Urban Adamah is an educational farm and community center in Berkeley, California that integrates the practices of Jewish tradition, mindfulness, sustainable agriculture, and social justice to build loving, just, and sustainable communities. We provide training programs, educational workshops, and community celebrations for more than 10,000 visitors annually.

Every summer, Urban Adamah offers an  outdoor summer camp for kids in preschool – 8th grade. Summer Camp features hands-on projects and activities exploring themes that integrate nature-connection, crafts, farming, community-building, and Jewish values. Camp Urban Adamah is designed to create a space for children to thrive and express their natural curiosity and passion, all within a vibrant, loving, and inclusive Jewish community. Our counselors ensure that children of different ages can have joyful  experiences within a small group of peers.

About The Role

Counselors are responsible for leading a group of up to 15 children during the camp day 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM, along with another counselor and usually a teen intern and counselor in training. The counselor sets the tone of the group through team-building games, fun opening and closing rituals, listening circles, and more. Counselors set and uphold standards of safety and respect within the group, and communicate behavioral or programmatic concerns to the Youth & Family Programs Manager in a timely manner.

CAMP SUPPORT

Counselors are responsible for daily set-up and clean-up (in general and after specific activities) as well as other tasks related to camp operations on an as-needed basis. Our younger campers may also need help changing their clothes and using the bathroom (no diaper-changing). We appreciate an overall spirit of flexibility and enthusiasm!

SAFETY

All counselors ensure that camp is a safe environment for children, as well as other staff. Counselors make sure that all children are accounted for and within their specified locations from drop-off to pick-up time. Counselors keep a birds-eye-view of potential hazards around the farm, help children use tools safely, are available to administer basic first aid, and support emergency protocols and procedures.

PROGRAM/ACTIVITY LEADER

Counselors help facilitate activities throughout the program. Activities include typical farm tasks such as planting, harvesting, tending to garden beds, and caring for animals; and creative projects involving the arts, music, dance, and drama. In most cases, counselors are not usually responsible for leading and creating their own programmatic activities, but they provide a critical role in helping specialists teach campers fun, farm-related activities.

About You

You enjoy working with children and being outside during the summer. You are passionate about Urban Adamah’s mission and are excited to bring your skills and enthusiasm to creating a memorable experience for our campers.

We are open to applicants with varying levels and types of experience, provided that the applicant displays the skills required to successfully execute the job described above. You might be a good fit if you possess/demonstrate the following.

COMPETENCIES AND STRENGTHS

You have a love of children and experience working with childrenY
You like being outside for most of the day, helping children learn about farming and nature
You are enthusiastic, creative, and sometimes even a little silly
You are receptive to feedback and taking direction
You are flexible and are generally willing to try new things
You are excited about maintaining a positive team attitude throughout the full session
You have a desire to explore and share Jewish environmental wisdom and spirituality (Jewish background / knowledge is not necessary)

EXPERIENCES THAT COULD LEAD TO YOUR SUCCESS

Relevant experience in childcare and camp environments
Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team

PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE POSITION

The physical demands listed below are representative of those that must be met by an employee in this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities.

• Reading, hearing, and speaking in English
• Use of hands, fingers, and feet to set up and run program materials and group activities
• Standing and walking for several hours, as well as sitting, squatting, crawling, climbing, and occasionally lifting up to 30 lbs.
• Comfort with animals, including goats, chickens, and rabbits

Additional Details

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

This is a full-time, temporary position that pays $21 to $22 per hour for new counselors and $23 to $25 per hour for returning counselors. This position does not include healthcare, holidays, or paid time off, but does accrue sick leave as per California law.

Schedule:*
Summer Camp Sessions
June 5 – June 30 | Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
July 10- August 11 | Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

*Schedule notes:

• While we prefer applicants who can work all nine weeks of summer camp, we are also accepting applications for part-time workers. Counselors must be available for a minimum of three weeks.
• Camp is not scheduled for the week of July 3-7, however July 7th will be a work day

This schedule includes the campers’ hours, set-up, clean-up, staff meetings and trainings, and prep time.

There will also be required, paid staff training before camp begins, exact date(s) and time(s) TBD.

SUPERVISION

This position is supervised by the Youth and Family Programs Manager

Application Details

We deeply value the diversity of insight, perspective, and experience brought by people from diverse backgrounds. This includes Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian people, LGBTQ, and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities, Black Jews, Jews of Color, Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews. We also welcome applications from people of diverse religious, spiritual, and cultural backgrounds. We affirmatively seek to advance the principles of equal employment opportunity.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION INCLUDES

Cover letter, resume, two professional references with how you know them, and responses to the following short questions (maximum 200 words each). Bullet pointed lists are welcome as responses to the short questions, if preferred by the applicant.

• Please share how you personally relate to Urban Adamah’s mission and why you want to work with our summer camp.
• Please describe your experience working with children in the Pre-K through 5 grade age range.

Your resumé should be saved as Your Name – Resumé.pdf
Your cover letter should be saved as Your Name – Cover Letter.pdf

Applications will be received on a rolling basis until our hiring deadline March 24, 2023. After this time, we may continue to review applications on a rolling basis, however, encourage candidates to apply before the deadline and/or as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the application or the position, please contact Kathryn Jay at kathryn@urbanadamah.org.