Job Description

About Youth Communication

Youth Communication provides powerful, teen-written stories and professional development to help educators and youth workers connect with the teens they serve and build their social and emotional competencies and literacy skills. Our professional development and curricula are based entirely on true stories written by teens in YC’s intensive writing workshops. That makes YC’s programs and services exceptionally engaging and uniquely culturally responsive to students who are furthest from opportunity.

Overview of role

Youth Communication is seeking a skilled educator with expertise in the principles of culturally responsive education, designing and conducting professional development for teachers and school staff, and adolescent social and emotional learning. The Director of Culturally Responsive Education (DCRE) will work closely with the Senior Director of Education Programs, the Director of Training, and our team of trainers to bring Youth Communication’s story-based professional development to schools and school districts across the country.

The ideal candidate for this role has a passion for YC’s mission, anti-racist education, a strengths-based approach to working with adolescents, and the power of storytelling to create change. The DCRE will be responsible for creating and conducting a series of professional development workshops with the goal to cultivate the mindsets educators need to create culturally responsive and inclusive school communities, particularly for students of color. They will bring their own expertise in supporting marginalized youth and use a soon-to-be-published casebook that melds educational theory and teen-written stories developed in partnership with a professor at City University of New York’s Hunter College as the basis for these workshops. Additionally, the DCRE will develop workshop descriptions, learning objectives, and story-based training agendas on supporting students whose identities as young people of color intersect with marginalized gender identities, sexualities, dis/abilities, national origins, and religions.

The DCRE will regularly conduct professional development sessions on site at schools (in NYC and beyond) and remotely via videoconference and, in collaboration with the Director of Training, support our team of trainers in doing the same.

This position requires the ability to be collaborative and creative, as well as a strong desire and ability to build a professional development program from the ground up. This is a new position at Youth Communication, and the ideal candidate will be flexible, entrepreneurial, and resourceful. The DCRE will be joining a team of educators committed to learning and self-reflection, maintaining a rewarding work-life balance, and being a part of a community at work.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

·      Collaborate with the Executive Director, Senior Director of Education Programs, and our academic partner at Hunter College to create a story-based professional development model using a soon-to-be published book of educational theories on culturally responsive education, using YC stories as case studies.

·      Use YC’s story-based method to create and deliver professional development sessions to district/school administrators, building educators, and others who work with youth to increase their knowledge of the experiences and strengths of students of all races, gender identities, sexual orientations, nationalities, and abilities.

·      Collaborate with Partnership Manager to ensure successful delivery of contracted professional development services.

·      Collaborate with the Director of Training to onboard new trainers to YC’s professional development model and methods. The DCRE will also work with the Director of Training to schedule additional trainers for professional development sessions, as needed.

·      Collaborate with the Director of Evaluation to develop, implement, and analyze post-PD session surveys.

·      Liaise with YC’s editorial department and curriculum development team to keep informed of the true, teen-written stories that are being developed for publication, suggest editorial directions that would be useful for professional development purposes, and stay connected to what our writers—and thus teens, in general—are most concerned about.

·      Build relationships with district and school personnel, as well as other education professionals, to further desired outcomes, continued partnership, and YC’s thought leadership in the field.

·      Provide feedback to YC’s curriculum writing and training teams on creating educational and professional development experiences that align with YC’s and our partners’ diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

·      Identify regional and national conferences themed on culturally responsive education/equity in education/DEI in education to expand YC’s national exposure. Develop proposals for story-based presentations at these conferences, manage submissions, and deliver presentations when accepted. (Some travel may apply.)

·      Serve as an additional trainer for our SEL program orientation and follow-up sessions, as needed.

Qualifications:

·      A background in education, including teaching experience or equivalent direct work with adolescents, and an advanced degree in education or similar field. Experience as a school or district administrator is desired but not required.

·      Deep knowledge of the principles of culturally responsive education and how to create school communities that are welcoming for youth of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, nationalities, and levels of ability.

·      Demonstrated success implementing culturally responsive education practices with adolescents in and out of classrooms.

·      Experience designing and conducting professional development for a wide range of educators.

·      The ability to create brave learning spaces that encourage vulnerability and risk-taking among participants.

·      Comfort facilitating professional development sessions that might push people out of their own comfort zones, especially in regards to discussions about race and educational equity.

·      Experience with qualitative and quantitative forms of program evaluation and continuous improvement processes to ensure desired outcomes preferred.

·      Familiarity with and/or interest in social science research and how it applies to educational practice.

·      Excellent written and oral communication skills.

·      Strong computer skills, including fluency operating a variety of videoconferencing platforms, navigating databases, and using the collaborative function of word processing and other documents.

·      Demonstrated ability to work on a highly collaborative team to meet departmental and organizational goals.

·      Desire to learn and grow in an organization that is expanding its reach and impact.

·      A commitment to anti-racist education and creating sustainable and inclusive communities for all adolescents.

Salary: $75,000 – $85,000

How to Apply

Please email a cover letter that describe your interest in Youth Communication and its work, and resume that clearly conveys your experience and qualifications to careers@youthcomm.org. People of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Candidates will be contacted for interviews on a rolling basis. Please no phone calls. We are unable to respond to all applications. Youth Communication is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in its work and staff. YC’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action related policies are available upon request. For more information, please reference our hiring process and commitment to diversity.

Bureaus: New York. Job Categories: Full-Time. Job Types: Instructional Support. Salaries: 80,000 - 100,000.