Located just thirty minutes north of Baltimore, Genesee Valley is home to 300+ acres of lakes, woods and farmland used for adventure, environmental and experiential education programs. Our programs offer a wide range of outdoor activities including team challenges on our ropes course, environmental studies, agricultural studies, archery, canoeing, rock climbing, camping and backpacking. We offer one to multiple day programs for a diverse clientele, which include public and independent schools, college organizations, community groups, youth-at-risk, special needs populations, and corporations. During the summer, our program expands to include a summer day camp and week-long adventures for children ages 7-17. Our summer camp programs offer a variety of outdoor activities including the above, plus horseback riding, swimming, fishing and group games.

Genesee Valley hires hard working employees three times a year for multiple positions. We hire Challenge Course Facilitators for the Spring Season, Summer Season and Fall Season.

We hire Summer Camp Counselors as well as other Camp Employees, such as Lifeguards, Camp Management, and Camp Activity leaders during the Summer season.

We are always accepting applications. Please looks further into this part of our website to learn more about what it is like to be part of the great staff at Genesee Valley and everything Genesee Valley has to offer to all of our employees.

Our Mission
Our mission is to provide quality learning experiences that promote growth and nourish the development of individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

Working for a Non Profit
Genesee Valley is a non-profit organization which means we are not conducted or maintained for the purpose of making a profit. We rely on grant money, donations, and most of all tuition for summer campers and the clients we serve payment in order to stay operating. Because of this it is important for all of our staff to remember that those we serve are those that are continuing to monetarily keep Genesee Valley alive. We keep our budget tight and cut costs as much as possible. We depend on our staff to do what is needed in order to keep Genesee Valley the positive, safe environment it is. We hire no outside help outside of staff. Everyone that is hired has the opportunity to take responsibility to help Genesee Valley stay the great place it is and to grow even better.

Working at Genesee Valley

Facilitating
Facilitators provide the opportunity for groups to safely recognize and reach their potential through team-building activities. Facilitators use initiatives, low course and high course elements to enhance self-confidence, promote positive group dynamics, expand problem-solving abilities, and increase levels of communication.

Facilitators normally spend an entire day with their groups in order to safely and effectively lead the group through a progression in which they will successfully reach the goals the group originally set out to achieve.

Many aspects of what you will do with your group make up this progression. Below is a run through of what goes into working with a group that comes out to Genesee Valley.

Overview of Day
Prior to Your Group's Arrival: Office staff work closely with all of our groups over the phone and email to discuss goals, obtain a group profile, provide for special needs, and customize a great program. The information is relayed to you via “dailies,” which provide information on the group and a schedule for the day. This information will be given to you at least a day before your group is planned to arrive.

The goals may include but are not limited to; Team Challenges, Having fun, working together, cooperation, gaining respect for one another, communication, trust, leadership, physical challenge, problem solving, to relax, encouragement, getting to know one another, gaining self confidence, learning responsibility for actions, overcoming fears, gaining acceptance for one another, following directions, and learning how to step out of one’s comfort zone.

Morning Meeting: As a tradition staff meet every morning for a few minutes in order to positively start the day off by greeting one another and getting briefed on the day and the groups that will be on property. At this time we go over any announcements that need to be shared as well as kudos (where we thank or praise one another) and we have time where any staff members may share something encouraging/ humorous.

Before the Group Arrives: following the day's briefing at morning meeting, facilitators meet to review schedules and coordinate plans. Many use this time to finalize their planning for the group as well. Facilitators also use the time before their group arrives to set up elements and gather equipment.

Greeting Your Group: Facilitators gather at the parking lot to meet their group and give an introduction to Genesee Valley. Normally the group will do large icebreakers together and then split up into smaller groups. On average there will be one facilitator to a group of 10-13 people

Group Progression
Icebreakers and Name Games: Activities that are designed to build enthusiasm, promote fun, increase the comfort level of participants and allow the instructor to bond with the group and learn names.

The Full Value Commitment is a set of guidelines describing how members of a team or group agree to interact during the time they are together. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure that each person and the team as a whole derive full value from the experiences they will share. The group outlines concepts that may be addressed during the day (e.g. safety, fun, participation), which enables them to debrief in a meaningful way later in the program using mutually understood terms. The Full Value Commitment generates full and explicit commitment to the team building process and can also be referred to if any team member feels the agreement has not been honored and can be used to redirect behavior.

Problem-Solving Initiatives: These activities are designed to stimulate teamwork, cooperation, and positive interaction within the group by giving them a task to complete together. These initiatives draw on the talents of the group, identify assets, and test the FVC.

Low Challenge Course: The low challenge elements are often the first true test of a group's ability to work together under stress. Low elements can be anywhere from a few inches to a few feet off the ground and are made of wood, wire, or rope. The participants need to support each other both physically and mentally in order to accomplish a common goal. Group dynamics become even more apparent during a series of low elements.

High Challenge Course: If the group displays the ability to be emotionally and physically supportive, they can attempt a high element if time permits. A high element is predominantly an individual challenge In which the participant attempts the challenge and the group supports them emotionally and physically (i.e. belay team). These challenges can be anywhere from 20 to 55 feet in the air. There are over 20 different high elements at Genesee Valley.

Final Debrief: At the end of the day, fifteen minutes (or more) are reserved to conduct a final debrief. This gives the group an opportunity to reflect on the day and discuss what they learned so they can transfer it to the real world.

Saying Goodbye: The groups come together at the end of the day and we make the effort to wave goodbye to all the buses/ cars while they leave.
Clean Up: Facilitators meet and split up clean up responsibilities. These responsibilities include; cleaning bathrooms, cleaning lunch areas, taking out trash, putting away any materials used throughout the day, taking down high elements, returning all equipment used to its proper place.

Instructor Debrief : All the facilitators meet to evaluate their groups and debrief the day's activities by filling out debriefing forms. These forms help for future facilitators that may work the group a following year. The inform the facilitators about how the day went with the group, what activities were done and any advice that would be helpful.


The types of groups we work with
Public and independent schools—mostly 5th grade and up.

Teachers—for a day of consisting of team activities and professional development (learning Genesee Valley activities that they can use in the classroom)

Scout and church groups

Corporate workplaces

Other nonprofit organizations

Groups of friends or family

Training
Before you are officially hired as a facilitator you will be required to go through two weeks of training and pass the check off at the end of the two weeks. During training you will learn extensively how to safely operate all aspects of our high and low challenge course. You will also learn and practice many of the activities we use with groups and you will become comfortable with the way Genesee Valley operates as a organization, challenge course, farm, and community. Check off is a time where you will be asked to show what you have learned and from that you will be hired as an employee. If you successfully complete training and sign a contract of employment you will be given a stipend of $100. During training you will also have many opportunities to shadow other facilitators and to co-lead in order to prepare you for working with groups on your own. Training is long and hard, but also fun and extremely informative.

Professional Development
Throughout the season of work there will be days we will have professional development opportunities. Some of these opportunities are mandatory and will be during work hours and others are optional. In the past we have done many days of activities on property as well as taking retreats off property. The purpose of professional development is to help us all become stronger facilitators, community members, and people. These days provide us with many new experiences and knowledge, and are also a fun day to spend with your co-workers.


Expectations
We expect our facilitators to:

- Be of service

- Set an example of excellence

- Keep commitments

- Be patient, understanding and approachable

- Communicate effectively

- Be willing to take initiative

- Be community-oriented

- Show respect for others and the environment

- Exhibit enthusiasm and creativity in their work

- Strive toward a professional work ethic

- Safely and effectively execute program including, but not limited to, planning, leading and debriefing activities.

Benefits of Working
Most employees who have ever worked at “The Valley” will consider this job to be the most effective job in teaching them about themselves. While learning how to teach others to work together and by leading groups through this process you will also gain much knowledge about people in general as well as yourself. This job builds one’s personality as well as gives them many resources they can take with them through life. We learn how to effectively communicate with others, we teach others how to do so, and that is something necessary in all aspects of one’s life.

Living at Genesee Valley

Our Community
Our community is our family. The more that you put into it the more you take away. By living and working together we become a family and a support system. Not only do the staff learn to live together and become a family to one another but the staff also learn to live with the family that owns the property Genesee Valley is located on. The LaMonica family have been the property owners since Genesee Valley opened and are an active presence on the farm and throughout the property. Some live on property as well in their private houses and they occasionally will eat meals with us. Tom Lamonica is the head of the board of directors, which makes the economical decisions for Genesee Valley, and he is also in charge of the farm work. Jane LaMonica is Genesee Valley’s business manager and Mike LaMonica is the Director of Development. The family is very active in Genesee Valley’s day to day operations and are just as much of the community as the staff.

The Living Conditions
Most of the staff live on property within three houses. All of the buildings staff live in are rustic but include separate rooms and bathrooms with running water and electricity. During the summer season some rooms may turn from single to double rooms. Included in the rooms is always a mattress and a dresser.

We hold house meetings at the beginning of each season to lay down the ground rules. These rules include everything from cleaning responsibilities and guest policies to sillier ones such as “Craig must shift location at least every 72 hours.” (Craig is the resident turtle statue whom lives at the EEC.) The houses are of course drug free and one of the houses is dry, meaning no alcohol, during the summer. These buildings are open to anyone on property and are used as shelter in case of emergencies. Staying responsible within your living area is very important.

Community Responsibilities
Part of living on property is being responsible for taking care of the property and the buildings we live in. Dish Dog is what we call our clean up after every night dinner is cooked. Monday through Friday there will always be breakfast, lunch and dinner made by the cook. Each night of the week there is a Dish Dog team (consisting of three or four staff members) that clean the eating area, the kitchen and the dishes. Another responsibility of the staff is taking out the trash every week, as well as the recycling. This is and has been a home to many so taking care and pride in where you live makes a difference.

As a staff we also have meetings once every two weeks. These staff meetings are held before dinner and are mandatory. In these staff meetings we go over things dealing with work and our community. They are to keep the staff all on the same page and to keep communication going throughout all parts of Genesee Valley.

Since we are such a small community we really have to rely on one another. Being dependable and responsible are the most necessary things in order to build and maintain the community we need and strive for.

Benefits of Living and Working Together
Not only will you be working with great individuals you will also learn so much from each other and have a really good time. The staff tends to become extremely close and spends much time together outside of work. Some things we look forward to are:

- Campfires

- Climbing, Hiking, and Camping Trips

- Canoeing or tubing down the Gunpowder River

- Caving trips

- Capture the Flag and other games

- Going out to Towson, Hunt Valley and Baltimore City

- Dress For Dinner (At the end of each season the staff goes out to dinner together, somewhere on the nicer side, to celebrate a successful season.)

About our Staff Our staff ranges in age, educational background, personal background, experience and qualifications. We have had staff from all over the country and we have also had staff from other countries. Some people stay here a long time, some just for a season. We have had some past staff come back after years and years of not working here to work here again. There are people that work here with degrees ranging from Creative Writing to Biology to Graphic Design and there are people on staff that have never attended college. Everyone that works here brings something new to Genesee Valley. They bring new attitudes, new stories, new activities and once here they start making new memories. The staff that eventually leave always keep in touch and many staff feel that Genesee Valley will always be a home to them and that they will always have a job and a somewhere to go back too.

Hiring Process
In order to gain the most you can by working and if you decide to live here you must be a hard worker who is extremely dependable and also open minded and ready to learn. You need to be able to step up in leadership positions but also step down and be able to led other lead as well. Communication is always important and so is having a positive outlook. Just be willing to learn and to give of yourself and in return you will gain much knowledge, a good job, and good friends.

Step By Step

First The first thing you should do is become extremely knowledgeable about Genesee Valley and if you have read through all this information you are one step closer! Check out our website at www.gvolc.org and feel free to give us a call if you have any questions about who we are and what we do.

Second
To apply you can download an application from our website, you can call or e-mail us and request we send you an application or you can stop by our office and fill an application out here.

Third
Once your application is reviewed within a week you will be called and notified if we would like to set up a first interview. The first interview is either done here on property or over the phone.

Fourth
After the first interview you will be notified within a week if we would like to have a second interview. Depending on if the first interview was in person or on the phone we will have the second interview in person or on the phone. The two interviews will be given by two different people.

During these weeks your references will be contacted. It is a good idea to always inform your references that you are using them as references so they are aware of who we are when we call.

Fifth
After your second interview you will be notified within a week if we would like to offer you a place in the training group for the season. If you accept, paperwork will be sent to you to be filled out as soon as possible. Paperwork will include medical forms, and tax forms. You will also be required to pass a background check. It is important and helpful to have all paperwork and your background check complete before training starts.

Final Steps and More Information
If you are unsure about whether or not you would like to accept the spot in the training group we can set a time up where you may come out and shadow one of our facilitators while they are on a group so you can get a feel for what the work is like.

When the time becomes closer to the start of the season and the start of training, information will be sent to you regarding moving in and what you will need to fully be prepared.

During training there will be a CPR and First Aid class offered. It is your responsibility to either attend the one Genesee Valley offers or go to one of your own and it is also your responsibility to pay for your qualification. All employees of Genesee Valley are CPR and First Aid certified.

As stated before, you will be officially hired as an employee once you have successfully completed training and passed check off.

Have more questions?

Please feel free to call or e-mail us. We are ready and willing to help you begin your application process.

Employment Application.pdf

• Day Camp Counselor
• Senior and Adventure Camp Counselor
• CIT (Counselor in Training)

For more information on job openings and the application process, please contact the office.