Camp Caldera Connect Facilitator at Caldera – Sisters, Oregon

At Caldera, we believe in the power of creativity. Our mission is to inspire and support youth from underserved rural and urban communities by awakening the potential of their creative voice. We do this through a unique fusion of art, environment and mentorship. Our Youth Program provides students from Portland and Central Oregon with long-term relationships with caring adults, which nurtures individual creativity, beginning in sixth grade and continuing into young adulthood.

Caldera has a $5M budget, a 18-member board, 21 full-time year-round employees, and a range of seasonally contracted artists and staff. Its administrative office is located in Portland, Oregon, and its Arts Center is located outside of Sisters in Central Oregon.

Position Title: Connect Facilitator

Supervisor: Adventure Team Supervisor

FULL TIME Typical days are 8+ hours in length, with sessions that make for up to 10 straight days of work without a full day off. Each staff member will have at least 1 night off per session.

Work Location: Sisters, OR

Compensation:

• Salary/Rate of Pay: $154/day, with 1% increase for each year of experience working at Camp Caldera (not to exceed 7%); plus one planning day added to first check upon curriculum submission
• Training Salary/Rate of Pay: $50-75/day
• Room and board provided during days with programming; room only during non-programming days. A light dinner will be provided on staff arrival days. Brunch is served on the last day of each session.

Position Description:

The Connect Facilitator develops and implements curriculum in which campers can explore making deeper connections with their peers, learn life skills, and process their life and camp experience with others. Connect class offers an excellent opportunity for youth to engage in meaningful discussions about pertinent, youth-driven topics such as peer pressure, cliques, and conflict. The Connect Facilitator incorporates program goals into facilitation and encourages campers to set goals, take positive risks, and challenge personal boundaries while at Camp Caldera. Ideal candidates for this position will be dynamic facilitators who stimulate conversation that makes lessons learned in Connect class relevant to campers’ home and camp lives.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

GROUP INSTRUCTION (75% OF TIME DEDICATED)

• Submit initial lesson plans, adjust based on feedback, and complete detailed, final plans prior to each session
• Provide supply lists and other requested information by designated deadlines
• Facilitate community building activities suited to the dynamics of each Connect group, adapting submitted lesson plans as needed with guidance from supervisor
• Plan and facilitate daily, all-camp Community Circle activities that are relevant to the needs of the camp community
• Collaborate with Youth Advocates assigned to the Connect class around student needs and issues to ensure smooth delivery of instruction

COMMUNITY BUILDING (15% OF TIME DEDICATED)

• Encourage a culture of appreciation, create an appreciation board including an envelope for each camper and staff member.
• Maintain a relationship with youth advocates to ensure that students are supported outside of class.

CAMP SUPPORT (10% OF TIME DEDICATED)

• Alert supervisor to relevant camper issues
• Promote program understanding and involvement through Caldera’s goals and agreements, participation agreement, and responsibility process
• Actively participate in all aspects of camp life including: camper orientation, community meetings, evening activities, campfire, free time, etc.
• Model appropriate camper behavior at all times
• Perform duties with consistency and integrity
• Set and respect personal boundaries while acting as mentors, guides, and allies to campers
• Oversee health and safety of charges in fire drills and emergency procedures
• Maintain cleanliness of living and common areas and help with clean-up at the end of each session

Required Qualifications:

• Two years of lesson planning and facilitation experience with middle and/or high school youth from historically underserved communities
• Ability to discreetly and effectively handle information of a confidential or sensitive nature
• Familiarity with culturally responsive and anti-oppression frameworks and experience working with racially and ethnically diverse staff and youth
• Familiarity with social-emotional learning and strong classroom management skills
• Strong communication with youth and adults and experience facilitating groups of varying skill levels
• Ability to design sequential lesson plans that build creativity and youth voice
• Ability to understand our racially diverse student population’s perspective, either through lived experience, previous qualifications, or work experience
• Ability to navigate through potentially triggering and challenging conversations and situations while maintaining focus on the wellbeing of youth
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Ability to set appropriate boundaries in a proactive and positive manner
• Bilingual and/or bicultural skills highly preferred

Job Requirements:

• Serve as mandatory reporter, working with Youth Impact Manager to report instances or suspicion of child abuse. Caldera has a zero tolerance policy around child abuse, and any negligence will result in immediate dismissal
• Requires on-site living in shared staff quarters
• Alcohol and drugs are not permitted on campus, even in personal living quarters.
• Must be physically able to move around 116 acres of camp property with varied terrain
• Must have visual, perceptual, and cognitive ability to recognize and respond quickly to health
• and safety concerns of students and appropriately re-direct any behavior that is misaligned with Caldera agreements
• Employees must carry out their duties regardless of inclement weather, which can include but is not limited to, heat, rain, wind, cold, and smoky or dusty conditions.
• Moments of quiet and non-activity are few and spread out
• Creating a cohesive staff environment round the clock can be challenging. It is crucial that staff see youth and adults through a strengths-based lens and prioritize creating the best possible youth experience at all times, despite what challenges may arise at the staff level
• Physical Demands (which can include bending, stooping, hiking, climbing and stretching) are: 5% Sitting, 45% Standing, 20% Walking, 30% Lifting/Carrying/Pushing/Pulling Pounds 5 -80 lbs.

To Apply:

Please fill out and submit an application and a sample lesson plan. Please also submit a reference, ideally from each of the following categories: a youth serving organization, a family member, and one other professional reference

All applications must contain a resume, sample plan, and completion of the screening questions. All materials are reviewed and considered as part of the hiring process.

Application Deadline: May 15, 2026