Come join us at Urban Adamah in Berkeley, CA and experience a summer of living communally on an urban farm and working with children at summer camp. This internship offers young adults ages 18 – 22 the opportunity to build skills in a particular speciality (art, cooking, music, or farming), teach children in a spirit of mindfulness and joy, and live in community with other college-aged students.

______

About Farm Camp

Every summer, Urban Adamah offers an outdoor summer camp for kids ages 3 – 14 . 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.

Daily activities at Summer Camp include gardening, feeding chickens and collecting eggs, music and stories, farm-to-fork food preparation with our bicycle powered blender and solar oven and in our industrial kitchen, arts and crafts, nature connection activities, and more. We do everything through the lens of Jewish tradition and storytelling, whether it be through our shomrei adamah farm activities, nature-based art projects, or eco-mitzvot songs. We open and close every day as a whole camp community with circle time, songs, storytelling, and acts of love and kindness.

____

About the Program

The Summer Specialist Program is intended for young adults ages 19 – 22. Each specialist will work 25 hours a week at camp and on the farm in exchange for room and board and an end-of-summer stipend. Summer specialists live on the farm itself in a modern building with a large, well-stocked kitchen and plenty of living space. Specialists will share a room with one other person.

In return for room and board in the Bay Area, summer specialists lead daily activity blocks in their area of specialization. Each block is an hour long and specialists work a maximum of two blocks in a day. Specialists help with children during all-camp activities, including the daily morning circle and end-of-week Shabbat service. Some specialists may be expected to help counselors in small group activities as well. There is also ample time to brainstorm, develop and plan new activities, and collaborate with peers.

Summer Specialists will get regular, consistent supervision and feedback from the Camp Manager and Ed Director, as well as the Farm Director and other members of the Urban Adamah staff. They will receive extensive training before camp starts as well as learning opportunities in Jewish values, farm techniques, mindfulness, DEI, nonviolent communication, and other topics.

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 ages 3 – 14. 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.

We rely on an experienced and talented group of Camp Urban Adamah counselors to create loving, inspiring, memorable, and transformative experiences for children. Our counselors ensure that children of different ages can have wonderful experiences both as part of a large group, and in smaller age-based groups.

Camp Sessions: All counselors are required to attend staff training on June 5-7th, 10am-3pm. Camp will include 4 sessions: Session 1 (June 10-21), Session 2 (June 24-July 12th), Session 3 (July 15-26), and Session 4 (July 29-August 9). There is no camp on July 4th, and counselors will have that day off.

Counselors may work for less than all 4 sessions, however, priority will be given to applicants who can work all 4 sessions. There will also be the opportunity to help with post-camp clean-up from August 12-13 for additional pay, though this additional work is not guaranteed.

__________

About the Role

GROUP LEADER
Counselors are responsible for co-leading a chavura, or group, of up to 10-15 children during the camp day (9:00 – 3:00pm) with another counselor. Counselors have the support of their co-counselors and the Camp Manager, as well as an intern and CIT, when applicable. Counselors set the tone of the group through team-building games, fun beginning-of-day and end-of-day rituals, listening circles and more. Counselors are in charge of time and group management for their chavura group and for setting and upholding standards of safety and respect within the group.

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 creating their own programmatic activities, but they provide a critical role in either supporting our summer specialists in leading activities, or at times, leading pre-designed activities.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
Camp Urban Adamah has a small staff. Counselors will be asked to support camp in a variety of ways as needed. This may include song-leading, facilitation of camp-wide opening and closing circle, talent shows. Counselors are encouraged to bring their own creativity to camp. Counselors are expected to lend a hand when needed, which may involve stepping up and/or working with your supervisor to meet unexpected needs.

Camp Urban Adamah is an immersive camp experience of land-based Judaism, music, food justice, community building, and most importantly fun! Situated on our urban farm in North-West Berkeley, Camp Urban Adamah offers a space for children to thrive, connect with nature and each other, and deepen their natural curiosity, all within a vibrant, loving, and inclusive Jewish community. Our counselors are skilled, enthusiastic folks who help facilitate joyful, exciting, and playful experiences for small groups of campers. Camp runs for 9 weeks for kids in preschool through 9th grade.

The Assistant Camp Manager provides programmatic, educational, and behavioral support to campers and staff members throughout the day. The Assistant Camp Manager is responsible for co-facilitating staff training along with the Camp & Educational Programs Manager and cultivating a positive camp culture among campers and staff.

__________

Camp Preparation: This position begins two weeks prior to the start of camp so that the Assistant Camp Manager can be onboarded and help prepare for the summer. Urban Adamah will train the Assistant Camp Manager in our pedagogy, camp culture, music, farm jobs, and camp activities. Camp preparation includes gathering materials, reviewing schedules, reviewing camp systems and protocols, becoming familiar with the campus, preparing for staff training, and more.

Supervise and Mentor Staff: Along with the Camp Manager, the Assistant Camp Manager is responsible for supervising a staff of between 12-25 educators. With guidance from the Camp Manager, the Assistant Camp Manager will give timely and constructive feedback to camp staff. This is done through informal daily check-ins and weekly formal check-ins.

Conduct Staff Meetings: The Assistant Camp Manager will co-facilitate daily staff meetings along with the Camp Manager. The Assistant Camp Manager must identify issues that need to be addressed among the staff, achievements to celebrate, and ways to promote a healthy and fun environment; build an agenda in collaboration with the Camp Manager in a timely manner; and prepare necessary materials for staff meetings accordingly.

Provide Support to Camp Manager, Camp Staff, and Campers: Throughout the camp day, the Assistant Camp Manager is on-call to assist in any way needed. This may include attending to a sick or injured camper, filling in for a sick counselor, intervening in a behavioral issue with a camper or a group of campers, or providing additional supervision.

Quality Assessment: Throughout the day, the Assistant Camp Manager should be assessing our programs. The Assistant Camp Manager should work with camp staff to ensure they are meeting our pedagogical goals, provide feedback and suggestions on how staff can improve their group facilitation and leadership, and make changes to the schedule to meet camp’s needs.

Create Culture of Inclusion: Assistant Camp Manager is responsible for creating a culture of inclusion. This includes highlighting campers unique character, strength, and contributions to the camp community. The Assistant Camp Manager will work with counselors to identify moments of engagement and leadership opportunities for all campers within a group.

Behavior Management: The Assistant Camp Manager will work with the Camp Manager, staff members, and campers’ parents / caretakers to best support campers of all needs. Urban Adamah welcomes a diversity of campers, including those who are neurodivergent, and the Assistant Camp Manager will work with individual campers to make camp an accessible place for them.