Salary: Ranges from $200 to $300 weekly - room and board included     
Start Date: April 30^th, 2013
End Date: June 13^th, 2013                                                                                                                                      

Situation:

YMCA Calgary is a charitable organization driven by its mission to facilitate and promote the spiritual, mental, physical and social development of individuals and foster a sense of responsibility within the community.  For more than 100 years, YMCA Calgary has offered values-based programs and services that enable people to develop in spirit, mind and body. 

With an annual budget of $27 million, YMCA Calgary serves the Calgary community from six branches and over 60 program delivery sites.  With four Health and Wellness branches: Eau Claire, Shawnessy, Crowfoot and Saddletowne, as well as the Community YMCA and YMCA Camp Chief Hector, YMCA Calgary offers programs and services in a variety of areas that promote healthy choices, personal growth and community engagement. YMCA Calgary's upcoming presence in the South Health Campus will further enable the YMCA to assist people to be healthy in spirit, mind and body.

Camp Chief Hector YMCA runs school programs and a summer camp for children and youth and their families. All program staff live and work at our site located near Exshaw, Alberta. Staff reside in tipis and meals are eaten with clients in Bowfort and Hector Lodge.

Nature and Scope:

Reporting directly to the Outdoor Schools Manager and/or a Coordinator, outdoor school counselling positions are open to individuals with interest and previous experience in working with children and youth in an outdoor environment.  Counsellors work with students in grades 4-6 (Hector Spring School) and high school aged youth (Outdoor Experiential School) who come to Camp Chief Hector YMCA for a 4-day residential experience. These students are ready to learn in a hands-on environment and require a leader who is actively involved in facilitating a positive, engaging outdoor school experience for all. Counsellors enjoy the company of their students while providing them with appropriate expectations and clear boundaries.

By the end of the five-day pre-camp staff training, counsellors need to feel comfortable with taking a leadership role and participating in all activities and aspects of outdoor centre life. Counsellors need to be creative, flexible and approachable, be open to learning and teaching new skills, and be ready to facilitate great learning adventures for students.

Outdoor School programs at Camp Chief Hector YMCA are designed to support students in making connections to landscapes, to each other and to their classroom learning.

For a thorough description of our employment opportunities, staff expectations and programs, please see our website at:

http://www.ymcacalgary.org/en/camp_chief_hector_ymca/2013_hiring_booklet.pdf

Responsibilities:

• Provide fun, positive and active leadership to students and teachers
• Be a friend and mentor to students and their teachers
• Support Camp Chief Hector YMCA risk management rules and guidelines
• Create a caring, supportive environment where campers feel that they can take risks, make new friends and try new things
• Model and support the values of Camp Chief Hector YMCA and YMCA Calgary
• Work as an active and positive member of the Camp Chief Hector YMCA staff team
• Manage personal energy to perform excellently each week with a busy schedule

Certifications and Experiences

People who have found success in this position have:

• Previous experience and positive references related to working with children/youth
• Clearly demonstrated a positive attitude and teamwork in prior work/volunteer situations
• The ability to provide comfort and guidance to campers who are often away from home for the first time
• Must be a minimum of 18 years old at the start of the contract
• Standard First Aid and CPR 'C' or Wilderness First Aid 24 hour

• A clean criminal background check including a vulnerable sector search from 2013

Competencies:

Commitment to the Vision and Values: Demonstrates and promotes a personal understanding of and appreciation for the mission, vision and values of YMCA Calgary

Service Attitude/Customer Focus: Identifies needs and wants of campers and their families as priority and responds in an effective and timely manner to enhance every person's Camp Chief Hector YMCA experience

Leadership: Ability to adapt to working with different people in a dynamic environment

Communication: Ability to maintain open, clear, honest rapport with campers and co-workers

Self Management: Ability to adapt personal job expectations and maintain desire for professional growth

Teamwork: Ability to work effectively with others to provide memorable camp experiences for children and youth

Flexibility/Managing Change: Ability to initiate and respond effectively to changing conditions

Diversity: Appreciate that people with varying opinions, backgrounds and personalities bring richness to the YMCA

Commitment to Health and Safety: Acknowledges the importance and understands how to manage and educate others of risk management and harm reduction

To Apply:

NEW STAFF: Please apply with a cover letter, resume and 3 references (email addresses AND phone numbers) who can attest to your character and previous work or volunteer performance. At least one of these references must be from a position where you were working or volunteering with youth. If you are applying to work for more than one season, please send in only one application package and quote both seasons' job titles in the cover letter.

RETURNING STAFF: For prospective staff who have worked at Camp Chief Hector YMCA, please apply with a resume and cover letter that answers the following questions:

1. Why would you like to work at CCHY for spring 2013?
2. What have you been doing since you last worked at CCHY?
3. What positions are you interested in for 2013? Why do you think that those positions are suitable given your skills and experience?
4. Why do you think that those positions are a good fit, given your job performance and feedback from the last season that you worked at CCHY?

If you are applying to work for more than one season, please send in only one application package and quote both seasons' job titles in the cover letter.

Hiring is ongoing until all positions are filled.

Please send application packages to: Nikki Thomson nthomson@calgary.ymca.ca