Title: Youth Crew Leader
Reports to: Youth Program Manager
Location: Salida, CO and Alamosa, CO | Los Valles Office
Status: Seasonal, Full-time, Exempt
Start Dates: April 2nd, April 16th, May 13th.
End Date: August 14th, 2024 with option to extend through early November 2024.
End dates subject to change. Leaders who stay on for the fall season will lead youth crews in the summer and young adult crews in the fall.
Wages: $720-800/week DOE, DOQ
Benefits: Health Benefit Eligible, PTO days built into schedule, Sick time and Discretionary time, Food provided while in the field, uniforms, protective equipment, and Employee Assistance Program.
Training: U.S. Forest Service recognized Chainsaw training, Technical Trails Training, QPR Suicide Prevention Training, Mandatory Reporter Training, Trauma Informed Approach Training, Youth Crew Leader Training.
Multiple positions opened until filled.
Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) is a program of the non-profit service organization, Conservation Legacy. SCC provides youth and young adults opportunities to complete conservation projects primarily on public lands. While serving with SCC, members receive training on job skills, conflict resolution, leadership, teamwork, and environmental stewardship. Programs are developed using a step ladder approach to provide a progression of skill development based on a member’s needs.
Position Summary: This position is an opportunity to make a difference in young peoples’ lives. Leaders will be mentors, educators and facilitators for high school students, working to increase youth resiliency, build confidence and to be positive role models. SCC’s Youth Crew Leaders will spend 8 weeks in a crew leader training period, which will include a SCC orientation week, chainsaw training, technical trails training, a youth crew leader training, and prep weeks in addition to project work. In June, crew leaders will mentor a CLDP and co-lead two 5-week sessions with high school students ages 15 – 18. Crews will complete a variety of local conservation projects. The typical schedule is either: Eight days on followed by six days off, or five days on followed by two days off. Depending on proximity to the work site, crews either return to town each day, or camp at the project site (we refer to this as a “hitch”) for its duration. The day starts with a stretch circle and safety meeting, includes two fifteen-minute breaks and a half hour break for lunch.
The Southwest Conservation Corps Crew Leaders perform many roles and are the key to our program’s success. This position requires a high degree of flexibility and a passion for working with youth outdoors. The position is multi-faceted and demanding, but with opportunity for enormous rewards. Successful candidates will demonstrate resourcefulness, effective communication skills, excellent judgement and decision-making, maturity, initiative, professionalism, and the desire to devote themselves to youth, the environment and a crew experience. The Crew Leader position requires patience, mentorship, technical aptitude, focus on efficiency, and a high level of comfort in the outdoors. Leaders take a trauma informed approach to working with peers and youth in the outdoors. It also involves an administration role, where weekly paperwork is due in a timely manner to supervisors. Crew Leaders are ultimately responsible for successes and shortcomings of the crew, as well as safety and well-being.
Crew leaders will be paired with another Crew Leader OR with an AmeriCorps Crew Leader in Development (CLDP). This will be determined based on experience and preference. They will be responsible for mentoring the CLDP through development plans and goal setting. The intention of this pairing is to give the CLDP the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to take on full Crew Leader responsibilities the following season.
We will be running the following crews during the 2024 season, please be ready to speak to your preferences and how you will support them during your interview:
- Day Crew (youth work during the day, 8:00am – 4:30pm Monday – Thursday, Friday education half day, and youth go home in the evenings)
- Camping Crew (Monday – Friday, youth camp all week, and go home on weekends)