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Wilderness Kids Alexandria seeks experienced Outdoor Educators for our After-School and Weekend Outing Programs with middle school and high school students. 

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You are the right person for this role if you are:

• An adult (>18 years old) who is experienced working with young people in or out of the classroom--as an outdoor educator, teacher, camp counselor, coach, or other youth worker.

• Enjoy nature and sharing it with young people.

• Passionate about and skilled with working with young people from low income families, with immigrant children, and with children from the BIPOC community. Your passion and skill may come from having worked with such children before and/or from living experiences similar to those of the young people we serve.

• Joyful when you are outside and comfortable among all that nature offers. You may have skills and knowledge to share, or a sincere desire to gain those skills. Perhaps you can identify plants and trees, identify the call of a bird, share the best way to set up a tent or tarp, or otherwise share your enthusiasm for the natural world.

• Prepared to respond to emergencies in outdoor settings that are not far removed from emergency medical care. (In other words, you have some First Aid training, perhaps even Wilderness First Aid certification.)

• Can follow, or even devise, lesson plans that build and encourage knowledge, skill, passion, fitness, or life balance among our young people.

• (Preferred) A licensed driver with a 3+ years of a good driving record and experience driving, or comfort about learning to drive, a 15 passenger van.

• Note: We are open to applicants who can work one or more days per week in this role. You do not have to work every programming day, but if you are able, we are interested in that too.

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What you will do:

After-School

• On Weekdays during the school year, you will utilize your creativity and experience to find teachable moments as you lead a group of 10 to 13 middle-school students in outdoor education programming in coordination with another Wilderness Kids staff member. Note: We are open to applicants who can work one or more days per week in this role. You do not have to work every programming day, but if you are able, we are interested in that too.

• Lead students in activities that may include hiking, observing, drawing, writing, playing games, paddling a kayak in slow moving water, learning about flora and fauna, learning about watersheds or water cycles, learning about camping gear and LNT practices, and so on.

• Additionally, every other week, assist student leaders in running meetings of the Alexandria City High School Adventure Club, which was co-created by ACHS students and Wilderness Kids. Here you will practice leading from behind, helping students to find their voice and discovering their ability to organize for themselves.

• Follow the curriculum provided by Wilderness Kids and/or develop your own lesson plans in coordination with the Wilderness Kids Program Director.

• Ensure the physical and emotional safety of children in the program.

• Programs run from approximately 3:00 p.m to 6 p.m., and you will be expected to be available for at least 15 minutes before and after the start of the program.

Weekends

• One to three times per month, lead a group of 10 to 15 middle-school or high school students on a longer Saturday or Sunday outing to a natural area in the greater DMV area (e.g. Great Falls, Billy Goat Trail, Huntley Meadows, Prince William Forest, etc). Again, you'll use creativity and experience to find the teachable moment for our students. 

• Perform similar programming to the After-School program over the course of approximately 5 to 6 hours. Perhaps coordinate the efforts of “expert” partners, such as climbing or paddling instructors.

 

What is Wilderness Kids Alexandria:

• Wilderness Kids Alexandria’s mission is to provide teenagers from under-resourced families and under-served communities in Alexandria with life-enriching experiences in nature.  

• Our efforts rest upon findings that time spent in nature improves both mental and physical health as well as offering other benefits.

• Our young people are from low-income or otherwise under-resourced families in Alexandria and are in grades 6 through 12. 

• We offer After-School programming, longer Weekend Outings, Skills Cohorts, and Summer “Peak” Experiences, farther afield from Alexandria.

• Wilderness Kids is founded upon seven values: Nature as Home, Gratitude, Self-Expression, Equity in Community, Curiosity, Skill, and Mindfulness. We impart these values in everything that we do. 

• You’ll find more about us on our website at www.wildernesskidsalexandria.org

 

We hope to have staff whose life experiences resonate with our young people and strongly encourage applications from members of the immigrant and BIPOC communities.

 

To apply:

Please complete this form, which takes the place of a cover letter and which will also request you to upload your resume.

 

Note: Background checks will be required for all staff, to ensure the safety of our young people.

 

Thank you for applying.