Youth Facilitator/Canoe Trip Guide

Facilitator/Canoe Trip Guide

(Youth Outdoor Program)

Organization: Trails Youth Initiatives
Location: Stouffville, Ontario
Employment type: Contract – Full-year (preference) and/or Seasonal Summer Session (Dates for each session can be found at the end of this document)

Contract period: Summer 2023 (June 23 – Sep 1) and/or Oct 2023-May 2024 (1 weekend/month)

Remuneration: $156 – $200/day — Dependent on qualifications and experience

Openings available: 10+ contract positions available

Applications due: Rolling hiring — please see application details at end of posting

Who Are We?

Trails Youth Initiatives is a charity and private school that provides a long-term program for vulnerable youth. We focus on fostering community, emotional intelligence, and self-knowledge through outdoor experiential education. We augment students’ traditional schooling with intentional community-building, conscious challenge, and lifelong support in order to position them for success.

Participants commit to our four-year program with a group of 20 of their peers: two weeks each summer, and one weekend per month during the school year. At this home-away-from-home camp setting, participants build resiliency by developing a connection to their peers, a connection to a place, and a connection to themselves. Trails focuses on growing and strengthening skills such as Non-violent Communication, conflict resolution, leadership, critical thinking, and reflection. With our focus on transference, participants build positive engagement with Trails, the outdoors, and their authentic selves. Typical daily activities may include hiking, canoeing, swimming, camping, skiing, snowshoeing and yoga.

Position Overview:

Reporting to the Program Director, Facilitators work with youth aged 11-17 in an overnight setting. Facilitators provide 24-hour supervision to participants in addition to teaching principles of healthy living and seasonal outdoor activities such as canoeing, swimming, camping skills, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. During the summer, Facilitators are also responsible for leading camping trips at Trails Lakeside site in Stouffville (Years 1 and 2) and/or off-site canoe trips (Years 3, 4, 5) in Ontario’s backcountry (e.g. Algonquin Park, Temagami).

Weekend sessions (October–May) require Facilitators to be on site overnight from Friday 5pm through Sunday 5pm, and consist of seven sessions total (approximately one weekend per month).  Summer sessions (June–August) consist of a minimum of 11 days up to 13 days consecutively, including work over weekends and holidays.

We are mindful of the value of varied experience beyond the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to fulfilling the criteria below, please consider applying. Trails often offers access to some courses and certifications listed below in order to equip our staff with necessary skills to be successful in this role.

Crucially, you will be passionate about the Charity’s mission to challenge and equip vulnerable youth to become contributing members of the community.

Required Skills, Qualifications, and Certifications:
Preference is given to those who are able to commit to the full-year contract (weekend sessions and summer sessions)
Mandatory by first day of work:
Completed Police Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening (valid within 3 years)
Current Standard First Aid and CPR-C (or higher)
Requirement for Off-Site Summer Trip Staff:
Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA)(or higher)
Bronze Cross (or higher)
Trails will be offering a Bronze Cross course on-site for those in need of certification on June 22-23, 2023

Preferred certifications/qualifications:
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
NLS
F-Class License
Ontario College of Teachers Certification
Mandatory Attendance at all Staff Training (may be full-day, evenings and/or overnight)
Experience leading groups of youth from at-risk communities
Teaching and/or instructing experience
Strong relationship-building, interpersonal, cross-cultural awareness, time-management, and leadership skills
Ability to respond to shifting priorities and refocus after interruptions which may include managing challenging behaviours
Openness to engaging in mindfulness activities and one on one coaching with behavioural interventions
Willingness and flexibility to work outside of regular business hours as needed
Camping and canoe tripping experience preferred

Key Accountabilities:

Leadership and Teaching

Reviews, prepares, and delivers Trails curriculum to participants, founded in outdoor and character education principles, and complies with the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum
Adheres to Trails behaviour management philosophy with team support, this includes positive, proactive, and constructive feedback to participants
Attend and contribute at regular team meetings
Assess learning using rubrics and other tools in an accurate and timely manner

Safety

Responsible for 24-hour care of participants including during program, meals, and overnight
Initiate first aid and crisis response as needed
Maintains strict confidentiality of participant information
Ensure site, equipment, and spaces are organized and in effective working order after use
Is sensitive to and able to assess emotional well-being of individuals and collective
Identifies and informs Director Team of issues that may affect delivery of program

Communication

Be respectful and professional at all times
Establishes and maintains healthy working relationships
Provides ongoing feedback and coaching to team and sets standards and expectations
Refer to Trails policies and procedures to answer questions and inform participants
Monitor email account regularly for work-related emails

Additional duties as assigned by Director Team

Session Dates:
– June 27 – July 10, 2023; Algonquin Park – Chiniguchi Loop
– July 10 – July 20, 2023; On-Site session
– July 24 – August 3, 2023; On-Site session or Algonquin Park – North Tea to  Kiosk (Linear route)
– August 7 – August 18, 2023; Algonquin Park – Sunbeam Loop
– August 21 – September 1, 2023; On-Site session or Algonquin Park – Sunbeam Loop

Required Training:
– June 23rd – June 25th – Staff Training Weekend

Thank you for your interest.

Please email opportunites@trails.ca with a cover letter/resume and to set up an information call.

To learn more, please visit our website www.trails.ca
“ Four Seasons, For Years, For Life.”

Trails is recognized as one of Maclean’s Best Canadian Charities

Tagged as: and join others who share the same passion for making a difference!, do you have a passion for the outdoors? do you want to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable youth? apply now