The AmeriCorps Team Lead is a key service role in the YouthPower365 Peak Pathfinder AmeriCorps program responsible for providing direct service to students and other members, serving as a mentor in both environments. Time allocation is 70% (840) hours or 76 hours a month direct service, 15% member support (180) hours or 16 hours a month, and 15% (180) hours or 16 hours a month program support. The AmeriCorps Team Lead will have a primary service site where they will provide direct service. Additionally, the Team Lead will spend 1-2 days a week with the AmeriCorps Manager doing drop-in visits to other service sites.
Service Activities
• Provide academic intervention and mentoring to at risk students in Eagle County Schools
• Assist AmeriCorps Manager with training and professional development plan implementation
• Empower other service members by growing and modeling life skills on a daily basis
• Help service members navigate life in Eagle River Valley
• Work with AmeriCorps Manager to lead Life After AmeriCorps program components and opportunities
• Support member mentorship and conflict resolution
• Organize and implement team building, social, and service activities
• Be an advocate for program codes of conduct and member behavior both in schools and in the community
• Serve as a role model of AmeriCorps and YouthPower365
• Other tasks as assigned by AmeriCorps Manager
Community Need Addressed
More than half of all students across Eagle County Schools are below reading and math benchmarks, and the course fail rate has doubled in the last year, now at 25%. Academic intervention and engagement are critical needs to support ECS’s most at-risk youth.
Suicide has become the fourth leading cause of death in Eagle County. More than 30% of ECS students have indicated they are clinically depressed and are struggling with engagement in school and in social activities, and that rate is higher for Hispanic students. Families/Caregivers are struggling to support their youth as they adapt to the ever-changing world and academic and mental health needs.
YouthPower365 believes that wrap-around supports, extended learning, mentoring, and family engagement are critical to address learning inequalities, which have only been exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating young adult mentors, or Peak Pathfinders, into these critical services during the school day, afterschool, and during summer months will increase the resiliency and connection to school necessary for youth to succeed academically and emotionally.
Position Outcomes
• 400 students (50% of most at-risk students at each school as identified by the schools early warning system) will receive 1:1 or group tutoring during the school day.
• 400 students (50% of most at-risk students at each school as identified by the schools early warming system) will be served in afterschool programs through Peak Pathfinders.
• 200 students (50 students at each school) will demonstrate improved academic performance and improved school attendance by June 2022.
• 400 students will benefit from near-peer mentorship, pro-social activities, and trusted adult relationships and experience increased connections to mentors by July 2022.
• 100 students (50 at each high school) will experience increased academic engagement by July 200. High school students will engage in at least 1 afterschool activity, club, or workshop per academic quarter.
• 100 students (50 at each middle school) will experience increased social-emotional engagement.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Housing, Living allowance, Relocation allowance (if applicable), Student loan forbearance, Training
This position offers housing in one of our three housing units. All costs for the housing are covered including utilities and internet.
Education Benefits
Credential or Certification
The Peak Pathfinder program has 4 quarterly goals for members throughout their service term, listed below:
Identity and in Community: building trust and relationships. Diversity, equity, inclusivity, and belonging. Self-care. Youth Development. Organizational and community context.
Developing Practitioner Skills: Support and coaching. Pedagogy. Professional Relationships. Data-Informed Practice.
Goal-Oriented Agency: Excellence and Continuous Improvement. Recommitment. Reflection. Personal Balance.
Meaning-making and Legacy Planning: Testing and refining skills. Reflection. Moving forward. Celebration.
These goals will be accomplished through formal trainings, team building and reflection, and community engagement and service.
Skills you will gain
Leadership, communication, teamwork, youth development, pedagogy, tutoring, mentor and many more.
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
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, 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