Youth Leadership Development Program Coordinator

History

Compass was founded in 2011 as a ministry of Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church to serve homeless children in Springfield Public Schools - District 186. From 2012-2016, Compass was a program of the Family Service Center, and the program expanded its initial model to serve more schools, recruited additional partners, and added the Camp Compass summer learning program and Backpack Feeding Program. In 2016, Compass for Kids became an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide academic and social-emotional support to empower children and families underserved by our community. In 2023, we piloted a middle and high school program for our Club Compass alumni, the Youth Leadership Development Program. Our vision is that all children in our community experience success and reach their full potential.

Background

Currently, Compass for Kids has three programs - Club Compass, Camp Compass, and the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP).

1) Club Compass, the school-year, elementary-age, program, focuses on social-emotional learning, enrichment, and instilling a sense of belonging through consistent mentoring relationships. This program has a proven track record of improving participants’ social-emotional skills.

2) Camp Compass, the nationally-award winning summer learning program, prevents learning loss and closes the achievement and opportunity gaps between elementary-age low-income children and their higher-income peers through academic instruction and enrichment activities. This program, in partnership with Springfield Public Schools – District 186, has a proven track record of measurably increasing kids’ literacy, math, and social-emotional skills.

3) Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) is a new school-year program for middle and high school alumni of Club Compass that will prepare them to graduate from high school and be ready to achieve their dreams. The YLDP does this through implementing an evidence-based social-emotional curriculum, life and job skills classes, field trips, and service learning projects.

Job Summary

Compass for Kids is searching for a highly-motivated, organized, and dependable individual to coordinate a new (year 2) leadership program for alumni of the Club Compass program. The Coordinator will plan, prepare for, and oversee the activities for the weekly program that include social-emotional learning, life skills/job skills lessons, field trips, and community service learning opportunities. The Coordinator is the liaison between the students, parents, volunteers, school staff, and Compass for Kids, and therefore must be excellent at building relationships with all different types of people. The Coordinator will be a skilled professional experienced in working with middle and high school populations, as well as managing volunteers, coordinating, communicating, and juggling multiple priorities at the same time.

Reports to

School Year Program Manager

Responsibilities

Program Development and Coordination

Goal: implement a structured, consistent, high-quality program

• Planning and Preparation (e.g. volunteers, supplies, life skills/job skills/enrichment, social-emotional learning curriculum, family-style dinners, Backpack Feeding Program)
• Operations and logistics (e.g. yearlong calendar of life skills/job skills classes, field trips, college visits and job shadowing experiences; individualized roadmaps; volunteer assignments)
• Coordinating transportation arrangements, as well as transporting students (e.g. picking up students from school and transporting them to the YLDP site, driving for field trips, and also taking youth home when necessary) using their personal vehicle and/or company-owned vehicles
• Recruit, orient, train, manage, and support volunteers and programmatic partners
• Recruit and enroll youth participants

Relationship-Building, “Customer” Service, Recruitment, and Retention

• Volunteers
• Community Partners
• School Staff (e.g. Teachers, Secretaries, FACE Liaisons, Principals)
• Middle and high school youth - those enrolled in the program, as well as all Compass alumni
• Parents/guardians/families

Recordkeeping/Data tracking

• Youth
• School: attendance, behavior referrals, assessments, grades
• Club Compass activities: Attendance and evaluation, social-emotional curriculum pre- and post-surveys, other assessments, etc.
• Success stories
• Volunteers: contact information, hours

Qualifications

• Knowledge of/experience with youth development programs, specifically tailored to middle school and high school students, preferred
• Knowledge/experience of needs of underserved students, preferred
• Excellent relationship building skills
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, including public speaking
• Strong computer skills and experience with Microsoft Office and internet-based applications (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, etc.)
• Conscientious
• Strong organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• Time management and prioritization - ability to plan ahead and take initiative, and manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Work independently and as part of a team - Ability to thrive in a small team, shared office environment
• Resolve conflict peacefully
• Be flexible and adaptable

Requirements

• Ability to be on feet for long periods of time
• Bachelor’s degree, preferred
• Two years’ experience working with underserved youth ages 13-18, required
• Experience managing volunteers, preferred
• Valid driver’s license, dependable transportation, and car insurance
• Ability to successfully pass a criminal background and motor vehicle record check
• Food Manager’s certification (can be completed once hired)

Compensation

This is a part-time position at 20-25 hours per week. The pay rate is $20/ hour.

The position is seasonal from August - May. However, candidates may be eligible to work at our summer program, Camp Compass in June and July.

Weekly hours

The candidate must be available from 11 AM - 7 PM on Wednesdays during the school year when the Youth Leadership Development Program is in session. The remainder of the weekly hours are flexible and may take place between regular business hours of 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. Occasional nights and weekends will be required for special events.

How to apply

Send a cover letter and resume to:

vyvyan@compassforkids.org

or by mail at:

Compass for Kids

1201 S. 4th St

Springfield, IL 62703