Recreation and Programs OperationsINTERNATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM Snow Mountain Ranch, YMCA of the Rockies
This Exchange visitor program is designed for a citizen of a foreign country. The Intern and Trainee program offers the opportunity to add an international experience in your field of study or expertise.
Phase 1 – Introduction to Day Camp
Objective:
The participant will be in the Programs Department being introduced to YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch and learning about Day Camp Operations. Snow Mountain Ranch offers a Day Camp Program serving hundreds of children pre-school through high school on a daily basis. The purpose of this phase is for the participant to learn teaching methods for activities to day camp participants and to show how to manage a successful Day Camp operation.
Task:
The participant will attend Snow Mountain Ranch Orientation and International Training Program Orientation. Through shadowing the Youth Programs Coordinator, the participant will learn to teach activities to day camp participants. The participant will learn how to implement the YMCA core values of Caring, Honesty, Responsibility, Respect, and Faith into activities and learn teaching methods for integrating these values in the day camp program. The participant will learn to prepare for teaching activities through shadowing the Youth Programs Coordinator as they purchase supplies and schedule activities for day camp. The participant will receive some operational training by learning the pre-registration, check-in, waiver process, camp policies and procedures.
Phase 2 – Outdoor Education
Objective:
The purpose of this phase is to learn about the Outdoor Education program at Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA of the Rockies.
Task:
The participant will participate in 10 days of Outdoor Education training lead by Snow Mountain Ranch Programs managers in order to learn to teach Outdoor Education classes for visitors to Snow Mountain Ranch. The participant will receive ongoing training through in-services during the season. Through shadowing the Outdoor Education staff, the participant will learn to teach Water Ecology, Forest Ecology, Pioneer life, and Orienteering.
Phase 3 – Outdoor Education - Advanced5
Objective:
The participant will be in the Outdoor Education Department learning more advanced knowledge about the program.
Task:
Through shadowing the Program Director, the participant will also learn how to schedule times for school visits and work with the school group leaders to identify their program needs. The participant will also learn to coordinate with other Snow Mountain Ranch departments in order to deliver the program.
Phase 4 – Program Administration
Objective:
The objective of this phase is for the participant to learn the implementation of family programming for our guests and to improve skills in planning events while continuing to develop their skills in program administration. The participant will learn to incorporate measurable program objectives into all program planning.
Task:
The participant will learn the following activities by shadowing Snow Mountain Ranch Programs staff: the development, delivery, and evaluation of a Weekend Family Program, developing a staff schedule, organizing sign up information through the online reservation system and developing the guest bulletin. The participant will also attend formal class room training with Snow Mountain Ranch leaders in Family Conference Center management and Leadership.
Phase 5 – Program Management
Objective:
The purpose for this phase is for the participant to learn to manage a Program Facility at Snow Mountain Ranch called Nordic Center Pavilion. Snow Mountain Ranch installed a summer tubing hill in the summer of 2014. The participant will be part of the evaluation process in order to make improvements to the administration of this program for the upcoming summer.
Tasks:
The participant will learn how to manage the Nordic Center Pavilion by shadowing the Program Directors to evaluate the status of equipment for maintenance, repair, or replacement. The participant will also shadow the directors as they lead safety trainings for Pavilion staff as well as cash management for the facility. The participant will attend a Safety Committee meeting. They will meet with the Programs Director to discuss hiring procedures and strategies. As a project, the participant will also evaluate operating procedures for the Snow Mountain Ranch Summer Tubing Hill program and discuss their findings with the Programs Director.
Additional Phase Remarks
The participant will receive classes during the Fall, Winter and Spring seasons as part of their training program. The classes will cover a variety of topics. The leadership of the YMCA of the Rockies will hold classes on the operations of a hospitality business, the financial processes of a non-profit, how both Estes Park Center and Snow Mountain Ranch operate, basic notions on philanthropy and the importance of donations for the YMCA of the Rockies. There will also be speakers talking about professional skills necessary in the participant’s future career such as Conflict Management, Diversity, Marketing, Public Speaking, Creating and Using High Performing Teams and Maintaining Healthy Relationships in the Workplace (topics are subject to change). The participant will also learn about personal skills that are key in becoming independent such as how to Budget, Resume Writing and Interview Skills. The participant will have to do 2 presentations, one in a local school about their home country and culture, and one in front of YMCA of the Rockies supervisors and coworkers about the YMCA in their home country.
Note
The phases, topic of the offered classes and dates might change.