Parks in Focus® 2025 Position Announcement: Arizona (Tucson) Trip Leader

The Stewart L. Udall Parks in Focus® Program (Parks in Focus®) is a program of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) that provides opportunities for middle school youth to explore nature and our Nation’s public lands through photography and outdoor learning.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Udall Foundation is seeking two enthusiastic, organized, and highly motivated individual(s) to lead Parks in Focus® activities with groups of youth from Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, schools, and other youth-serving organizations in Tucson and other Arizona communities in 2025. The trip leader(s) will spend the year organizing and leading local field trips around Tucson as well as multiday summer camping trips to northern Arizona and the Grand Canyon.

The selected trip leaders will receive training, be provided with program curriculum and resources, and work closely with staff from the Udall Foundation, our partner youth organizations, and volunteers.

Trip Leaders will hold an intermittent, excepted service term position with the Udall Foundation. Hours will vary each week depending on the activities planned (average of 20-25 hours/week). Weekday, evening, weekend, and overnight activities are common. The position is slated to begin in December 2024/January 2025 and continue through December 2025. There may be an opportunity for increased hours in the months of June and July as well as an opportunity to extend the position into 2026 if performance is satisfactory and other considerations, such as funding, are obtained.

PARKS IN FOCUS® DUTIES

Onboarding, Training & Program Preparation

• Attend a multiday training program in early January (dates TBD).
• Become familiar with Parks in Focus® mission, goals, curriculum, and resources.
• Visit activity sites for scouting and risk management planning.

Program Implementation

• Host informational meetings for participants, parents, and partners.
• Finalize activity itineraries and handle all necessary logistics including meal preparation.
• Lead assigned Parks in Focus® activities and field trips.
• Ensure activities run smoothly and safely.
• Teach photography curricula and meet educational goals for each activity.
• Work with participants to develop their photography skills.
• Lead games, team building exercises, journaling, art, environmental science, and other relevant educational activities with participants.
• Help engage and motivate participants, partner staff, and volunteers.
• Ensure activities are well-documented through photo and video.
• Ensure all participant forms and evaluation data are gathered and complete.

Program Reporting & Other Tasks

• Provide scheduled updates and reports to supervisor.
• Organize all photographs, video footage, and evaluation data.
• Prepare photo highlights for all participants, staff, and partners.
• Perform other administrative tasks as assigned.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Appreciation of the outdoors and ability to spark that enthusiasm in others.
• Experience working with K-12 youth, preferably in an outdoor or camp setting.
• Comfort with camping, hiking, and being outdoors in various weather conditions.
• Interest in photography and willingness to learn and teach basic curriculum.
• Familiarity with local parks and/or the communities served by this position.
• Ability to assess and manage risks associated with outdoor activities.
• Positive, upbeat attitude, and ability to adapt to changing demands.
• Strong writing, communication, teaching, leadership, and teamwork skills.
• Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and access to reliable transportation.
• Must have current First Aid and CPR certifications prior to start date.
• Wilderness First Aid certification highly desired.
• Spanish fluency highly desired.
• Live in/near Tucson (housing is not provided).
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be willing to provide fingerprints for a criminal background check.

PAY & PERKS

• $21.62/hour regular pay (average 20-25 hrs/wk)
• Food, campsites, and rental vehicle provided for scheduled overnight activities.
• Desk and office space at the Udall Foundation.
• DSLR digital camera to use for duration of employment.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit the Udall Foundation’s website at udall.gov. 

ABOUT THE UDALL FOUNDATION

The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 as an independent executive branch agency to honor Morris K. Udall's lasting impact on this Nation’s environment, public lands, and natural resources, and his support of the rights and self-governance of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In 2009, Congress enacted legislation to also honor Stewart L. Udall for his half century of distinguished national leadership in environmental and Native American policy. The agency is known today as the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.

The Udall Foundation is authorized by Congress to:

• Award Scholarships, Fellowships, and Internships for study in fields related to the environment and to Native Americans and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care and Tribal public policy.
• Connect youth to the Nation’s public lands and natural resources to foster greater understanding, appreciation, stewardship, and enjoyment of those lands and resources through photography, positive outdoor experiences, and environmental education through the Stewart L. Udall Parks in Focus® Program.
• Provide funding to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy to conduct policy research and outreach on the environment and related themes.
• Provide funding to the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, a program of the Udall Center, for research, education, and outreach on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and Tribal public policy issues.
• Provide funding through the Udall Center to The University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections to serve as the repository for the papers of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall and other such public papers as may be appropriate and assure such papers' availability to the public.
• Provide impartial collaboration, consensus-building, training, and conflict resolution services on a wide range of environmental, natural and cultural resources, Tribal, and public lands issues, conflicts, and disputes involving the Federal Government through the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution.