ABOUT THE ROLE:
As Camp Hale Leadership & Wellness Coordinator, you’ll support Camp Hale seasonal programming on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. The residential camping experience provides boys, girls, and non-binary youth ages 6-14 with unique opportunities for personal growth and development in a natural environment not found in typical urban living. This role is a key support to the Camp Hale Program Director, Associate Director of Camp Hale, and the seasonal staff team in building and sustaining a healthy camp culture.
Reporting to the Camp Hale Program Director, this position will lead, coordinate, and support our Leaders in Training (LITs) and Counselors in Training (CITs), while also supporting camp programming more broadly. The role is designed to strengthen leadership development, staff readiness, and mental health–informed practices across camp. This is not a clinical or therapist role; rather, it is a developmental and coaching role that helps translate trauma-informed and youth development principles into daily camp practice, in partnership with camp leadership and the USES Social Worker. This role combines youth leadership development, staff coaching, and day-to-day wellness support, and ensures that LITs/CITs have meaningful opportunities for development.
What You Will Do:
- Develop and lead the LIT and CIT leadership pathways through structured programming, workshops, reflection activities, and skill-building opportunities throughout the summer.
- Coach LITs and CITs in their leadership growth, participation, communication, and readiness for future staff roles, partnering with camp leadership as needed.
- Support the design and delivery of pre-camp and in-season training for counselors and junior staff in areas such as youth development, behavior support, group management, inclusion, and boundaries.
- Reinforce training throughout the summer through coaching, modeling, check-ins, and follow-up to help staff apply expectations in daily camp practice.
- Serve as a day-to-day resource to staff navigating camper and peer challenges, including homesickness, conflict, emotional dysregulation, and adjustment to camp life.
- Coach staff on developmentally appropriate responses, de-escalation, and maintaining positive group culture while reinforcing boundaries, safety expectations, and camp policies.
- Partner with the USES Social Worker, and camp leadership to support mental health–informed and trauma-informed practices across camp.
- Reinforce clear escalation pathways and support staff in knowing when concerns can be addressed through routine coaching and when they should be elevated through established support or safety protocols.
- Help foster a camp culture grounded in belonging, respect, accountability, and positive youth development, while supporting staff morale and program quality throughout the summer.
- Build strong relationships across the camp community and model professionalism and collaboration.
- Participate fully in residential camp life, lead by example, follow all camp policies and safety protocols, and step in to support programs, transitions, supervision, and community needs.
- Other duties as assigned
What We Are Looking For:
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We know people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:
- 3–5 years of experience in youth development, education, residential camp, mentoring, social-emotional learning, or related settings.
- Experience supporting adolescents, teen leadership programs, staff training, coaching, or group-based programming preferred; residential camp or other immersive youth program experience strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated skill, enthusiasm, and cultural responsiveness in working with underserved youth, staff, and families.
- Strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills, with the ability to work effectively with camp leadership, seasonal staff, and support partners.
- Demonstrated good judgment, discretion, and the ability to know when to seek support or escalate concerns.
- Strong verbal communication, observation, problem-solving, and follow-through skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with youth, staff, and leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor, coach, and develop teens and young adults while building rapport and maintaining appropriate boundaries.
- Comfortable giving clear, supportive feedback and balancing encouragement with accountability.
- Strong understanding of child and adolescent development and experience supporting young people through conflict, transitions, homesickness, emotional dysregulation, and related challenges.
- Ability to remain calm, grounded, and solutions-focused, with an understanding of trauma-informed, strengths-based, and culturally responsive approaches to working with youth.
- Flexible, resilient, and able to adapt in a dynamic, fast-paced camp environment while managing multiple priorities with a warm, steady presence.
- Strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and creating affirming spaces for youth from diverse backgrounds.
- Coursework or training in youth development, education, counseling, psychology, social work, recreation, trauma-informed practice, restorative approaches, mental health first aid, or behavior support is a plus.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS (with or without accommodation)
Must be able to climb, balance, kneel, crouch, reach, stand, walk, lift, finger, grasp, feel, talk, hear, and be capable of repetitive motion. Position requires exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly. Work requires close visual acuity. Position is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.
WHAT WE OFFER:
This is a seasonal position based in Squam Lake, NH, from June 1 – September 3. The stipend for this role is $800 to $1,000 per week, dependent on experience. Room and board are included for this time period, as well as all meals during the camp session.
ABOUT UNITED SOUTH END SETTLEMENTS
The mission of United South End Settlements (USES) is to build a community that fosters children’s growth, inspires new possibilities, and provides the tools to create positive change. We believe that as families increase their income and assets, become more resilient and connect to a diverse network, they and their children are more likely to develop the necessary skills to thrive. We have integrated our programs and implemented new initiatives to support the whole family, providing children and youth with early childhood education, after school programs, and Camp Hale, a summer camp on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. We also support families through our guaranteed income program, Striving Towards Economic Mobility (STEP). We value diversity in every setting and are committed to building a community of individuals with various backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives who share our vision for disrupting the cycle of poverty. To learn more, please visit our website at www.uses.org.
Established in 1900, Camp Hale is a sleepaway summer camp for Boston-area youth ages 5 to 17 years old to experience a range of outdoor activities in the scenic environment of Squam Lake, located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Camp Hale transforms youth into resilient leaders as they discover the wonders of nature, build a diverse community, and embrace challenging experiences. The camp operates on the belief that all youth benefit from opportunities for physical, mental, and social growth and development. The goal is for campers to leave with an enhanced sense of well-being, improved social skills, and awareness of personal potential.
OUR CORE VALUES:
- Community: We believe in engaging the entire community as a catalyst in our model of service that helps children and their families build strong, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships.
- Diversity: We believe that we achieve the greatest positive impact on children and their families when we include people from various backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives in disrupting the cycle of poverty.
- Opportunity: We believe that all people have potential and deserve access to top quality educational and economic opportunities.
OUR ORGANIZATIONAL NORMS
- Collaboration: Finding ways to work together with each other and across our departments and positions
- Positivity: Having a “can do” attitude even when things are tough or stressful
- Transparency: Having open communication by sharing successes, challenges and ideas with each other
- Excellence: Doing the best we can all the time with everything we do