Wild Grief Guide

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Recruiting Organization: Wild Grief

Job Announcement: Wild Grief Hike Guide (volunteer)

The job: Wild Grief merges guided hikes and peer support for bereaved children, teens, young adults, families, adults. We are recruiting new volunteer guides for an ambitious 2022 Program Season. We are looking for guides for our teen and young adult backpacking trips, for our new multi-day Family Journey Camp Out program, and guides who can lead All-Day Hikes and our shorter monthly Hike Habits. You can apply for one of these opportunities or all.

Who we are: We have witnessed the transformation when people make connections with each other in nature as well as the quality of silence held by a group walking on the trail together. We are a young organization composed of many volunteers with experience in wilderness leadership, outdoor education, grief support groups, and counseling. Wild Grief was incorporated as a non-profit, with 501 (c) (3) status, in Olympia, Washington in December 2015 and we have been guiding grief outdoors since.

Details: We provide a lot of on-the-job training so we are looking for a long-term (multi-year) commitment if you and we agree you are a good fit for the work. Guides are volunteers but we do offer stipends for hike or trip days. We are based in Olympia, WA and require that you can travel to hikes and training - all within Western Washington. Most guides reside in the Puget Sound region.

Requirements for all guides:

• Experience leading outdoor activities for groups, hikes, backpacks, or support groups with adults or young people.
• Commitment to learning grief support and peer support models.
• Ability and intent to listen empathetically and be comfortable talking with people.
• Ability to share parts of your own experience.
• Passionate about the outdoors.
• Ability to work with a variety of people, provide a welcoming presence, and potentially help navigate any conflict in a group.

Preferred/Bonus: (Not required. We expect no one to have all these characteristics):

• Grief and loss support training or experience (as participant and/or leader).
• Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder certification.
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor or associate or Licensed Social Worker.
• Personal grief experience.
• Outdoor education training and/or experience.
• Outdoor expedition planning experience.

Proposed Tasks for all guides:

• Attend one day guide training/orientation and additional learning opportunities throughout the year.
• Involvement in our cultural responsiveness work.
• Lead hikes, first as a trainee under supervision of experienced guides
• Keep hikers safe
• Facilitate grief support activities.
• Help participants feel comfortable on the trail and with each other.
• Meet with other leaders to check in before the hike and debrief after.

Day Hike/Hike Habit Guide: You will be part of a 2-person team leading hikes that range from 2-5 hours. Our monthly two hour Hike Habit is for All Ages, and in addition to All-ages Day Hikes we have age specific Day Hikes for teens, young adults, and families.

Family Journey Camp Out Guide: You will be part of a 5-person team leading a weekend camp-out for bereaved families with children under age 13. This is a new program currently in development. We have two Family Journey Camp Outs planned for the summer of 2022.

Additional Requirements for Family Journey Camp Out Guides:

• Experience working with children or families.

Backpack Guide: You will be part of a 4-person team leading backpack trips for bereaved youth aged 13-18 or young adults aged 19-25. Our model for these trips is somewhat unique; the hikes are a blend of facilitated peer-based grief support surrounded by the healing power of nature far from daily distractions. We have three teen trips planned for the summer of 2022, and one young adult trip planned for fall, each 4 days long. The backpacks are scheduled in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

Additional Requirements for Backpack Guides:

• Experience leading youth on either hikes, backpacks, or group support.
• Experience and confidence to backpack for 4 days.
• Ability to hike 6 miles per day with an elevation gain of up 2000 feet.

Additional tasks for Backpack Guides:

• Attend a cookout for all participants and families to meet each other and set the tone for the upcoming backpacking trips.
• Help prepare hike supplies and planning (1-2 days before the trips)

Wild Grief evaluates candidates based on their experiences, abilities, and effectiveness and does not discriminate against candidates based on any other personal characteristic or any classification. We are committed to integrating diverse perspectives into our culture and we encourage our volunteers to bring their whole, authentic selves to work. Wild Grief is actively recruiting persons from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds to enhance service to our diverse communities. Diverse and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

To Apply: Fill out our application at https://tinyurl.com/WildGriefGuideApplication. Applications due by 5:00 PM Pacific time on Sunday, January 16th, 2022 .

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training ProvidedFalse

Housing AvailableFalse

Language/Cultral Support AvailableFalse

Wheelchair AccessibleFalse

Fee RequiredFalse

Fee Amount: None

This opportunity is recurring