• NHC's Summer Institute: July 29- August 4, 2024. Registration opens April 25th

    This year’s theme of עִיר מִקְלָט “Ir Miklat: City of Refuge” can be found in a small corner of parshat Matot-Masei (Numbers 30:2 - 36:13). It epitomizes how we want this year’s institute to feel: a space where both the individual and the community at the heart of the Havurah ethos can come together in a safe space to create something meaningful, where our connections are welcoming and inclusive, fun and exciting, relaxing and energizing, and insightful and spiritually significant for our diverse community of participants.

    The Core Team envisions Institute as our City of Refuge--a place that’s safe--this year more than ever. What is it YOU need refuge from? We welcome you to join us at Pearlstone Center for sanctuary and refuge, to renew and refresh, and to play, rest, create and learn with us!

Summer Institute Positions

1 Kidstitute Director
2 Kidstitute Assistant Director
3 Evening Childcare Coordinator
4 Accessibility Coordinator
5 Eruv Coordinator(s)
6 Kitchen Liaison
7 Office Staff - AM & PM
8 Set-Up Pre-Institute/Check-In
9 Shabbat Coordinator
10 Teens/Tweens
11 Take Down/Check-Out
1 Kidstitute Director

Total Compensation: $TBD (The Kidstitute Director will also attend the Institute at no cost).

Prior to Institute, the Director will be responsible for communication with the NHC office, board, planning committee, staff, and parents.

 

Specific Responsibilities include: 

 

Pre-Institute

● Update forms for Registration

● Hire qualified counselors for Kidstitute

● Hire an assistant director and designing the position to best serve Kidstitute needs

● Assign placements to work-study participants in the children’s program

● Work with teaching staff on developing activities for each group

● Create camp activities connected to NHC theme

● Work with artists and liturgist in residence to provide content for Kidstitute as required by their position responsibilities

● Coordinate with NHC Program Director for registration, space usage, and additional logistical needs

● Coordinate with the planning committee as needed for scheduling and communication

● Coordinate volunteers for family and children options for Shabbat morning

 

During Institute

● Make sure there are appropriate spaces assigned for Kidstitute orientations (both the staff orientation and the camper/family orientation), for supplies, for napping, for messy time, and for confidential conversations

● Create, develop and supervise the daytime children’s program at the Institute, for children ranging from 6 months to 12 years

● Lead daily staff meeting, checking in with counselors regularly

● Unpack and pack the materials with the assistance of Kidstitute staff

● Communicate with campers and parents/guardians in advance of the Institute and throughout the week while in session.

● Conduct the staff and parent orientations

● Coordinate with parent buddy and evening childcare coordinators regarding communication with families prior to Institute

● Identifying resources necessary to accommodate campers with special needs and communicate limitations to parents when necessary

 

If you are interested in this position, email office@main.havurah.org.

2 Kidstitute Assistant Director

Total Compensation: $TBD + full registration (the Kidstitute Assistant Director will attend the Institute at no cost). The Assistant Director is responsible for their own travel costs. We are seeking someone who is excited to collaborate with and able to support the Director.

 

Do you demonstrate... A commitment to honouring the experiences of young people? A willingness to jump in wherever you’re needed? Clear and kind communication with coworkers, young people and their parents?

 

Specific Responsibilities include:

 

Pre-Institute

● Coordinating volunteers for family and children options for Shabbat morning with support from the Director

● Creating camp activities connected to NHC theme

 

During Institute

● Unpacking and packing the materials along with the Director and with the assistance of Kidstitute staff

● Conducting staff and parent orientations along with the Director on Monday

● Attend daily staff meetings and check-ins with Interim Director

● Serve as on-site director during working shift of Kidstitute and on Shabbat Schedule

● Provide support to campers and staff as needed

● Act as on-site or off-site Director at specified times

 

The Kidstitute Assistant Director must plan to be on-site at 9 am the first Monday morning of Institute through to the afternoon of the last day, Sunday. They will be working at Kidstitute daytime hours (8:40 am-5pm), Tuesday-Friday. They will also be supporting children’s activities on Shabbat where needed.

 

If you are interested in this position, please email office@main.havurah.org.

3 Evening Childcare Coordinator

 

Pending in-person gathering

The Evening Childcare Coordinator is present for Evening Childcare Monday through Saturday and is the point person for the JCC Childcare staff.  The role requires helping to plan and implement the Families and Children Orientation, being on-call to babysitters and parents during all babysitting hours (and physically present at babysitting during the first two nights of Institute), and updating the Programs Director periodically throughout the week.

 

The Evening Childcare Coordinator receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

4 Accessibility Coordinator
  1. Coordinate the volunteers who take on volunteer roles ahead of time. Be in touch with volunteers, remind them ahead of time about their shift and their role. Find someone else to cover the role if a volunteer cannot do their job at the last minute.
  2. Troubleshooting once at Institute to address needs that were not planned for (i.e. someone falls and hurts themselves during institute or someone has needs that were not clear ahead of time)
  3. Checking in around the folks who know who have needs that were expressed beforehand

 

The Accessibility Coordinator receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute (in-person).

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

5 Eruv Coordinator(s)

 

Pending in-person gathering

The Eruv Coordinator(s) oversee the construction of the eruv during the week, so that it is ready before shabbat. This involves surveying the campus (which takes ~2 hours), deciding on a route, purchasing materials as necessary, and then managing a small team of volunteers to construct the eruv. The team is responsible for checking the eruv before Shabbat, and then announcing the status of the eruv to the community after Friday night services. On Saturday night or Sunday, they are responsible for coordinating takedown of the eruv.

 

This role requires knowledge of relevant halacha (Jewish law), or willingness to learn, as well as the use of power tools and supervision and instruction of others in their use.

 

The Eruv Coordinator(s) receives 20% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

6 Kitchen Liaison

 

Pending in-person gathering

This role will involve becoming familiar with the dietary needs of the community by reviewing registration data before Institute, and individuals with special dietary needs and the Kitchen managerial staff once on-site. This person will liaise with the Kitchen staff throughout the week as needs arise.

 

The Kitchen Liaison receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

7 Office Staff - AM & PM

 

Pending in-person gathering

This role will involve receiving and addressing basic issues that participants bring to the office staff (like lost keys) during Workshop and Class times. It will involve some level of trouble-shooting problems and liaising with Hartford staff.

 

This role receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

8 Set-Up Pre-Institute/Check-In

 

Pending in-person gathering

This will involve arriving in the morning on the Sunday before Institute, to support the office staff in a variety of tasks to set up for the week: Transfer NHC materials from storage to the University; Set up spaces for Kidstitute, the NHC office, and other programming; Staff check-in on Monday (distribute registration materials and keys; help people find rooms and transfer luggage).

 

This role receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

9 Shabbat Coordinator

 

Pending in-person gathering

The Shabbat Coordinator is responsible for moving objects to be in the right place(s) for Shabbat, including siddurim, chumashim, sifrei Torah, bentchers, tables, candles & matches and the foil trays for them. 

There is some planning prior to Institute once reviewing the program guide.  Must liaise with the Office, the campus, and coordinating volunteers so all the things end up in the right place without one person doing too much.

During Institute, there are Friday and Saturday night commitments during Shabbat.

 

This role receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

10 Teens/Tweens

 

Pending in-person gathering

Do you remember those middle years of youth when you were starting to pull away from childhood, but were not yet an adult? When you were rapidly increasing your sense of independence while still embracing a sense of playfulness and curiosity? When you could start to tackle adult issues, but didn’t necessarily want to?

 

At NHC Summer Institute every year we have a group of kids in the 11-14 age range who find themselves in this place. They don’t really feel that Kidstitute meets their needs and interests, but might not be ready to shift to taking all adult classes either. They don’t want to be put in one category, but seek peers to share time and activities.

 

NHC seeks an energetic, flexible person who loves to work with kids in those middle years, to serve as Tween/Teen Coordinator. We envision this person working with the kids to develop a program of interest to them, giving them choices, offering flexibility, and helping them to work together to create a wonderful, vibrant environment in which they connect with each other and with other parts of the institute. 

 

NOTE: The number of teen/tweens at Institute has varied in recent years. If we have a large group, this role could be a Work Study position. If we have a small number, this role would be a volunteer role. This will be determined in May/June.

 

This role receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

11 Take Down/Check-Out

 

Pending in-person gathering

This will involve supporting the office staff in a variety of tasks to wrap up at the site on Saturday night and Sunday: Staff check-out (collect keys and process key deposits); Sweep all rooms to re-set furniture and collect remaining items; packing up all NHC materials; Loading NHC materials into the truck and unloading at the Hartford storage facility.

 

This role receives 40% of room and board at the Summer Institute.

 

If you are interested in this role, email office@main.havurah.org.

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