Work with school district(s) administration and staff to develop and implement a youth mentorship program aimed at redirecting youth from exclusionary discipline to community engagement. Develop relationships throughout the community for the purpose of connecting youth to community mentors. Provide all required reporting and feedback to the Coalition Coordinator and the school district staff regarding youth served through mentorship. Attend community meetings (online or in person) to build relationships with other organizations for the benefit of youth work in our programs. Work with youth support personnel in coalition youth programs, providing additional connections with youth as well as program development ideas and implementation. Assist coalition coordinator in program marketing and tracking. Assist with data for grant writing process. Develop programming to support prevention and intervention for different age groups. Lead community trainings in youth related topics.
Prairie Ridge Community Coalition is a grant funded community organization working from Prairie Ridge, an unincorporated Pierce County community outside of Bonney Lake WA. Utilizing partnerships with other organizations and funding from multiple sources, we focus our work on reducing violence to and from youth. This work can take many forms – strengthening parenting skills in families, making fun and safe spaces for kids and families to grow, providing education and prevention information to promote healthy choices, encouraging community cohesion, and making connections to resources needed for at risk and marginalized community members. We do much of our work at a centralized location in the Prairie Ridge location, giving people a consistent place to meet.
Service Activities
- Attend monthly community organization meetings to network with organizations
- Network in the community to develop relationships with business and organizations that can support youth in mentorship.
- Work with others, inside and outside of the school district, for the development of sustainable programming to support at risk youth.
- Complete any self or supervisor directed training to support trauma informed work
- Participate in regular professional development, team-building, and service activities
- Develop and implement strategy to connect with youth through social media and interaction to encourage involvement in pro-social activities
- Assist with activities directed at resourcing for families and youth including resource acquisition and event organization and execution
- Track information regarding youth and families served and provide to supervisor in agreed upon intervals
- Intentionally develop healthy relationships with neighborhood youth
- Provide prevention education for youth and families
- Maintain positive relationship with program partners
- Update social media posts weekly and implement a communication plan
Community Need Addressed
Young people often come into contact with the criminal justice system as a result of normal adolescent behavior, such as taking risks and pushing boundaries. Due to institutional racism and implicit bias, this happens more often for Black and Brown youth through the over-policing of communities of color, racial profiling, and disproportionate minority sentencing. The isolation and stigma surrounding criminal justice system involvement create additional barriers preventing youth and young adults from achieving their full potential. Protective factors, such as participation in positive youth development programs and connection to caring adults, can create safe and supportive environments for youth that prevent and reduce contact with the criminal justice system.
Position Outcomes
The Imagine Justice Project is a collaborative Pierce County effort to strengthen youth development and advance equitable, community-centered justice systems. One of the primary strategies of the Imagine Justice program is to leverage AmeriCorps volunteers to build the capacity of local organizations to provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed positive youth development programs, and services.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training
Education Benefits
Skills and knowledge related to positive youth development
Skills you will gain
Trauma-informed care, adverse childhood experiences, Youth Program Quality (YPQ) methods, implicit bias, systemic racism, social-emotional learning
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment