Empower urban youth through environmental exploration and leadership in New Haven, CT!

Overview of Solar Youth, Inc.:

SOLAR YOUTH, INC. is a New Haven-based non-profit youth development and environmental education organization. Solar Youth empowers youth from New Haven’s low income neighborhoods to achieve lifelong success. Through programs that connect youth to the environment, their communities and each other, youth build the skills and motivations necessary to be positive contributors to their community, have healthy relationships, be physically and mentally healthy, and become economically self-sufficient.

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to lead the development of a program that helps young people succeed? That creates meaningful opportunities for youth to build the skills they need to succeed while also making an impact on their communities and environment?  We work with youth who reside in New Haven’s low income communities who are faced with incredible challenges such as poverty, crime and violence in their neighborhoods, and are in great need of positive supports and opportunities to succeed.  Through our neighborhood-based programs, youth explore their environment, learn the skills and joys of being agents of positive change, and teach what they have learned to others (Kids Explore! Kids Do! Kids Teach!).

Overview of Programs Staff Roles at Solar Youth:

The role of an Educator at Solar Youth is unique and complex. Solar Youth Educators quickly fall into a role that requires them to master a hybridized skillset of science and environmental education, youth work and social emotional learning. 

While Educators teach youth about nature, sustainability and outdoor skills, the environment is just one tool to help youth build the skills and competencies to be successful in life. Other tools include service learning and building long term relationships with youth over time (SY Stewards, as we call them, can start at 5 years old and continue through high school); teaching and modeling nonviolent communication; teaching and modeling mindfulness techniques and practices; youth-led problem solving; and opportunities for youth to have a voice in individual programs and organizational leadership.  We emphasize supporting positive, thoughtful, informed choices, personal responsibility, second, third and hundredth chances and having FUN. 

Solar Youth is looking for enthusiastic, positive individuals who want to support the success of the young people we serve and the organization.  So if you are looking for job that gives you the opportunity to work with kids in the outdoors in an urban environment (New Haven is a great small city with amazing community and an outstanding parks system), teach young people how to solve problems constructively, create positive change and be part of a team where you have a voice in developing the future, Solar Youth may be the perfect place for you.

The role of a Solar Youth Educator is large, but below are some of the key responsibilities:

• Curriculum development and management
• Program delivery
• Program evaluation, program data collection and entry
• Training and mentoring of teenage interns
• Full-time educators take on additional organizational roles based on their skills and interests (such as grant writing, social media, program development, resource development, and donor management). 

Roles specific to Program  Coordinators:

• Curriculum development and management
• Develop and update curriculum
• Document curriculum including lesson plans, schedules, materials, etc.
• Deliver pre/post materials

Program delivery:

• Teach the program
• Attend field trips

Outcome measurement:

• Salesforce record entry
• Outline outcome measurement plan
• Continually collect information and feedback for program assessment
• Write program outcome report at end of season, and funder reports when need

Train and Mentor Teenage Interns:

• Plan and administer training for staff
• Attend and help facilitate portions of staff training
• Training in pedagogy and skills of environmental education

Supervision:

• Train, support and directly supervise Educators as needed
• Represent the interests of the program you lead
• Act as Summer Camp Director as required by staffing needs

Qualifications:

Commitment to Solar Youth’s 5 organizational values (interdependence, stewardship, kindness, excellence and fun)!  See solaryouth.org/our-values.
Self-motivation, flexibility, teamwork and patience

REQUIRED:

• Openness to and desire to learn and teach mindfulness activities and nonviolent communication required
• Commitment to and enthusiasm for continued personal and professional development
• Determination, humility and strong ethic of care for self and others
• Highly resilient and emotionally intelligent
• Superior communication skills
• High energy and passion for supporting and teaching youth of all ages
• Passion for working with youth of all ages REQUIRED
• Previous experience leading, organizing and teaching youth in formal or informal
• Settings, especially late preschool/early elementary and high school students or upper elementary youth and high school youth
• Bachelor’s Degree or greater (ideally in something related to the environment or education, but not required)
• Youth Development experience
• Summer camp direction experience
• Experience working with urban youth preferred
• Science and/or outdoor education experience
• Passion for outdoor experiences (e.g., hiking, gardening, backpacking, farming, etc.) required
• First aid & CPR certified

Start Date: 

May 2017

Hours:        

Full-time, year round: 40+ hours per week; position will include some weekends for adventure trips and at least 1 overnight retreat per year and mandatory staff trainings