School Year Instructor (24-25)

Instructor Responsibilities 

This is a full-time, school-year (late August-early June) position General Program Expectations 

● Be committed to the Vida Verde mission and vision; embody the Vida Verde values at work (see values below) 

● Manage student groups to success utilizing Vida Verde’s positive-reinforcement group management techniques. Create an awesome space and team each week with a classroom of high-potential human beings. 

● Lead games and activities, practice conflict resolution, be a role model. 

● Collaborate with the instructor team to develop an emotionally safe and supportive learning environment for the students 

● Ensure students’ physical safety 

● Respect and engender understanding for the diversity of our staff and students 

● Connect with and understand students as individuals, take time to learn about them and their communities 

● Facilitate safe and positive interactions between students 

● Embrace a culture of feedback via peer-to-peer observations, teacher evaluations, video recordings, team debriefs, monthly meetings with your manager and quarterly goal setting 

● Drive safely and learn the particulars of driving & attending to the Vida Verde vehicles 

● Interact positively and professionally with donors and site visitors 

● Be willing to take on responsibility for unexpected challenges and opportunities that arise 

● Arrive on-time to all work engagements, including program shifts, meetings, etc 

● Support and direct classroom teachers & chaperones 

● JEDI work: Contribute to an inclusive culture and commit to the org's JEDI statement. Work to achieve goals outlined in the Org-wide JEDI plan which are applicable to your position

Traditional Overnight Program Work 

All of the below is describing our in-person, 3-day and 2-night camp program Program Work is three consecutive & long days per week (Tues-Thurs) 

● Instruction includes leading six core programs: (1) Goat Milking & Cheese Making (2) Redwood Hike (3) Tidepool, Marsh & Beach Exploration (4) Organic Farm Activities (5) Campfire (6) Night Hike

● Cook & facilitate meal prep/cooking with students (instruction provided) 

● Perform first aid for students in the case of injury or illness 

● Lead games, songs & stories intermittently throughout week 

● Facilitate two camper’s choice activities per week (1 hour and 2 hours) 

● Set up, tidily maintain, cleanup & takedown camp each week 

● Work outside in varying weather conditions 

● 90%+ work time on feet. Hike/walk up to 4 to 6 miles in a day. 

● Lift heavy objects up to 50 lbs 

● Long work days during program days (~10-12hr workdays) Outside of Program Work Typically Mondays and Fridays: 

● Participate in weekly, half-day student management/professional development workshops 

● Participate in and prepare for fundraisers, donor events, and site work days 

● Teambuilding and communication: attend staff meetings, professional development, and proactively keep up with work communications (email, etc.) 

● Support Vida Verde in its ongoing efforts to create and implement the org JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) plan Camp Caretaker Work* Instructors will be responsible for a subset of the following Farm and Facilities chores (typically completed Mondays and Fridays). 

● Raking pasture for compost and feeding farm animals 

● Cleaning chicken coop and maintaining chicken flock 

● Hot tub maintenance 

● Program and farm shopping in town 

● Recycling and trash runs 

● Restroom cleaning 

● Possible garden/landscaping work 

● Vehicle maintenance/cleaning *Each weekend, one instructor is on animal/greenhouse duty for about three hours/weekend, on a rotating basis (approximately one weekend/month). Required Certifications 

● Obtain and or Maintain Current Commercial (Class C) Drivers License with Passenger Endorsement and Drive 20-passenger shuttle bus (training provided). Getting the license typically takes 5 days worth of work strategically spread over 3 months. License needs to be in place by Jan 1st. 

● Current First Aid & CPR Certifications ○ Potential for extra paid opportunities for people holding a current Wilderness First Responder certification.

Term of Work 

Late August-Early June 

● The program operates during the school year from September-November and January-June, with about 33 weeks of program (If we have a cancellation in our schedule, additional caretaking/facilities work will be provided during non-program weeks as available.) 

● On the job training for instructor work will happen during the first two weeks of program work / the first two weeks of employment 

● There is caretaker training (1-2 days) the first two mondays of work, and additional caretaker work commitments outside of program weeks (for example, over winter break during late November and De cember). 

● There is a break in late December/early January and a spring break in March. 

Qualifications of a Strong Applicant 

● Inspired by and committed to the mission of the organization 

● Strong individual and group student support and management skills 

● Experience in outdoor education, classroom teaching and/or engaging low-income and students of color 

● Desire to work in a small, values-driven nonprofit organization 

● Experience in trauma-informed, culturally relevant and culturally responsive teaching 

● Comfortable working independently and as part of a strong team 

● Positive attitude, commitment to excellence, great communicator, full of integrity 

● Enthusiastic about participating in an improvement-driven and supportive management system. Comfortable giving and receiving feedback and regularly setting/tracking goals. 

● Current Commercial Class C Driver’s License with Passenger Endorsement (Obtain immediately upon hire and be certified by January 1. Resources and financial support available.) 

● Appreciation and comfort leading and teaching students in the outdoors in all types of weather 

● Ability and willingness to work flexible hours (evenings and some weekends) 
● Comfort and composure when dealing with adversity and conflict. 

● Willingness to participate in community-building exercises and strive for positive and open communication in regards to living in a shared/communal environment, and working with a small and close-knit team. 

● Current First Aid/CPR certification 

● Adaptable 

● Organized 

● Desire to engage in personal and org-wide JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and anti-racism work. 

Bonus Qualifications 

● Bilingual (Spanish and English) 

● Comfortable playing guitar or other instrument during songs/campfire 

● Handy

Application Procedure/Timeline 

Send a video of yourself teaching young people*, letter of interest, resume, and three references. 

Send by email only to all three of the following:

Daniel Rodriguez, Shawn Sears, and Arturo Cervantes 

Daniel@vveducation.org , Shawn@Vveducation.org, Arturo@vveducation.org