|
Youth Leadership AmeriCorps
Member Position Title: Youth Leadership AmeriCorps
Sponsoring Agency: Neighborhood House
Service Site: High Point
Project Supervisor: AmeriCorps Coordinator
Site Supervisor: Youth Program Coordinator
Start Date/Planned End Date: 9/16/12 – 7/31/13
Program Description
YELS stands for Youth Empowered with Leadership Strengths. It is a year-round, enrollment-based program for middle and high school youth (ages 13 – 18) living in the High Point community. Community engagement for a healthier community is at the heart of YELS (Youth Empowered for Leadership Strengths). The program focuses on a core multiethnic youth leadership team of youth between the ages of 13 and 18 years living in High Point, an ethnically/culturally/linguistically diverse public housing community in West Seattle. YELS provides valuable programming that involves youth in reinforcing healthy behaviors and also helping with efforts to bring fresh food into the community. Young people help to determine what is best for their community and help to develop successful strategies that have a high level of resident engagement while simultaneously facilitating students’ leadership and educational development. The tools and skills teens gain equip them to develop projects that engage residents of all ages from the broader High Point community, reaching 200+ children and 250 community members.
YELS encourages participation from youth coming from a variety of backgrounds. The program maintains that youth are experts in their experience, and creates opportunities for young people from a variety of backgrounds to share their lives in a safe space. Youth have an opportunity to engage in new experiences with their cohort, engage in conversation, and learn from each other, as well as adults who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Over the course of the year, 50 enrolled YELS youth (25 in 2 cohorts), will attend programming sessions offered 4 times per week, plan 3 community-wide events for High Point youth and families (150 people), engage in service projects, and collaborate with other youth serving organizations in Seattle.
Site Description
High Point is a Seattle Housing Authority community that underwent an historic transition. Through a HUD HOPE VI grant, High Point was redeveloped from a World War II temporary housing community into a new redevelopment designed to be the most progressive environmentally friendly community in the country. It is situated on 120 acres in the middle of West Seattle, and is one of Seattle’s most diverse neighborhoods.
In November 2009, Neighborhood House celebrated the grand opening of The Neighborhood House High Point Center. Located in the heart of High Point, this high-performance, low-impact facility now houses critical support services in an area of King County that has traditionally had one of the highest concentrations of poverty. Our Center was built to meet stringent levels of environmental standards and incorporates numerous features containing interactive educational and artistic elements.
The High Point Center is a place where families can gather and share food, stories and experiences. It's a community living room for everything from town meetings to neighborhood potlucks, book clubs to Head Start classes with a special focus on building space reserved for youth who make up a substantial portion of this community.
Member Duties and Responsibilities
On a daily basis:
- Work directly with program youth in the after school hours and on the weekends through outreach activities, co-facilitating program sessions and recreational activities, engaging in field trips and community-wide youth led events.
- Assist in developing and implementing meaningful leadership experiences for youth (13–18 age)
- Monitor program attendance, youth enrollment, parent contact information, and volunteer information for accuracy and program requirements
On a monthly or quarterly basis:
- Assist the Youth Advisory Council, made up of youth interns, in developing and implementing community-based healthy lifestyle activities for a minimum of 150 youth participants
- Assist in facilitation of multimedia projects (audio, video, social networking, etc.) that provide a platform for youth voices in High Point
- Conduct outreach targeting youth and parents/guardians in High Point
- Recruit and train community volunteers
- Communicate directly with parents and guardians to provide program information or updates related to youth progress or concerns facilitation of the parent board
- Build relationships with other agencies and organizations in order to enhance programming options, secure in-kind donations and resources, and increase our capacity to serve youth and families
Qualifications required for this position
- College degree preferred; High School diploma and specific plans to complete college a must
- Good reading and math skills
- Some experience working at a school or with youth development programs
- Experience with and understanding of low-income and diverse communities
- Bilingual skills preferred
- Ability to connect and communicate with middle school and high school youth
- Ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
- Basic computer skills ability
- Ability to manage time effectively
- Willingness to adjust schedule to meet demands of the position
- Willingness to learn new professional skills and become comfortable in a public-speaking or facilitation role
- Applicants will receive Washington State Patrol and FBI Background Checks
- Applicants will be asked to submit a resume
Location and Hours of Service
High Point Neighborhood Center, Tues – Sat 10:00AM to 7:00PM
|
Day of Week
|
Start Time
|
Length of Meal Break
|
End Time
|
Name of service location and physical address
|
Hours per day*
|
|
Sunday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday
|
10:00AM
|
60 min
|
7:00PM
|
High Point
6440 Sylvan Way SW
Seattle, WA 98126
|
8
|
|
Wednesday
|
10:00AM
|
60 min
|
7:00PM
|
High Point
6440 Sylvan Way SW
Seattle, WA 98126
|
8
|
|
Thursday
|
10:00AM
|
60 min
|
7:00PM
|
High Point
6440 Sylvan Way SW
Seattle, WA 98126
|
8
|
|
Friday
|
10:00AM
|
60 min
|
7:00PM
|
High Point
6440 Sylvan Way SW
Seattle, WA 98126
|
8
|
|
Saturday
|
10:00AM
|
60 min
|
7:00PM
|
High Point
6440 Sylvan Way SW
Seattle, WA 98126
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
Total Hours for the Week:
|
40
|
Alternative Schedule
Monday – Friday 11:00AM – 8:00PM if there are community events or when there is no Saturday programming.
Supervision
Weekly for up to 2 hours through formal, scheduled meetings. Information support on-going, as needed.
Required Training
Data Management – You will:
- Work with Neighborhood House’s MIS department to learn the agency MIS database system used for tracking client demographics, services and outcomes
- Understand the structure/purpose of NH MIS database
- Understand basic terminology – fields, records, files
- Run data reports
Donation Procurement – You will:
- Work with NH Development Department to learn the agency’s in-kind donation system, guidelines, policies and procedures
- Understand the process of recording and tracking in-kind donations
- Understand appropriate solicitation techniques (i.e, employing good customer services skills)
- Understand effective in-kind donation management skills (i.e., follow-up with donors)
Required Reporting
AmeriCorps reporting for contractual purposes, monthly program reporting support: youth attendance, youth surveys, volunteer attendance, volunteer surveys.
Service Conditions
Community
YELS is located in the High Point community of West Seattle, a mixed income Hope VI neighborhood, serving over 1200 families. Currently, there is a diverse range of residents and home owners both ethnically and economically speaking. Our youth live in homes where spoken languages may include Somali, Vietnamese, Spanish, Khmer and English. Youth in our program are adolescents and have a varying degree of abilities, skills, and social competencies.
Building
Our site has other service providers with whom we work closely to deliver an array of educational and social services to youth and adults. Our building is green-built, with Gold LEED pending certification. There is a large solar panel installation, rain gardens, and several other environmentally responsible features throughout the building and adjacent green space. There are currently free exercise classes for anyone in the community, including AmeriCorps members, offered twice weekly. Our member will have a dedicated workspace, computer, and access to voicemail.
Individual
In terms of physical, mental and emotional demands, a few key issues come to mind. Our member should be fit enough to engage in moderate physical activities such as gardening, playing catch and walking hilly terrain for up to a couple of miles. Our member should also have general stamina to keep up with adolescents and stay alert on days when field trips or activities may exceed an 8 hour day. Our member needs to keep a positive attitude when youth exhibit negative behaviors, keep clear professional boundaries with youth, and understand that many of our youth come from difficult backgrounds. Our youth need a firm, fair and consistent commitment from our member. Our member serves as a useful role model for making healthy choice, cultivating healthy relationships, and handling conflict in healthy ways.
To Apply
2. Read through job description
3. Click “Apply Now!” and follow the website’s instructions.
For questions about this position and how to apply, email americorps@nhwa.org |
