We’re hiring.

Alameda Young Naturalist Club is hiring lead instructors who can step into a wide variety of nature and play-based activities and offer the necessary leadership and enthusiasm to create a dynamic experience for a small group of youth ages 6-12. 

Are You A Good Fit?

Our goals are to help kids connect with nature and connect with each other. Therefore our special team of people are those who love nature and love spending time with kids. We strive to live permaculture ethics (Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share), so we want our staff to be able to joyfully share their passion for the natural world with youth in the community.

• Must be at least 18 years old (some college is preferred).

• You must be able to walk up to 2 miles round-trip with ease, occasionally on uneven terrain, while keeping track of children in a residential community.  

• Must have good schedule availability and dependability.

• Experience in Early Childhood education, Camp Counseling, Outdoor Education or teaching is preferred. (CPR or Wilderness Medicine training is a plus.)

What’s the job?

• The job takes place in Alameda and is 15-30 hours/week

• Part-time After-School 2:45-5:45pm M-Th

• Full-time Summer Camp: 8:30am-4pm, M-F

• Compensation is $18-$30 and is dependent on experience and your role with AYNC. Free club/camp is available for staff children. 

• Our programs are for youth ages 6-12, and aim to keep our ratio of camper/instructor under 8:1 for the sake of a more familiar, connected experience for everyone.

About half of the session time is spent out on the land exploring a local, coastal bird sanctuary or playing games in the fields.  The other half is split between animal interaction (chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs), homesteading tasks, gardening or woodworking/crafts. You don’t need to be an expert in any of these areas, just a person who has safety in mind and a spirit that is eager to learn and take on new responsibilities.

You will be responsible for facilitating a supportive, relational group dynamic for five to ten kids, ages 6-12 years old through:

• Enthusiastically communicating and upholding AYNC safety rules and behavior boundaries

• Compassionately supporting conflict resolution efforts between child participants

• Creatively fostering friendship bonds between members of the group

Energetically play and lead games with your group which looks like:

• Energizing field games with fun

• Navigating competition within a small group

• Taking into consideration the expressed desires of your group members

Demonstrate knowledge or enthusiasm in outdoor education and nature topics such as:

• Local wildlife (plants and animals of the Alameda shoreline/Greater Bay Area)

• Survival skills (fire building, shelter building, outdoor cooking)

• Animal Handling/Care (chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits)

• Woodshop / Crafts  (birdhouses, leatherworking, dreamcatchers)

• Permaculture gardening techniques (rainwater harvesting, vermicomposting)

• Climate change conversations

How do I apply?

Email us your resume and an answer to the question, "Why do you want to work in the field of outdoor education?" to alamedayoungnaturalistclub@gmail.com.