AmeriCorps Massachusetts Promise Fellow
SquashBusters Boston, 9th Grade
AmeriCorps Massachusetts Promise Fellows deliver the resources young people need to be successful in life by creating, managing, and leading meaningful out-of-school time programs for youth in grades 6-12. Fellow projects focus on college and career exploration and/or academic enrichment.
The Massachusetts Promise Fellowship achieves this by placing AmeriCorps Fellows with schools, non-profit organizations and state/local government agencies that focus on fulfilling the needs of our youth by providing: a caring adult, a safe place, a healthy start, a marketable skill, and an opportunity to give back.
Service Description
The SquashBusters Massachusetts Promise Fellows will work alongside other staff to help support the incoming 9th grade cohort. The Fellow is responsible for supporting the academic and personal development of approximately 25 high school students on the SquashBusters Boston team through a holistic approach that focuses on building strong relationships with them, their families, and school partners. The primary roles of the fellowship include academic support, classroom management, and curriculum development/delivery focused around team building and goal setting, post-secondary and career exploration, professional skill development, and healthy physical and mental habits among others. Fellows will learn to juggle the many moving parts in youth development including: volunteer recruitment and management, homework support, enrichment session preparation and facilitation, parent communication, academic tracking and support (including school communication).
Essential Responsibilities
- Organize and oversee daily classroom homework sessions connecting students with volunteers and assisting where needed
- Closely monitor students’ academic progress and communicate regularly with appropriate school staff
- Collaborate with colleagues in formulating, implementing and evaluating academic enrichment curriculum
- Help students connect to external opportunities (summer employment opportunities, SAT prep, internships, etc.)
- Collaborate and communicate with SquashBusters staff, families, and community partners
- Participate in community service projects and field trips
- Assist in supporting academic volunteers with heavy involvement in recruitment.
- A fellow with a driver’s license to assist in helping drive students to and from matches, team trips, community service projects, summer camps, etc. a plus.
- Complete required MPF data and evaluation requirements
- Travel at least once/month for Fellowship meetings, retreats, and training throughout the Commonwealth
- Make a full-time, 10.5 month commitment
Qualifications
- Spanish language proficiency is a big plus
- Comfortability in tutoring environments and with supporting students’ academic development
- Strong group facilitation skills
- Reliable, responsible, consistent, engaged, self-reflective, and open to receiving and giving feedback
- Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from a variety of backgrounds
- Thrives in a collaborative and fast-paced environment
- Strong communication skills
- Valid driver’s license is ideal
- Ability to work independently and take initiative
- Excellent organizational and communication skills
- Deep belief in the power and potential of young people to create social change
- Experience working with youth
- Passionate about social justice and working with diverse communities
- Must be a US Citizen, US National or Permanent Resident Alien
- Must be willing to undergo a National Service Criminal History Check, including screenings through the National Sex Offender Public Website, a name-based search of the statewide criminal history registry both in Massachusetts and your state of residence upon application to our program (if not Massachusetts), and a fingerprint based FBI check.
* Eligibility to participate in MPF is contingent on the results of this screening
Fellow Schedule: Monday-Thursday 10am-7pm, Friday 10am-6pm.
Occasional Saturday commitments. If a fellow works Saturday they are off on the Friday before.
Site Location: 795 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02120
Supervisor Name: Mikhail Darlington, Supervisor Email: m.darlington@squashbusters.org
Benefits
Benefits
For an 10.5 month, full-time commitment and 1,700 hours of AmeriCorps service Fellows receive:
A taxable living allowance of up to $20,000/year ♦ Excellent training opportunities ♦FREE courses at Northeastern University in the College of Professional Studies & discounted courses upon successfully completing the service year♦ Loan forbearance and an up to $6,495 educational award ♦ Travel reimbursement 15+ miles for Fellow monthly meetings ♦ career coaching and support ♦ Healthcare benefits
Contact Information
Apply ASAP! Applicants are hired on a rolling basis.
Visit here to complete a general application and upload your letter of interest, resume and contact info for three references ASAP..
More Info
- Selection decisions will be made on or before July 28, 2021. All position offers will be provisional until 2022-2023 federal funding has been confirmed
- Program start date is August 15th, 2022
- More information about SquashBusters Boston and the youth program can be found at www.squashbusters.org
- Visit masspromisefellows.org for detailed program information
The Massachusetts Promise Fellowship {MPF) is on equal opportunity employer. At MPF, we do not just accept difference – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, youth, and our community. We require that all our partners make reasonable accommodations for interviews and service for any and all individuals with a permanent or temporary disability. We actively partner with organizations representing minority concerns and interests to build high-performing teams that mirror the communities we serve.