Education ​/ Teaching Intern, Youth Development

Location: Ely

Intern

Field Staff
• Ely, MN

POSITION SUMMARY

The Internship is an immersive seasonal position that offers on-the-job training for the logistics, community, and student facing aspects of our organization. This program serves as an on-ramp for people interested in becoming an instructor but without significant experience in the field. Depending on skill level, experience, scheduling, and availability, some interns will be promoted to instructor the same season. Most will complete the internship and will be eligible for re-hire as a field instructor the following season.

Internships begin with a 2-day base camp orientation and introduction to the intern crew. This is followed by an 8-day wilderness expedition training, where you will see how VOBS runs our programs from the student perspective. After completion of the wilderness portion of training, interns will return to base for another 7+ days of training in a variety of areas, including driver training, student management skills, technical skills, further orientation into how VOBS operates, and other training as needed.

Interns arrive in May or June and stay through August.

Following the initial training phase, interns will perform a wide variety of duties on any given day or week ranging from supporting a rock-climbing day for students, driving to the airport to greet a new student group, packing food/gear for courses, supporting students on our ropes course, dropping groups off to start their expedition, or assisting with facilities maintenance on our 40-acre wilderness basecamp.

The intention is for the interns to have a diversity of work that will deepen their understanding of our logistics, basecamp, students, job responsibilities and prepare them for the demands of facilitating life changing experiences as an instructor. The internship is designed to be an educational experience with approximately 40% of the intern's time spent in student contact and approximately 60% will be spent supporting courses, course delivery, and the base camp community.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Trainee

• Participate in a wilderness training expedition that is modeled on an Outward Bound student experience and thus, has elements of challenge and adventure, living in intentional community, and skill development.
• Willingness to learn about VOBS organizational mission and a desire to learn more about mission delivery in a basecamp and field setting.
• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  Flatwater paddling, rock climbing, top rope anchor building, campcraft, and navigation.
• Facilitation
  
  Skills:
  
  Group dynamic and student management skills, conflict resolution skills, expeditionary leadership, and decision-making skills.
• Program Function and Logistics:
  Gain awareness and skills pertaining to how a large program runs 'behind the scenes'.
• Passion for, youth development, backcountry travel and community living.

Student Program Support

• Greet, supervise, and connect with students at the airport on arrival days.
• Driving during student transport including to/from the airport, to/from Trailheads, and to/from technical sites using passenger vans and equipment trailers.
• Assist with gear issue on student arrival days or gear switches when (i.e. canoeing to backpacking).
• Assist at technical sites including rock climbing, whitewater kayaking or canoeing, and high ropes..
• Supervise students who leave the field due to illness, injury, or behavioral incidents.
• Support instructors and students in the Intercept program during their final week at VOBS where they are working to transition home and preparing to reunite with their families.

Basecamp Support

• Assist field instructors during course preparation including packing food and gear, and setting up camp before student arrival.
• Assist VOBS Facilities Manager in maintaining the basecamp. This includes a variety of tasks that help the basecamp run smoothly and run efficiently. This could include staining a building, cleaning, grounds work, yard work, kitchen work, etc.

Safety Management

• Participate as needed to support the basecamp's on-call field response system. This could include paddling or hiking to evacuate an injured student from the wilderness, answering the…