Description:
YMCA Camp Seymour’s Garden is a small demonstration organic garden that provides opportunities for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Garden Docents plant, maintain, repair, and improve efficiency in the camp garden as well as provide informal tours by providing a quality experience to participants focused on YMCA core values: honesty, respect, responsibility, and caring.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential Functions:
- Support camp staff and other volunteers in developing and maintaining the organic gardens and farm animals to promote camp’s farm to plate program.
- Represents the YMCA and self in a professional manner of safety and fun.
- Be a liaison between Camp Seymour and the community, watching for opportunities to partner and advance our cause.
Garden Docent Responsibilities
- Attend seasonal work parties.
- Monitor Camp Gardens and Chicken Flock to ensure a safe, positive and respectful environment when guests are present. Confidently and tactfully enforce YMCA policies.
- Maintain the cleanliness and general upkeep of the Tool Shed, Greenhouse, and other garden areas as needed.
- Keep up compost piles and amend garden soils using organic matter.
Garden Docent Opportunities
- Develop organic garden and farm animal activities / curriculum for youth.
- Volunteer time on your own in addition to the seasonal work parties.
- Promote Garden Docent work parties and program progress through social media: taking pictures, videos, write-ups, etc…and submit to Diane Jackson, Camp Marketing Director.
- Provide advice and technical support.
- Create garden art or offer garden art projects for campers to participate in.
- Develop Camp Garden recipes book and other DIY home materials.
- Provide education program support (Women’s Wellness Weekend, summer farm and garden five day camptivity, home-school garden and nutrition day
Safety
- Dress appropriately for work in a garden with volunteer shirt and nametag.
- Follow YMCA Camp Seymour Standard Operating Policies and Procedures.
- Know the location of the first aid kit, bathroom, and nearest phone.
- Follow all YMCA policies, rules, regulations and procedures, including emergency and safety procedures. Complete incident and accident reports as necessary.
- Ensure emergency procedures are followed, and notify supervisor of any incidents, accidents, and behavior concerns immediately.
- Organize and put away needed equipment. Report damaged equipment.
Additional Duties
- Model our YMCA values through fun, positive relationships with staff and members. Seek every opportunity to encourage, motivate and thank fellow staff and volunteers for their work.
- Be enthusiastic toward guests and staff by learning their names and expressing an interest in their YMCA activities. Strive to enrich their YMCA experience by introducing them to new programs, staff, members and volunteer activities.
- Incorporate “Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility” into all aspects of the position, to ensure YMCA values are being integrated into our culture and programs.
- Maintain a consistent professional image through dress, actions and relationships with others. Speak enthusiastically on behalf of the YMCA at given opportunities.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum age of 18 years. Volunteers under the age of 18 may only volunteer in conjunction with an adult parent or guardian.
- Ability to connect with people of diverse backgrounds.
- The ability to demonstrate a friendly, courteous and professional manner while working with guests, parents and staff and the ability to understand, articulate, and enforce YMCA policies and procedures in a positive way.
- Required volunteer application and background check must be completed.
- Required trainings including Child Abuse Prevention training must be completed prior to working with children. See volunteer coordinator to register for trainings.
Physical Demands
- Ability to work in the garden including kneeling, bending over, digging, planting, watering, weeding, and more.
- Ability to lift equipment and supplies.
- Ability to work with animals and get dirty.
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