Summer Internship with Camp for Neurodivergent Teens (Camp Counselor)
About Beyond Akeela
Beyond Akeela is a residential summer program that provides neurodivergent teens structured and scaffolded opportunities to practice the social-emotional, executive functioning, and independent living skills needed to thrive in college. Most Beyond Akeela teens have Asperger’s, ASD, or a similar social communication disorder. Beyond Akeela teens gain experience with the social nuances of dorm living, navigating a college campus and other urban settings, and managing their daily schedule, with coaching and mentorship from an experienced group of young professionals. Daily activities include but are not limited to community service & internship opportunities, traditional camp activities, dedicated exercise time, college workshops & visits, and exciting day trips. All the while Beyond Akeela teens are empowered to step out of their comfort zone, develop meaningful peer connections, and advocate for themselves. We provide summer experiences for over 100 teens each summer, with a staff team of 25.
About this Job
The Beyond Akeela Advisor plays an essential role in the life and social skill development of Beyond Akeela teens. They are an integral member of a small team that is responsible for the safety and well-being of one cohort of 15 teens over the course of the program. They help the campers navigate new life experiences, such as exploring urban environments, college campuses, and group living arrangements. They are integral in managing behaviors of campers and coaching them through various social situations.
They facilitate discussions on relevant topics such as healthy living, nutrition, sex, college, job searching, and others. Some Advisors also facilitate some traditional camp activities, such as arts, music, outdoor adventure and sports. They will also help facilitate skill building in areas like executive functioning, self-advocacy, and time management.
Why Work at Beyond Akeela
As much as Beyond Akeela is about its campers, we place a tremendous emphasis on building a sense of community for everyone at camp. You’ll walk away with a community of staff who you’ve networked with professionally, and built amazing friendships with socially. You’ll feel a new sense of pride because you helped create a community for your campers. Camp jobs offer invaluable skill-building, leadership, training, and enrichment opportunities found nowhere else. Regardless of your college major, camp experiences allow you to learn and develop skills that will enhance your job marketability.
Advisors will:
- Along with co-advisors, serve as a primary leader for a group of campers, ensuring day-to-day safety and physical and emotional well-being of their campers.
- Work with other camp staff to ensure the positive resolution of all camper-related issues by communicating clearly and consistently with camp leadership staff on a daily basis.
- Create and maintain positive relationships with other counselors and leadership staff.
- Be familiar with and support the successful execution of all camp policies and procedures, including safety and emergency plans.
Qualifications
- Have completed at least two years of post-high school education (eg. college, gap year).
- Compassionate, enthusiastic, patient, hardworking, empathetic, intuitive.
- Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
- Interest in working hard and positively transforming the lives of campers.
Internship Supervision
- Staff members at Beyond Akeela receive consistent training, coaching, and feedback from a leadership team of professionals and experts in the field of youth development.
- Supervisors include a licensed clinical social worker, school counselor, and several professional educators. All have experience working with neurodivergent youth.
- Staff members will have two formal feedback sessions with their direct supervisor, and receive daily informal coaching from all supervisors with whom they work with.