Facilities and Dining Hall Specialist
NLC Facilities and Dining Hall Specialists are the go-getters that ensure everything from meal time to community time runs smoothly.
Our days are simpler. We challenge often but have more fun. The outdoors is our home. We work together to create a community where individuals are respected, and where our values guide our actions. We gain confidence, share, and have fun.
Set on 360 wooded acres and a mile of private Lake Michigan shoreline, Miniwanca is a breathtaking and inspiring setting for growth. Towering sand dunes and pines line our beach. This creates a perfect environment for discovering and developing your personal best.
The Facilities and Dining Hall Specialists are the stage hands of NLC. They make sure tables and chairs are set for meals, Leadership Development supplies are in place, Interest Groups are as interesting as possible. The quiet leadership of this team is highly valued, and plays a critical role in keeping our community moving forward.
FDH Specialists typically:
Frequently Asked Questions
Staff training begins on June 10th. NLC begins on June 13th and runs until the 21st. Employment therefore runs June 10th-21st.
From June 10th-13th, 2019, leaders will learn all about the mission, philosophy, and values of the American Youth Foundation. They will learn how to work with participants, how to facilitate activities, and will work to build our positive community. By the end of staff training leaders will be prepared to teach Interest Group activities, take on their responsibility in the community, and more.
Yes, food and housing are provided for the entirety of your time at Miniwanca.
There are a few options for housing during NLC, but it’s important to recognize that those spaces are really only used for sleeping. Most leaders will live in our rustic cabins with a few other staff members. Some of our cabins have open windows with no screens on them and have flaps that roll down to cover the windows in inclement weather. We suggest leaders bring mosquito netting to cover their twin size bed. We also have housing available in our Seay and Compton dorm buildings.
NLC positions are volunteer positions. We do offer a $200 travel stipend for everyone hired onto the NLC Staff Team.
Miniwanca will provide transportation on the 10th from the Grand Rapids airport and bus station. It’s also common for staff members to carpool from different cities. A travel form will be made available once you are hired where you can let us know what your travel arrangements are.
That is totally okay! We are always looking to build a staff that is representative of our participant community, and many participants will be new as well. So long as you are open to new experiences and people, we are open to having you join our team.
FDH Specialists will work with 1-5 teammates to bring much of the Dining Hall and Community Time experience to life. Stewardship and relationship building are two important pillars of NLC, and so much of that happens in those spaces. The most important responsibility of any NLC staff member is fostering a positive community. We all pitch in where we can to keep things running smoothly, and attend/participate in all activities to ensure objectives are met.
Miniwanca is able to work with a variety of dietary needs and allergies. At each meal, Miniwanca will provide a dairy free, gluten free, and vegetarian option. Miniwanca is peanut and tree nut aware and will not serve anything with those products in it. Some snacks and desserts may be created in a facility that uses peanuts or tree nuts, and safe alternatives will be offered when those are the general option.
“Becoming a part of FDH felt different and special. Not only do you feel an immediate sense of purpose that is apparent at each meal, but it also gives you the opportunity to interact with everyone in the community, throughout the week.”
What a summer at NLC looks like:
