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CCAS: Nisqually Reach Summer Camp Intern

The Evergreen State College
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Full Position title: Community Agriculture and Environmental Education Steward.

The Center for Climate Action and Sustainability (CCAS) at the The Evergreen State College is excited to announce a joint-internship opportunity with Nisqually Reach Nature Center. CCAS offers external internships (externships) to give students additional opportunities/real-world experiences in their fields of interest. All CCAS intern/externs must be admitted/enrolled Evergreen students during the time they are working. CCAS will have base requirements for check-ins along with their externship site supervisor regular check-ins.

This position is for the Summer Session, with a flexible start date for training in June.

The Nisqually Reach Nature Center’s mission is to promote the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of the Nisqually Estuary through education, interpretation, and citizen science.  

Are you interested in inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards? Our summer camp programs emphasize scientific concepts and estuary ecology through engaging activities, crafts, games, and free time on the beach. Reporting to the Education and Outreach Coordinator, the Summer Camp Interns support NRNC’s mission by providing youth with high-quality educational summer camp programming related to the Nisqually Estuary. The Summer Camp Interns ensure campers experience and grow to understand the Nisqually Estuary by using inquiry-based science activities on the beach.

Work Schedule: Part-time, Temporary/Seasonal, Approx. 200 hours in July-August  

Availability for all camp dates (listed below) is preferred. 

Training Day: 

Flexible, late June.  

  • Camp Dates:  
  • July 8-11 
  • July 16-19 
  • July 22-25  
  • August 5-8 
  • August 19-22 

The training day in late June will be 4 hours. This can be scheduled for a weekend if necessary.  

Regular camp days are 8:15 am – 4:45 pm and include a 30-minute lunch break. Camp is located at the Nisqually Reach Nature Center.

Assigned Work Activities (Duties and Tasks) 

Duty 1 (about 75%): Assist in leading summer day camps. Tasks include: 

  • Work cooperatively with volunteer counselors and Education and Outreach Coordinator to ensure safety of all camp participants. 
  • Lead games, crafts, educational activities, and engaging lessons in biology, ecology, and marine biology for Beach Camp participants in 2nd-7th grade. 
  • Assist Education and Outreach Coordinator in managing camper behavior with patience and kind firmness, in an indoor classroom setting and outdoors on Luhr Beach.  
  • Participate in the camper check-in/out process and adhere to all safety procedures during check-in/out, including identification verification for all adults picking up a camper 
  • Maintain and clean program equipment and ensure the nature center is orderly. 
  • Assist with the overall maintenance, cleaning, and storage of program materials and equipment and indoor and outdoor learning spaces. 
  • Exhibit consistent professional characteristics such as a positive attitude, timeliness, initiative, emotional maturity, and self-responsibility. 

Duty 2 (about 25%): Assist with preparing for summer camps and cleaning up. Tasks include: 

  • Organize and clean up craft supplies 
  • Clean and maintain science equipment 
  • Prepare materials for camp activities 
  • Communicate professionally with parents and guardians  
  • Train and mentor camp volunteers 
  • Print activity handouts for participants 

Working Conditions 

Work setting, including hazards:  Willing and able to work indoors in an open office environment with conversation and other noise distractions, with or without an accommodation. Willing and able to work in a fast-paced office with multiple assignments and priority deadlines. Willing and able to work outdoors in adverse weather conditions. 

Travel requirements: Has reliable and on-time transportation to and from Nisqually Reach Nature Center.  

Customer Interactions:  Willing and able to have daily interaction with children and adults. Must be able to effectively manage stressful interactions. 

Tools and equipment: Willing and able to operate telephone, computer, printer, laminator, copier, and other office equipment. Willing and able to learn how to operate science equipment such as microscopes, salinity meter, digital thermometer, dissecting tools, and fish nets. 

Other: Willing and able to maintain confidentiality in the performance of the position. 

Qualifications 

Desired Qualifications but not required: 

  • Have or working toward a degree in the natural sciences, education, or related field. 
  • Experience team teaching, either formally or informally. 
  • Informal education experience at a nature center, zoo, aquarium, science center, museum, or similar institution 

Required Qualifications: 

  • Current Adult and Child First-Aid and CPR certification by July 5, 2024, expiring after August 26, 2024. NRNC can reimburse the cost of an online course. 
  • Able to pass a criminal background check. 
  • Experience working with groups of children. 
  • Demonstrated public speaking and/or teaching experience. 
  • Able to engage school-aged youth during educational experiences with enthusiasm, patience, and a sense of fun. 
  • Comfortable sharing own knowledge about science and biology and interested in expanding that knowledge. 
  • Aware of and interested in local and global conservation issues affecting people and the environment. 
  • Able to work indoors and outdoors, in a variety of conditions. 
  • Willing and able to work cooperatively and supportively with NRNC staff and volunteers. 
  • Able to work with minimal supervision while understanding the necessity for communicating and coordinating work efforts with others. 
  • Willing and able to be flexible with changes in assigned duties within the camp program. 
  • Excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills. 
  • Interact professionally, sensitively, and effectively with persons of all ages, gender identities, and sexual orientation, and from diverse cultural, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, educational, and professional backgrounds. 

As well as the following competencies:  

  • Accountability: Accepts personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work. Can be relied on to achieve excellent results with minimal oversight. Exhibits regular work attendance and punctuality. Models a high performance work ethic. 
  • Achievement Orientation: Demonstrates an ongoing commitment to development and learning and meeting work related expectations, objectives, and timelines. Meets deadlines and fulfills commitments. 
  • Adaptability and flexibility: Adapts easily to changing business needs, conditions, and work responsibilities. 
  • Analysis and Problem Solving: Identifies issues, researches options, and recommends effective solutions. Communicates and collaborates with the appropriate people and through appropriate channels to solve problems. Recognizes the scope of problems and understands the impact of change on others. 
  • Communication: Demonstrates ability to effectively give and receive information both orally and in writing to diverse audiences. Speaks and writes clearly and concisely avoiding bureaucratic language and jargon whenever possible. Consistently complies with accepted rules of English grammar and composition. 
  • Cultural Competency: Interacts professionally, sensitively, and effectively with persons of all ages, gender identities, and sexual orientation, and from diverse cultural, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, educational, and professional backgrounds. 
  • Customer Service Orientation: Provides services that meet or exceed customer expectations. Seeks to understand issues from the customer's perspectives. Takes initiative to influence changes to processes that do not provide value to customers. 
  • Ethics: Uses equipment and resources wisely, conforming to policy on use of the internet and email. Maintains confidentiality of information accessed in the performance of duties, adhering to agency policy and office expectations. 
  • Integrity: Earns the trust, respect, and confidence of managers, supervisors, staff, and customers through consistent honesty, forthrightness, and professionalism in all interactions. Models trustworthiness, sensitivity, tact, and discretion. Shares information appropriately. 
  • Interpersonal Skills: Seeks to understand others through active listening. Gives and accepts constructive feedback. Interacts with others in a professional and respectful manner. Works proactively and constructively to resolve disagreements. 

Additional CCAS related duties:

  • Attend virtual or in-person meetings and trainings with host internship organization (CCAS) as available
  • Track and log worked hours
  • Submit reflections of the internship experience
  • Meet regularly with Internship supervisor for check-ins

Pay and Other Benefits

  • Pay: is $17.00 hourly
  • Hours: Up to 19 hours per week/variable schedule
  • During holiday breaks (Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks) and summer sessions, one may work up to 40-hours per week with the written approval of CCAS directors.
  • Academic Credit Option: In addition to pay, opportunities for academic credit with the CCAS Director, Dr. Anthony Levenda, are available with an Internship Learning Contract (ILC). ILCs are academically due 1 week before the end of the prior quarter. Expression of interest is required in advance, usually at the time of application, or 2 weeks before the end of the quarter.

Externships and CCAS:

CCAS handles the majority of the administrative operations for these positions (resolving timesheets, pay day issues, etc.). Regular check-ins help CCAS know if the externship is bringing in positive experiences for students. As well as if future iterations of the externship should be revised. Since CCAS is funded through purely donors and grants (and by extension so are intern/externship positions), it is also required for us to document pieces of student experiences. 

We accomplish this through: 

  • three check-in meetings a quarter
  • submitting alternating weekly reflections through a CCAS form
  • a final end-of-quarter student review of the experience

In addition to the host externship’s site supervisor, Evergreen’s Student Employment Office (SEO) and CCAS staff can also provide additional professional development opportunities and support for students. 

How to Apply?

Please submit the following:

  1. A letter of interest that includes the following. Each answer should be 250 words:
    1. Why are you interested in becoming the Summer Camp Assistant for the Nisqually Reach Nature Center camp program?
    2. Please describe your familiarity and/or experience with teaching, environmental education, or child care.
    3. Please list your availability for the camp dates listed above.
    4. Please describe your familiarity and/or experience with local marine and estuarine biology.
    5. (Optional Additional Questions. No word count requirements)
      • How do you meet the above-mentioned qualifications?
      • How many hours per week are you available, and when are those generally
      • What would you like to gain from this experience?
      • How does this internship fit with your career goals?
  2. A resume/CV
  3. Submit either via Handshake, or via email with the subject line “CCAS Internship Application - Summer Camp Intern”
    1. If via email, send to Director Anthony Levenda (Anthony.Levenda@evergreen.edu) and CC’ Assistant Director Michael Joseph (JosephM@evergreen.edu), and anna@nisquallyestuary.org.

Applications submitted by Week 6 of Spring Quarter at midnight will receive priority review (with interviews between Weeks 8 and Eval Week). Applications received later than this date will be reviewed if the position has not been filled.