Youth Corps Crew Leader

Sierra Institute’s P-CREW Youth Corps is an immersive, five-week, experiential work opportunity designed to offer employment on Northern California’s public lands to youth from rural and urban areas around the state. In 2024, P-CREW Youth Corps will field four 14-person youth corps crews over a 10 week period to complete conservation projects such as: trail maintenance and building, invasive species removal, aspen and meadow restoration, fuels reduction, and forest restoration. Crews will spend their weekends playing in the mountains through activities like hiking, backpacking, climbing, paddling, swimming, and more!  P-CREW is uniquely capable of providing a formative and unforgettable experience for youth through immersion in the culture and communities of the Sierra Nevada’s largest watershed. Students will forge unexpectedly strong friendships, develop leadership and job skills, explore diverse and wild forests, and build pride and confidence in themselves. We purposefully design crews to be balanced across geographies and gender identities to foster opportunities for exposure to a variety of backgrounds, stories, and cultures among crewmates. 

Job Overview

Position Overview: 

Youth Crew Leaders are integral to the success of P-CREW. P-CREW Crew Leaders will have the unique opportunity to develop leadership and stewardship skills while supervising and mentoring a youth crew. This position was designed to empower P-CREW leaders to deepen their connection to nature, build trusting relationships with support staff, and feel confident building the next generation of natural resource stewards. 

Crew leaders will be provided 2-3 weeks of in-field training to prepare for the P-CREW summer session. Once P-CREW begins, crew leaders will train, supervise, and mentor their youth crews 24/7 for two five-week sessions. Crew Leaders are responsible for managing eleven, 10th-12th grade teenagers while supporting restoration efforts on the Plumas and Lassen National Forests and adjacent lands in the Northern Sierra. Participants do not go home during the five weeks. Thus, the Crew Leader position is very similar to a camp counselor role and includes facilitating safe and sustainable recreation with the crews on weekends. 

Crew Leaders will be part of a team of three field staff, which includes two Crew Leaders and an Alumni All-Star Assistant. The Alumni “All-Star” Assistant is someone who has successfully completed a P-CREW session and is returning to gain leadership experience.

Following the completion of the 10 week P-CREW program, Crew Leaders will assist with season wrap up: organizing paperwork, project accomplishments, and media; gear and tool maintenance and inventory; and end of season evaluations. 

Crew Leaders are experienced outdoor enthusiasts with the skills and interests to be excellent role models. This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of youth through meaningful landscape stewardship under the umbrella of a growing, transformative, and innovative program. 

Special Benefits

3 weeks paid training, all meals provided during the 10 week P-CREW Season. 

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications: 

■ Proof of full COVID-19 Vaccination 

■ Wilderness First Responder  certification or higher preferred, past First Aid experience required 

■ Lifeguard certification preferred 

■ Pre-service background screening required 

■ Minimum Age Requirement: 21+ 

■ Clean Driving Record 

■ Experience working with teens (ages 15-18) 

■ Experience working on or supporting youth and/or young adult crews in conservation/restoration activities. ■ Social and emotional skills to promote positive personal growth and develop relationships with people from all backgrounds, abilities, cultures, orientations, identities, and communities. 

■ Leadership experience 

■ Camping skills and familiarity with leave no trace practices

■ Strong communication, leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills 

■ A sense of humor and positive mental attitude!