Program Description
Beyond Akeela is an overnight teen program that supports and develops the social-emotional, organizational, and independent living skills of teens preparing to transition to college. Set on a college campus, Beyond Akeela teens gain experience with dorm living, navigating a college campus, and managing their daily schedule with coaching and mentorship from an experienced group of young professionals.
Daily activities include community service opportunities, traditional camp activities, dedicated exercise time, teen talks, and exciting day trips. All the while they’ll be cooking for each other, doing their own laundry, managing budgets, developing meaningful peer connections, and having conversations about teen appropriate topics to reflect on their readiness for college.
Job Description
The Beyond Akeela Head Advisor plays an essential role in the life and social skill development of teenagers who have completed their sophomore, junior, or senior years of high school. They are the leader of a team that is responsible for the safety and well-being of a cohort of 15 teens / session over the course of the program.
Key Responsibilities:
- Social Scaffolding & Behavior Management: The Head Advisor is responsible for creating social opportunities and scaffolding for teens in their cohort to take healthy social risks. They will be also identified as a go to person for more challenging situations that Advisors need support working through. They will work with Advisors and Directors to come up behavior plans as well as address group dynamics and camper concerns as appropriate.
- Staff Support: The Head Advisor supports and provides informal/formal feedback to a group of 4 staff members with whom they work with to create a transformative experience for their teen cohort. This includes leading daily meetings.
- Parent Communication: The Head Advisor will provide weekly progress updates to parents of all teens in their cohort. Communication will also be written and verbal. Head Advisors also prepare written progress reports for all teens at the end of each session.
A Qualified Head Advisor…- Has at least a bachelor’s degree in a field related to youth development.
- Has multiple years of direct work experience with youth on the autism spectrum.
- Possesses excellent written and verbal communication skills.
as prior experience supervising and leading a team, and confidence leading a team. - Thrives in a collaborative decision-making environment and is comfortable making big-picture decisions that affect the trajectory of the program.
- Manages their time well and is comfortable balancing a variety of tasks and responsibilities.
- Has the ability to live and work in a stimulating and high stress work environment with irregular hours including early mornings and evenings.
- Must be willing to live in a communal dorm environment with teen campers and young adult staff members (with private bath and bedroom).
- Must be comfortable working on feet for extended periods of time.
Compensation / Benefits
- Meals and housing fully covered for duration of term. All staff members live on site for their term at camp.
- Negotiable salary, based on level of experience and qualifications.
- Travel stipend for assistance getting to/from camp.
- Unparalleled hands-on experience with students on autism spectrum disorder in residential setting.
- Membership with American Camp Association, including discounts at outfitters like Chaco, Keen, and others.
- An opportunity to grow your professional/personal network of like-minded professionals working in related fields.
Interested candidates should send their resume and any questions to Kevin Trimble, director of Beyond Akeela, at kevin@campakeela.com
