If your teen or preteen loves gardening and working with younger children, this camp is for them! Junior Counselors will grow their skill as young leaders throughout the week in mentorship with camp staff, facilitating small group activities, and learning what it’s like to teach outdoors, all the while learning about organic gardening and farming. Junior Counselors will earn a Certificate of Leadership upon completion of the camp.

This week’s camp description:

Calling all makers, artists, and nature lovers! Join us in creating beautiful and unique botanical arts and crafts. Throughout our week together, the plants around us will teach us about their uses, providing both inspiration and materials for artistic expression.

Together, we will:

• Use plant technology, fibers, and other garden materials to craft functional pieces to take home
• Discover the plants around us and learn about their shapes, colors, and plant powers
• Engage in craft activities such as cyanotypes and hapa zome (printing with plants)
• Learn to work with natural materials for sculpting, building, and weaving
• Use our senses to explore the plants around us by honorably foraging and harvesting plants for delicious teas, snacks, and natural color/dyes
• Develop our reciprocal relationship with nature and practice caring for it by giving thanks for the materials it provides us with

Campers will take home their nature inspired crafts and art for families to enjoy.

Junior Counselors will arrive 30 minutes before campers arrive and stay up to 30 minutes after campers depart. This allows time to prepare and set up for the events of the day and to wrap up and reflect on the day with the summer camp staff (built into the times listed).

An orientation will take place before summer camps, consisting of a tour of the farm/garden, a general overview of the Junior Counselor role, leadership training, and some team building activities as we go through a typical camp day! This will give youth an opportunity to get acquainted with each other, the space, and Tilth Alliance staff. Attendance at this orientation is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Orientation will take place at the site where the Junior Counselor will attend camp: The Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, on Wednesday, June 10, 6:00-7:30pm. Light snacks will be provided.

Junior Counselors receive $5 off summer camp T shirts. To redeem, use code JUNIOR5 at checkout.