Community Care Coordinator

Description

Camp Gesher – a children’s Jewish overnight summer camp located in eastern Ontario, not far from Bon
Echo Park. (1 hour from Belleville) – is seeking a Camper Care Coordinator for the summer of 2024.
The Camp offers an outdoor residential camping experience to children between the ages of 7 – 16 years.
The Camp community consists of about 30 young adult staff and about 120 campers per session during
its summer season.

Our Mission:
Camp Gesher has been empowering youth for more than 60 years! Our program reflects the values and
spirit of youth leadership and empowerment; focusing on social justice, inclusion, equality, and building
an informed and empathetic community. At Gesher each camper is encouraged to take responsibility for
the well-being of the community and the world around them.
Our youth led community develops both tangible and intangible skills, for both our campers and our
staff. We foster self-confidence through trying new activities, gain resiliency by enduring setbacks in a
supportive environment, develop life-long friendships, grow independence, build social skills and
understanding of group dynamics, learn leadership skills, unplugging from technology, and connecting
with nature.
Dates of Employment:
● Pre-season occasional work in Spring 2024
● Full time in residence at Camp Gesher June 20, 2024-August 20, 2024

Specific Responsibilities of the Community Care Coordinator include, but are not limited to:
● Playing a leadership role and partnering with the youth leadership in the planning and
implementation of staff training and ongoing staff learning related to mental, emotional,
social, and spiritual health (MESSH); Lead in conjunction with the Youth Camper Care
Coordinator (Melavol), pre-camp training on camp policies including child abuse and
neglect.
○ Provide ongoing training and support to counselors and senior staff as they
implement interventions and program modifications.
○ Train and empower staff to confidently deal with childcare issues and conflicts.
○ Assist in developing policies and procedures; as well as educating and tracking
and intervening when necessary on issues related to hygiene, diet, sleep, and
exercise/physical activity as the foundation for good health at camp
● Work with the (Melavol) in creating and implementing programming for small groups of
campers focused on wellness and social-emotional learning.
○ Optional: Creating and implementing programs for staff and parents focused
on wellness and social-emotional learning.
● Serving as a resource to campers and staff throughout the summer in facing mental,
emotional and social health challenges, and creating environments where campers and
staff can thrive.
● Provide emotional support and guidance to individual campers and staff members with
active mental health concerns, and/or observe, assess and recommend interventions for
concerns related to individual camper behaviours and group dynamics.
● Managing information about camper needs, and communicating those to the
Mazkiriut (youth leadership team) as well as general staff, as well as
documenting communication and plans within Camp Gesher’s systems.
● Communicating and managing relationships with parents/caregivers in regards to
camper needs. Responding to parent concerns related to campers with mental health
and/or behavioral issues.
● Preparing reports to funding agencies in relationship to mental emotional and social
health of Camp Gesher and its campers and staff, including sharing high-level
understandings of interactions and interventions taking place throughout the summer.
Maintain required documentation for camper meetings, team meetings and parent
calls.
● Participate in Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Community of Practice as part of our camp’s
place in the Yedid Nefesh program, including two or three virtual gatherings and one
in-person gathering per year with other Jewish camp mental health professionals.
● Be an active presence on-site at camp as a part of the community.
● Additional responsibilities as required.

Compensation

$10,000

Requirements

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, etc.
● 3-5 years of post-graduate work experience in a related field.
● Prior camp experience in working with young children is preferred
○ Exceptional skill and capacity for engagement and relationship building with
both children and their parents.
○ Experience working with young adults (18-22 year olds), flexibility.
● Proven ability to plan, originate, and organize programs.
● Proven ability to provide emotional support to a wide range of ages.
● Strong understanding of, and a willingness to be creative with,
strategies to ensure campers of varying needs can be part of a
mainstreamed program.
● Be a leader, self-starter, and strong collaborator.
● Ability to accept guidance, constructive feedback, and support from teammates.
The ideal candidate is interested in being in this role for at least 3 years while our camp participates in
the Yedid Nefesh program. This relationship will be reviewed on a yearly basis during that time, with the
hope that the relationship can continue beyond the 3 year grant program period

How to Apply

Please email Shoshana Lipschultz, shoshi@campgesher.com