Youth Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Salary : - Typical hiring range : $20.18 $22.19 DOE

This is a part-time 32 hour a week position (with the flexibility to work up to 35 hours periodically based on program needs).

The Youth Specialist Gilpin is responsible for the planning and delivery of youth programming in Warren Village’s Gilpin campus of transitional housing for single parent families.

The Youth Specialist fosters an environment in which elementary and middle school-aged children feel safe, have fun, and engage in enriching activities in Kids’ Club, a structured, supportive group setting.

The Youth Specialist also engages in one-on-one assessment, goal setting, and mentoring with youth participants, and supports parents / caregivers with facilitation of youth-related resources and referrals.

Youth programming focuses on social-emotional development and increasing overall wellness and academic success.

Warren Village recognizes that our backgrounds are broad, and our talents are many, from different lived experiences. We value and leverage our differences to encompass and reflect the communities we serve.

We align our policies, practices and resources so that people of all races, cultures, identities and socioeconomic status may feel valued and respected.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities :

• Establish supportive, trusting, and positive relationships with children.
• Intentionally strengthen youth programming in accordance with Warren Village’s 2-Gen model.
• Design, implement, coordinate and facilitate developmentally appropriate evening enrichment activities that include social, emotional, intellectual, physical and creative experiences with the expectation of helping them grow academically and holistically.
• Responsible for direct supervision and management of a group of children in a safe and caring environment and maintaining a structured, clean and organized environment for children.
• Conduct Kids’ Club enrollment meetings with new participants and establish supportive, trusting, and positive relationships with parents.
• Coordinate and manage Kids’ Club volunteers, in partnership with the Volunteer Coordinator.
• Maintain relationships with individual and organizational community partners and seek to create new partnerships for Kids’ Club.
• Work collaboratively with supervisor to help develop Kids’ Club budget annually.
• Coordinate and facilitate summer activities for youth participants that complement other offerings in the community.
• Utilize a Mobility Mentoring® approach to engage in one-on-one assessment, goal setting, and coaching with a caseload of 8-16 youth.
• Utilize case management skills with parents / caregivers to assist in resource and referral navigation, relating to family and children’s needs.
• Provide task supervision for interns, if needed.
• Assist with resident community events.
• Communicate effectively and problem solve as necessary with youth and parents.
• Responsible for data collection and entry related to youth programming, daily communication through email and utilization of current technology, Warren Village databases, and Microsoft programs.
• Work with team to develop outcome measures and evaluation tools, including parent surveys if needed, to help demonstrate program efficacy and social-emotional growth of Kids’ Club participants.

Other duties as assigned.

Competencies :

• Experience working with children and basic understanding of child development.
• Experience working with low-income, diverse populations.
• Strong belief in the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion; the wisdom of lived experience; and the innate strengths and power of all people.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Must be able to receive constructive feedback, communicate directly, have a sense of humor and positive outlook, and enjoy working as a part of a team.
• Work environment encourages individual creativity, collaboration, teamwork and professional accountability.
• Technology systems aptitude. Demonstrated proficiency of Microsoft Office products.
• Detail orientated and organized and able to work independently, with accuracy under limited supervision.
• Ability to have professional working relationships with parents and youth that is empathetic, respectful, and non-judgmental.
• Must be committed to Warren Village’s mission and culture.

Minimum Qualifications :

• Must be 21 years of age.
• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Proven track record of managing a large group of children in a school, afterschool, camp, or other similar setting and designing enriching activities for children.

Required / Preferred education and / or experience :

• Bilingual (Spanish, French, Arabic or Swahili) highly preferred.
• Associate’s degree in social work, Human Services, Education, or another related field.

Work Environment :

Frequent indoor activities in an office environment to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc. combined with consistent exposure to outdoor conditions, weather permitting.

Physical Demands :

Frequently required to stand while working with child ren , walk and sit; using hand and finger dexterity; talk or hear. Occasionally required to climb, balance, bend, stoop, kneel or crawl.

Frequently operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine and computer printer as well as craft activities.

Constantly positions self to maintain equipment, including under desks. Frequently communications clearly and concisely with children.

residents, staff and volunteers. Must be able to observe children’s activities, indoors and outdoors, utilizing established safety protocols.

Occasionally lifts up to 40 Lbs.