At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It is!

House of Friendships Neighbourhoods program bring diverse communities together to improve community life and reduce poverty, isolation and food insecurity. Summer programs provide recreation opportunities for children and youth in their own community. The Camp Counsellor will use gardening as a tool to plan, implement and facilitate community informed and community focused children and youth related programs and ideas in neighbourhoods with diverse and marginalized populations in Kitchener and Waterloo; Courtland Shelley, Chandler-Mowat, Forest Heights, Kingsdale, Sunnydale and Victoria Hills Community Centres.

This is a contract position, from approximately July 6, 2026 to August 28, 2026. This is a full-time position (35 hours per week). Schedule is Monday to Friday, mostly mornings and evenings. Successful completion of a Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector) required.

This position is funded by the Canadian Government Canada Summer Jobs program which requires that the following eligibility criteria be met –

Eligibility (under the Canada Summer Jobs Program):

• Be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment contract
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment
• Have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations
• International students are not eligible participants (international students include anyone who is temporarily in Canada for studies and who is not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person who has been granted refugee status in Canada)

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaboratively plan and implement programs that are interesting, stimulating, constructive and educational, with a focus on building community

• Use gardening as a tool to organize and facilitate fun engaging activities for children and youth, and provide leadership and direction within the garden program

• Organize field trips for program participants

• Assist with organizing workshops and events to engage the children and youth

• Complete administrative tasks related to the programs

• To keep accurate program records and help to prepare a final report, as well as any other documentation that may be required

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

• Comfortable working outside in various weather conditions

• Good organizational skills

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision

• Interest in and understanding of community development principles preferred

• Ability to speak in a language relevant to our communities preferred

Education/Experience:

• Post-secondary training in horticulture, social sciences, recreation or a related field is preferred

• Previous experience in horticulture preferred

• Experience in program planning, implementation, and evaluation

• Lived experience of and/or commitment to issues of poverty, and social justice preferred

Critical Skills:

• Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected
• Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem solving skills required
• Ability to work professionally as a team member with staff, participants and community members
• Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural backgrounds, income levels, and sensitivity to their needs
• Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach to consultation, program design, evaluations of processes and service delivery
• Must be dependable, professional, flexible, a team player, and have a positive attitude
• Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental illness and other life challenges
• Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics, planning and detailed record keeping

Compensation:

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work(Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

• Time off includes vacation pay and 2 personal days per year
• Employee Family Assistance Program

Rate of Pay:

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 3

Min: $22.08

Mid: -

Max: $23.98

Working Conditions:

• 35 hours per week; mostly mornings and evenings
• This position involves walking, standing, crouching, kneeling, lifting and carrying heavy items
• Must be physically able to meet the bona fide physical requirements of the role
• Heavy lifting and moving of bags of soil will be required
• Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

This role is being posted to fill a current vacancy.

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, let’s talk.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here:

https://house-of-friendship.hirehive.com/camp-counsellor-canada-summer-jobs-kitchener-on-TjKExN

By end of day May 20, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not being used in the screening of applications.