Community Organizer For Close To Home Youth Network

Background

Close to Home envisions a future where all people and organizations play an active role in responding to and preventing domestic and sexual violence, so the despair, silence and isolation shrouding the issue today is replaced with hope, connection, understanding, and action. Our mission is to foster community-wide responsibility to prevent and reduce the impact of domestic and sexual violence.  We are building and supporting networks of community residents and organizations in local neighborhoods that want to take action and address the problem of domestic violence together.  Close to Home believes that domestic and sexual violence are critical community issues and that all community members—youth, residents, families, friends, neighbors, civic leaders, and organizational partners—are essential to designing and implementing the solutions to the problem.

The Close to Home youth team is a group of local youth organizers who are committed to raising awareness about and acting to prevent domestic and sexual violence within their communities. Specifically, the Youth Team understands the impact that teen dating violence has on the lives of their peers and friends.  Members have dedicated themselves to addressing this issue extensively. In addition the youth team works to empower and strengthen their community in Fields Corner and to leverage their role as young leaders to act for positive social change together with their peers in the Greater Boston Area primarily through school-based action.

Job Description

We are currently seeking an organizer who brings experience with broad-based community organizing and/or community development/social justice/social change as well as experience working with teenagers.  Ideal candidates would use their energy to build relationships with local youth, officials, and stakeholders inside and outside the Fields Corner neighborhood as well as within the various systems that impact/interact with youth.  Working with a team of paid youth and a part time youth coordinator, the organizer would coordinate campaigns and activities to address issues of concern to members of the Fields Corner community and to address the issue of Teen Dating Violence among young people in the Greater Boston Area. The organizer would also work to facilitate the self-empowerment and leadership development of the Close To Home youth team, to prepare them to play a leading role within their communities.

The organizer would work 30 - 40 hours a week.  This work would include weekly meetings with the Close To Home staff and youth team, coordinating trainings on Teen Dating Violence, networking and building relationships with community stakeholders, and building relationships within the youth/youth work community in the City.  While it is not necessary that the organizer be a resident of Fields Corner, he or she should be familiar with the neighborhood and comfortable working in it.  Candidates from all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Primary Responsibilities

• Function well as part of a team of organizers that shares strengths and maintains consistent standards in the fields of community organizing, community development, domestic and sexual violence prevention, and teen dating violence prevention.
• Identify and partner with local groups such as Community Based Organizations, youth service providers, grassroots groups, and city/state agencies.
• Develop and maintain communication with a broad coalition of grassroots groups working to empower youth and/or to prevent and end Teen Dating Violence.
• Coordinate youth meetings, trainings, and forums
• Contribute towards the development of program goals, objectives and activities.
• Contribute towards the preparation of grant proposals and reports.
• Effectively manage youth employees.
• Facilitate youth participation, leadership and ownership in collective decision-making processes
• Help the youth team to identify issues to address that are realistic, with attainable goals, that promote wider youth involvement.
• Design and conduct youth leadership and life skills training, catered to specific community needs
• Organize and supervise youth peer trainers for youth-led workshops.
• Integrate youth organizing with long-term, community-driven policy change efforts
• Represent Close To Home and work with youth to advocate for themselves with media and government agencies
• Evaluate program using measurable outcomes.
• Work well as a member of the Close To Home team towards the advancement of the organizational vision and mission.
• Provide support and work in solidarity with the Youth Coordinator.

Qualifications

Community organizing experience strongly preferred. Minimum of 2 years experience working with youth. Ability to work effectively with young people from diverse backgrounds.  Understanding of youth development principles. Understanding of the dynamics of oppression and violence within the society. Extensive experience in training, curriculum design and delivery preferred. Applicant must work well both collaboratively and independently.  Organization, written and verbal communication skills and proficient in MS Office a must. Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Criollo, or Vietnamese speaking a plus. Flexible schedule with ability to work occasional evenings and weekends. 

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Contact:

Please send a letter of interest that answers at least three of  the following questions:

Why are you interested in this position?

What principles do you bring to your work with communities?

What is your personal vision for Dorchester?

What is your community organizing experience?

What is you approach to working with young people?

Please send your letter of interest, resume and list of at least three references to:
Aisha Shillingford; Program Director/Lead Organizer at info@c2home.org with the
subject: Community Organizer for Youth Network

We will be accepting applications until July 29th, 2011.