About the WILD Program
The Wilderness Inner-city Leadership Development (WILD) Youth Program fosters environmentally informed, civically engaged and proactive youth leadership among high-school students, particularly young leaders of color from immigrant and refugee families. WILD develops leadership through outdoor service learning field trips, academic support, community projects with a social and environmental justice focus, and intergenerational programs with community elders. Since our inception in 1997, WILD has served over 800 primarily low-income, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) immigrant and refugee youth, ages 13-19, through our year-round environmental leadership program.
The WILD program follows a model that provides opportunities for wilderness and inner city environmental education and leadership skills development through three main program areas: community building, intergenerational engagement, and experiential learning.

• Community Building: WILD provides opportunities to participate in various community service projects that address community needs. Weekly youth groups meet to lead neighborhood projects related to environmental justice, neighborhood revitalization, food justice, public health and more.

• Intergenerational Engagement: WILD nurtures positive relationships among elders and youth through multi-lingual and culturally responsive intergenerational outreach, field trips & programming. We have intergenerational field trips to national forests to provide non-English speaking elders with an accessible outdoor experience for which youth serve as interpreters and guides. Youth also run an annual holiday dinner and gift drive for elders, who live alone in the community.

• Experiential Learning: WILD’s environmental education and outdoor field trips provide exposure to the natural environment for youth who ordinarily would not have the opportunity to explore regions outside of their local urban communities due to financial or cultural barriers. Our seven week long Summer Program focuses on a particular environmental theme and includes two week-long camping trips and opportunities for older youth to serve as peer mentors.

Essential Duties:

• Facilitate & supervise youth program group meetings, workshops and special projects in partnership with WILD Program Manager and interns;

• Create culturally-relevant curriculum or workshops on specific topics;

• Serve as lead in program tracking and data collection for program reports, under guidance from Program Manager;

• Assist in organizing and supervising field trips, such as outdoor activities in wilderness settings, with some overnights and weekends required;

• Assist with identifying and preparing grant proposals;

• Help create learning experiences for and support program interns;

• Provide academic and career counseling case management support to high-school aged youth as needed; including but not limited to, information and referral, job search and placement, tutoring, and college preparation;

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or three years’ experience in youth development work;

• Ability to undertake strenuous physical activities, including occasional outdoor activities with exposure to the elements and overnight camping trips, working with tools, and heavy lifting;

• Experience with and enjoys working with any of these groups: high-school aged youth, students learning English as a Second Language, and/or Asian and Pacific Islanders;

• Demonstrated dependability & responsibility; works well both independently and collaboratively; Ability to quickly adapt to program needs with flexibility and calm demeanor;

• Willingness to learn and have fun; must have strong people skills;

• Knowledge of social and environmental justice issues;

• Have a valid Washington State driver’s license, clean driving record, and willingness to drive large vehicles (12-passenger vans, SUVs, mini-vans);

• Must clear a multi-state background check

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with and cultural understanding of youth from diverse backgrounds: including immigrant, refugee, and different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds;

• Background in environmental justice areas, social work and/or education;

• Knowledge or experience with working in a leadership development model;

• Experience with curriculum development and facilitation of small groups and/or workshops;

• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously;

• Bi- or Multi-lingual skills, preferably in an Asian language.