting with and learning from other Jewish camp mental health professionals.

About Eden Village West

Eden Village West is an organic farm-to-table residential Jewish camp in Sonoma County, California with a 6-week overnight summer program. Our campers enjoy farming, wilderness and homesteading skills, culinary arts, music and sports as they become empowered to promote a more environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually connected world for all.

Specific Responsibilities of the Camper Care Director include:

Summer (on site, full time at camp June 4 - July 31):

• Serving as a resource to campers throughout the summer in facing mental, emotional and social health challenges, and assisting counselors and tribe leaders (unit heads) in problem solving cases wherein campers need special support.
• Managing information about camper needs, and communicating those to staff, as well as documenting communication and plans within Eden Village West’s systems.
• Communicating and managing relationships with parents/caregivers in regards to camper needs.
• Playing a leadership role in the planning and implementation of staff training and ongoing staff learning related to mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health (MESSH), including:
• Designing and leading training for staff about camper care.
• Creating ongoing staff training on areas of camper mental health.
• Creating and implementing programming for small groups of campers focused on wellness and social-emotional learning.
• Serving as an emotional resource to staff as needed.
• Preparing and submitting weekly reports to Foundation for Jewish Camp as part of our Yedid Nefesh program participation, specifically regarding mental, emotional, and social health of Eden Village West and its campers, including sharing high-level understandings of interactions and interventions taking place throughout the summer.
• Living at camp on-site for the full duration of camp (housing/meals are provided), and weaving yourself into the fabric of the camp community.

Spring (remote, hourly, February-May, approx. 5 hours/month):

• Participating in Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Community of Practice as part of the Yedid Nefesh program, including two or three virtual gatherings and one in-person gathering per year with other Jewish camp mental health professionals.
• Managing pre-camp camper MESSH intake, including the review of camper profiles, communicating with camper families and their mental health providers to create individual support plans for camp, and properly documenting all plans and communication within Eden Village West’s systems.

*Additional responsibilities as required.

Key Qualifications:

• Graduate-level or higher degree in a mental health field including, but not limited to: social work, mental health counseling, psychology, youth psychiatry, family therapy.
• 3-5 years of post-graduate work experience in a related field, previous experience in a camp, school, or similar setting preferred. Candidates should possess:
• Exceptional skill and capacity for engagement and relationship building with both children and their parents.
• Strong understanding of, and a willingness to be creative with strategies to ensure campers of varying needs can be part of a mainstreamed program.
• Experience supporting children, teenagers, and/or adult mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health - in proactive and reactive ways.
• Proven ability to provide emotional support to a wide range of ages.
• Proven ability to plan, originate, and organize programs.
• An ability to think critically and act swiftly in high stress situations.
• Attention to detail in documentation and maintaining records.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and comfort communicating with children, young adults, and parents/guardians.

Why you’ll love it!

• Experience a community with a vibrant staff of 75 people from all over the world! Our community values skills-sharing, spiritual growth, and inclusivity.
• You’ll enjoy three kosher, organic, vegetarian locally sourced meals a day.
• We have fun staff activities that take place 2-3 times a week, facilitated by your fellow staff members!
• You’ll inspire kids to be more playful, kind, caring, joyful, and grateful - changing their lives and changing the world!

$5,500 plus hourly spring work @ $35/hr

Time commitment:

*February-May: monthly virtual gathering with Yedid Nefesh Community of Practice.

*March-May: Camper Intake, approximately 5 hours per month.

*June 4-July 31: Full time, on site at camp.