Dates of Employment: June – September 2020

About AMC’s Youth Opportunities Program: The Youth Opportunities Program is an outdoor education, professional development, and social justice program of the Appalachian Mountain Club. With the goal of equitable access to the outdoors, we partner with organizations and schools in communities that face historic and current barriers to outdoor recreation opportunities.

Inspired by the principles of the Civil Rights movement, YOP was founded in 1968 in the City of Boston to offer Outdoor Leadership Training to youth-serving agencies in Roxbury. Those trained took their new skills and additional resources from AMC to lead youth on outdoor adventures in New Hampshire.

Today, our “train and support” model has successfully grown to sustain over 400 educators per year, who in turn engage tens of thousands of young people with outdoor experiences across New England and the Greater New York City region. To learn more, please visit our website.

About YMAP: The Youth Mountain Adventure Program (YMAP) is a project that supports youth organizations located in the Greater Boston area. The project mission is to promote positive youth development among youth ages 11-18 through multi-day wilderness adventures. These 4-day excursions are provided free of cost, including transportation. Trip activities include hiking, camping, backpacking, and canoeing at AMC’s Cardigan Reservation in New Hampshire. YMAP trips are a chance for partner groups to participate in longer, more challenging trips that may not be possible for individual agencies to lead independently.

This position represents a great opportunity to work closely with Boston area youth agencies, while teaching in and experiencing the outdoors.

Based in Charlestown, the YMAP Summer Adventure Instructor is responsible for the planning, logistics and co-leading of seven 4-day YMAP excursions with YOP Members and their organization’s youth. Instructors are responsible for some administrative tasks including trip planning, conducting pre-trip meetings, providing support for YOP’s equipment room, completing trip reports and debriefs. Adventure Instructors also gain exposure to future employment opportunities at the Appalachian Mountain Club. This position reports to the YOP Youth Programming Manager, with some flexibility for an earlier start date if desired.

General Responsibilities:
– Lead groups of 8-10 youth (ages 11 to 18) on a variety of outdoor adventure activities with a co-leader from the participating youth agency. Trips include a series of four-day camping, hiking, and canoeing experiences, as well as day trips.
– Plan and organize food, gear and other programmatic needs for each week.
– Clean and maintain trip equipment, including tents, stoves, sleeping bags, clothing, and cooking gear.
– Collaborate with and mentor co-leaders (staff from partner youth agencies) in the development of the YMAP trip itinerary and outdoor programming that supports the youth agency goals.
– Teach leadership, communication, teambuilding and challenge initiatives, basic outdoor skills, and Leave No Trace ethics, all with safety as a top priority.
– Conduct program evaluation through administration of brief youth surveys
– Complete post-trip reporting responsibilities including trip summaries, statistics, and organizing paperwork and photographs. Record successes, challenges and/or recommendations for program improvement.
– Assist in completing a funder report at the end of the season by compiling photos, recording quotes, stories and crafting narratives for each trip as well as analyzing group demographics.
– Conduct participant pick-up/drop-off from the Boston area with a 12-passenger van.

Qualifications:
– Mandatory participation in YOP’s 5-day Outdoor Leadership Training (OLT) in May or June.
– Dedication to YOP’s mission to make the outdoors accessible to all.
– Dedication to working with people representing a diverse range of cultural, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds.
– Experience leading groups of youth on day and multi-day outdoor trips.
– Ability to build rapport with co-leaders and youth and work effectively in a team environment.
– Excellent group management and facilitation skills. Ability to lead meaningful and effective group games and activities.
– Excellent logistical and organizational skills for outdoor program planning and implementation.
– Outdoor leadership skills including backpacking, hiking, camping and canoeing.
– Wilderness First Aid and CPR (can be obtained upon hire).
– Ability to drive 12-passenger van safely and possession of a clear personal driving history (must hold valid driver’s license and be able to pass a DOT medical exam).
– Willingness to hike and camp in mountain terrain carrying a 40-50-pound pack, in all weather conditions.
– Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and willingness to learn Efforts to Outcomes, our participant database.
– Ability to work evenings and occasional weekends, including being in the field Tuesday through Friday for seven weeks in July and August.

Employee Perks: In addition to the opportunity to work outdoors and to gain trail work and conservation experience, benefits include a 30% discount on all merchandise sold at AMC facilities and in AMC catalogs, access to various pro deals that help you purchase gear at deeply reduced rates, a one-year AMC membership and 4 free nights for you and your immediately family members at AMC facilities.

To Apply: Now accepting applications! Please include your resume and a cover letter when applying. Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis until the position is filled. A hiring decision will be made no later than April 10th, 2020. No phone calls, please.

Applicants must be available from June until September and able to work at AMC’s Boston Headquarters.

The Appalachian Mountain Club has zero tolerance for child abuse or placing children in danger. The AMC requires all employees who work in a program or facility which serves children, disabled persons or the elderly to have a criminal background record check performed on their name annually with employment contingent upon satisfactory results.

The AMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in the workplace. The AMC encourages the involvement of all people in its mission and activities, through its membership, programs, policies and procedures. Our goal is to be a community that is comfortable, inviting and accessible for people of any age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. Join us!