Position Opening: 

Lead Staff for YouthPower 2023-2024 School Year

Leadership Institutes for Black Youth

Position: Lead Staff for YouthPower 2023-2024 School Year
Position Status: Contract for duration of school year 
Estimated Duration: September 9, 2023 – June 16, 2024
Hours: Full-time position; hours vary depending on program needs. Most common hours are 10AM-6:30PM, M-F, with occasional weekend and overnight hours required.
Reports to: Director of Youth Services/Executive Director
Salary range: $42,000-$44,000 annualized, paid bi-weekly. Benefits eligible (medical, dental, vision, life/ad&d, flex spending, SIMPLE IRA)
Posting Date: September 9, 2022
Close date: Open until filled


JOB DESCRIPTION & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Lead Staff is responsible for planning and staffing the YouthPower Leadership Institutes 2023-2024 session.

YouthPower is a youth-led organizing and advocacy hub. Eligible participants for the 2023-2024 School Year Session are Black Youth ages 13-19 who are current or previous participants in St. Paul Youth Services' Behavior Intervention or Pre-Charge Diversion programs. Eligible, interested youth complete an application and interview process. The application is focused on leadership, goals, skills, hopes, and dreams. Youth participants earn stipends for their full participation.

The Lead Staff will co-lead the design and implementation of the 2023-2024 School Year Session with experienced youth leaders from previous YouthPower sessions for Black Youth "train-the-trainer" model. 

Youth will engage in a semi-structured curriculum of Healing & Identity, Exploration & Innovation, and Policy Change. They will participate in site visits and community forums, identify and develop individual strengths and goals, learn practices for self- and community care, participate in cooperative leadership strategies, engage in critical analysis and creative thinking, prioritize issues, imagine solutions, and communicate their priorities to policymakers and hold them accountable.

The Lead Staff is responsible for designing daily activities aligned with the overall curriculum to ensure the completion of specific experiences and outcomes; establish and practice a culture of high expectations and accountability and high support; organize and lead the day-to-day programming; and document activities and progress. Depending on qualifications and experience, the Lead Staff may also co-lead additional trainings with youth on YouthPowered practices.

YouthPower believes in creating a community that wraps its arms around our youth, and the Lead Staff will be part of a dynamic team including the Executive Director and other staff and issue experts who provide strategic and staffing support.

We seek a dynamic, creative, organized, and compassionate individual with a demonstrated commitment to partnering with youth to heal, grow, learn, express themselves, and dismantle systems of oppression.

RESPONSIBILITIES & REQUIRED SKILLS

Proven ability to:

  • design, successfully execute, and evaluate a program for youth in which Black Youth were the primary participants

  • design a curriculum and lesson plans

  • develop individualized learning plans

  • engage youth in program planning

  • to build community, create rituals and set clear expectations - preparing space, clean up, building communities

  • follow data collection and analyst expectations.

  • facilitate to different learning styles

  • balance big-picture strategy with day-to-day activities to ensure outcomes are achieved

  • form and sustain positive 1-on-1 relationships with youth, foster teamwork among youth, and maintain healthy professional boundaries

  • manage and support a team including allocating responsibilities, leveraging strengths, and developing skills

  • follow through on commitments and communicate any changes to plans in a timely way

  • form creative partnerships and identify and secure (non-financial) resources needed to achieve a goal

  • communicate high expectations and hold youth accountable in ways that allow them to learn and grow

  • engage a diverse range of personalities and learning styles

  • analyze situations with nuance, engage in systems thinking and analysis of power dynamics and structural barriers, engage in and elicit imaginative thinking, facilitate constructive, inclusive discussions, synthesize complex topics into accessible language and draw on multiple strategies to ensure youth comprehension, participation, and engagement

  • positively engage and regularly communicate with families of participants

  • Demonstrated commitment to youth work as skilled work

  • Demonstrated commitment to families as loving experts

  • Demonstrated commitment to racial equity and inclusion

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including presentations and public speaking

  • Excellent judgement, constructive problem-solving skills, and ability to maintain confidentiality

  • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

  • Self-motivated and ability to work effectively as a member of a team

  • Positive attitude, flexibility, and growth mindset

  • Asset-based, intersectional view of youth and commitment to centering youth voice

  • Ability to hold youth accountable in a constructive and compassionate way

  • Passion for St. Paul Youth Services’ mission and values

  • Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion, equity, and cultural responsiveness

  • High level of personal and professional integrity

PROFESSIONAL / EDUCATIONAL & RELATED REQUIREMENTS

  • 4 years of experience working directly with designing and/or facilitation curriculum for Black Youth in a classroom or community setting

  • 4 years of experiences aligning youth work with outcomes

  • Demonstrated expertise in areas such as youth development, mentoring, human relations, wellness, restorative justice, the arts, education, and/or recreation

  • Familiarity with public systems including education, health, housing, juvenile justice, employment, economic development, and how these systems intersect

  • Understanding of trauma-informed care, culturally-responsive healing, racism and other systems of power and oppression – relating specifically to Black youth

  • High School Diploma or Equivalency

  • BA degree, or some college in a relevant field, is preferred but not required

  • CPR or First Aid training and certification is preferred

  • Must have current driver’s license, clean driving record, and proof of insurance

  • Must successfully complete the pre-employment process for the position, including a job-relevant criminal background check

  • Must have the flexibility to travel overnight

TO APPLY

● Please apply using the following link: https://forms.gle/YjYea4BLWajauvz8A

● No calls or inquires please.

The selection process will include a portfolio review in which final candidates will be asked to submit some original work such as a curriculum, project case study, video documentation or other evidence of their program design and execution skills.

St. Paul Youth Services is an affirmative action/ equal opportunity employer. Candidates from underrepresented communities and bilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.