Job Summary

Do you want to make a difference in the world and have fun while doing it? As a Wilderness Instructor, you and your co-lead will be responsible for the physical and emotional safety of up to 10 participants while engaging them in activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, and mountaineering in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Instructors work from a set itinerary, manage the risks of backcountry travel, and facilitate a variety of workshops and activities that will help participants develop their own leadership style.

About BOLD & GOLD

The BOLD (Boys Outdoor Leadership Development) & GOLD (Girls Outdoor Leadership Development) Program is dedicated to inspiring courage and confidence in diverse groups of adolescent girls and boys through outdoor adventures. We run single and all gender expeditions and each year we engage over 500 youth in outdoor experiences ranging in length from four to 14 days in places like the North Cascades, Mt Rainier, Squamish, Smith Rocks and Olympic National Park. Activities include backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, fishing, yoga, art, music, literature, backcountry cooking, and having fun in nature.

Our goal is to increase confidence, courage, emotional intelligence, wonder, and community awareness in participants. We believe these traits are the foundations of leadership and work to inspire participants to develop their own leadership style. We prepare young people, from middle school on, to return to their communities as leaders through multicultural experiential education in the natural world. Find out more at www.ymcaleadership.org

Critical Success Factors:

• Models cultural humility and celebrates diversity, effectively working with people of different identities, backgrounds, experiences, and abilities

• Excellent judgment and decision-making skills
• Strong group facilitation, communication, and conflict resolution skills
• Experience facilitating activities addressing issues facing adolescents
• Experience making the transference of a wilderness experience relevant to the everyday lives of underserved youth
• Personal or professional experience in backpacking, rock climbing, paddling, and/or mountaineering
• Knows how to have fun!

Anticipated Work Dates:

Training for 2021 begins in early June, and instructors can expect to have three to five field-weeks of work (usually about 35 – 55 working days) between late June and early September.

Salary:

Wilderness instructors are paid a daily rate between $80 and $120 dependant on experience – inclusive of training, prep and debrief days, and ALL field days. 

Our Commitment to Equity:

The Y actively promotes a culture free from bias and injustice. We are dedicated to removing institutional and systemic barriers that result in oppression and racism. We will be accountable to marginalized communities for creating equitable and sustainable environments where social justice is woven into every facet of our programs, and by caring for our communities in a culturally versatile and respectful manner.