Outdoor Leader
This position is designed for recent graduates who are able to live on-site at Amnicon and dedicate full time hours to the internship. Also eligible are students who are studying part time remotely or at a local institution. Students who have heavier course loads will find it difficult to fully participate in this program because of the demands of full time work and the necessity of living on location at Amnicon.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will vary greatly depending on the focus of your internship and the season of the year. Like the weather around here, we have four distinct work-seasons in which our goals and objectives for the season vary dramatically. On the whole, there are three main facets of your internship:
- Your unique area of focus - each intern brings their own skills and passions to the work here
- Outreach - Networking, social media, and events with donors, board members and other stake-holders
- Operations - There's just a bunch of tasks to get done each day, ranging from the mundane to the magical.
You’ll spend an average of one third of your time in each of these areas throughout the year.
Your area of focus could be something that fits in with the outreach and/or operations at Amnicon, like digital marketing and media, outdoor recreation, land management and forestry, or non-profit business administration, etc…, or your area of focus may take the form of a special project that you will design with our input for the purpose of meeting your educational and professional goals while also advancing Amnicon’s mission. Each intern will probably have a unique area of focus, and we will all work together as a team (directors included) on outreach and operational efforts, not to mention whatever wild stuff nature will throw at us on any given day! Life in the woods is full of surprises. Since we work as a team, the surprises are just part of the fun!
Qualifications
Able to dedicate full-time hours and live on-site at Amnicon's campus
Emotionally prepared for hard work in the service of others
Others-focused - someone looking to have their own cool wilderness experience will likely end up disappointed, but someone looking to serve others as we move through the wilderness together will find that by the end they've had plenty of amazing wilderness experiences, and done so much more besides
Ambitious and eager to grow and take on increasing responsibility throughout the term of your internship. (Some interns will be capable of working up to a level of responsibility comparable to a typical program director, and we would love to see you get there!)
Organized and self-motivated; able to work without direct supervision or specific daily direction
A flexible thinker with demonstrated problem-solving ability
Able to work comfortably alone or with others for long periods of time, sometimes we go days on end without seeing another staff person, other times we go days on end without any personal time or personal space at all. Outdoor Leaders must be ready for anything
Able to collaborate and work constructively with others to accomplish short- and long-term objectives
Amnicon is an intentional Christian community focused on compassion and service. You do NOT need to identify as Christian to work at Amnicon, however, you must be willing to engage with others in conversation about faith topics and lead faith-based activities from a Christian perspective with your campers and with the staff community. We pride ourselves on being a place where lots of different perspectives are respected and given voice in our conversations.
Able to sustain moderate physical activity for several hours at a time (i.e., paddling, hiking, lifting, etc.)
Excited about working with all ages and having a positive impact on the lives of others
Enthusiastic about living and working in the outdoors. (Extensive wilderness/camping experience is not required. Enthusiasm, determination, and positivity are all preferred over previous wilderness experience.)