You can apply by filling out this form and submit a resume, cover letter, and any documentation of a project you’d like to share with us.

Day cAmp Collaborator

Menlo Park, CA 94607 | June 20 – August 17 | Full Time | Seasonal – Summer 2022

We are looking for educators, makers, artists, and adventurers. Experienced or aspiring, we want you to join us this summer.

You will work with kids aged 7–14 to engineer larger-than-life art, structures, puppets, vehicles, mechanisms, and more. We strive to create a community of learners who celebrate mistakes, honor sincerity, and value the power of both the individual and the team. We use a vast range of supplies and tools, from those needed for traditional arts and crafts to power tools and dimensional lumber. You don’t need to be perfect to apply, just come with either experience making rad stuff or experience working with kids. While both are ideal, we want our team to be a mix of educators, makers, artists, facilitators, and engineers.

Your primary role will be supporting and guiding the kids through the complex process of working as a team to make something bigger than themselves (figuratively and literally). You will be a role model and teammate, doing the work right alongside the kids (read more here: What is a collaborator?). You will be a facilitator, making sure every voice is heard and guiding the kids through compromise and towards consensus. You will be a leader, tilting the environment toward engagement and the project toward completion. At other times, you will have to hold firm boundaries that keep the kids physically and emotionally safe. Above all else, you will help to create a space where the kids at our camp feel seen, heard, and loved.

Creativity thrives in spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging; we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees in celebration of all identities.

If you have more questions, please schedule a pre-application Q&A with the Day Camp Director. Otherwise, you can apply by filling out this form. We look forward to hearing from you!

COVID-19 

PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP YOU SAFE

Our goal is to keep every staff member and camper safe this summer. You can read our parent-facing COVID-19 FAQ to understand better how we are currently approaching the pandemic.

  • We continue to actively develop techniques and protocols to maximize COVID safe protocols while keeping camp fun and collaborative.

  • All staff and campers will have to wear a mask at all times (except designated eating times).

  • Camp will provide personal PPE, like masks and face shields, to staff.

  • Camp will require weekly testing for staff and campers to catch and contain potential cases.

  • Any staff member showing symptoms or who tests positive for COVID-19 will receive paid sick leave.

REQUIREMENTS TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE

  • Up to date COVID-19 vaccination is a required condition of employment for all staff members working with kids. (Up to date, as defined by the CDC, means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster does(s) when eligible.)

  • Project Ember will adhere to the most up-to-date guidelines from sources like the local county’s Public Health Department, the CDC, the California Health Department, the Association of Camp Nursing, and the American Camp Association.

    • Adhering to policies like social distancing and wearing masks (and other PPE) is a condition of employment.

Job Detail

PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

  • Build large-scale projects with kids utilizing power tools (we will teach you how!)

  • Facilitate daily design sessions and establish the project’s scope and the daily goals (we will teach you how!)

  • Uphold Project Ember’s tool use and risk management policies

  • Maintain an emotionally and physically safe environment

  • Model and teach inclusivity

  • Facilitate meaningful collaboration and mediate conflict among campers

  • Bandage scraped knees, have heart-to-hearts, and celebrate vulnerability

  • Codevelop the curriculum and pick the summer’s project themes, with the rest of the staff

  • Attend regular meetings focused on skills development and specific camper needs

  • Keep the site clean, orderly, and safe

  • Supervise camper arrival and pick-up, snacks, lunches, and park time (though never all of these in a single day)

  • Regularly submit camper notes (these help us to maintain multi-year relationships with our alumni so that they can track things like projects they worked on and delightful moments they were a part of)

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

  • You have started and completed a significant project through your own volition OR you have experience of working with children as a teacher, camp counselor, or mentor (informal experience welcome)

  • You care deeply for the well-being of young people and know how to take care of yourself so that you can meet their needs during program hours

  • You are an excellent communicator and are comfortable giving and receiving feedback

  • You are swift to adapt to changing situations and have a high tolerance for uncertainty

  • You are committed to safety and high-quality program delivery

  • You can pass a criminal background check

  • You are 18+

PREFERRED SKILLS

  • Conversational Spanish

  • Formal training or real-world experience in progressive education

  • First aid, wilderness first aid, wilderness first responder, EMT or equivalent training (you can achieve certification after you have been accepted)

SCHEDULE, LOCATION, AND COMPENSATION

  • Location: Synapse School, Menlo Park, CA

  • Employment: This is a full-time seasonal job without benefits or paid vacation time. We offer paid sick leave.

  • Compensation: $17–$25 per hour, depending on skills and experience

  • Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:45–4:45 (40-hour work week with occasional overtime sessions on Fridays and at the end of the summer for cleanup)

  • Dates:

    • In-person staff training: June 20–24

    • Program dates: June 27 – August 12

    • Debrief and cleanup: August 15–17 (Subject to change)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

  • Occasional lifting of up to 35lbs

  • Speaking to communicate both up close and over large distances

  • Seeing so you can maintain line-of-sight with the campers

  • Kneeling, leaning, and/or squatting (primarily to interact with kids and projects)

  • Sitting on the floor or standing for long periods of time

If you have more questions, please schedule a pre-application Q&A with the Day Camp Director. Otherwise, you can apply by filling out this form. We look forward to hearing from you!