Job description

About U. S Dream Academy

U.S. Dream Academy has a 24- year history of academic skill-building, character development, and dream-building through mentoring, trained staff, and local/national partnerships to uplift youth experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACES) with a special focus on children of incarcerated parents (COIP). These youths often live in under-invested communities with high rates of crime, high rates of poverty, and limited high-quality educational opportunities.

We currently operate in seven cities in partnership with schools and churches located in high-poverty communities in Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; Houston, TX; Orlando, FL; Salt Lake City, UT; San Bernardino, CA; and Washington, DC; and this past year we expanded our mentoring program to reach more children impacted by incarceration to include Chicago and Atlanta through our partnership with Prison Fellowship Ministries.

Basic Function

Under the direction of the Center Director, the Mentoring Assistant is responsible for supporting the virtual mentoring program. The Mentoring Assistant is responsible for assisting the Mentor Coordinator with the recruitment and screening of virtual mentors along with tracking mentor engagement through session attendance records. The Mentoring Assistant will assist with the implementation of comprehensive recruitment strategies and outreach activities to educate the community about the U.S. Dream Academy and its virtual mentoring opportunities. To perform this job successfully, the Mentoring Assistant must be able to perform each essential duty with experience and must be experienced navigating a variety of virtual platforms including but not limited to Zoom, Google Meets and Social Media Networks. And perform other duties the position may require. The requirements listed below are representative of the competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities, and education required.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

Virtual Volunteer/Mentor Recruitment and Screening

• Assist with recruiting and screening potential virtual mentors according to Dream Academy policies and procedures.
• Host Virtual Mentoring Info Sessions and Recruitment Events to introduce individuals to the mentoring opportunity.
• Proactively contact potential virtual mentors providing them with the application link and guide them through the online screening process.
• Host group interviews to screen potential mentors.
• Work in partnership with Mentor Coordinator to develop quarterly mentor recruitment strategies that include social networking technology, i.e. Facebook or Twitter, to ensure sufficient mentors to meet learning center mentor match goals.
• Communicate all concerns regarding mentor(s) and/or mentee(s) to the Center Director
• Model positive behavior for mentees, mentors, and volunteers to include, patience, kindness, and encouragement.
• Consistently completes all work products and services on time.

Volunteer Management and Match Support

• Conduct appropriate screening and orientation that will utilize each virtual mentor effectively based on their area(s) of interest.
• Assist Mentor Coordinator with determining suitable mentor/mentee matching pairs utilizing Dream Academy matching criteria, mentor interviews, and personal knowledge of Dream Academy participants.
• Support with monitoring and/or facilitating mentor/mentee sessions as needed.

Documentation and Professional Development

• Conduct meticulous weekly documentation of the recruitment, screening and training process
• Work with Mentor Coordinator to gather information in preparation of quarterly narrative reports on progress of the virtual mentoring program.
• Meet or exceed previously expressed goals for professional development.
• Accept constructive feedback and correction from supervisor and seek to enhance competencies in stated areas.
• Use time efficiently while balancing team and individual responsibilities.
• Adhere to Dream Academy’s guidelines for recruiting and managing mentors.

Job Requirements

• Must be passionate about youth development; and support and work with youth in high risk communities and their families.
• Must have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills and be able to effectively communicate in a public forum, with a diverse population; and be able to effectively communicate with competence and passion about the mentor/volunteer program.
• Flexible and able to work the hours necessary to complete all assignments according to agreed upon timelines.
• Organized, efficient, and able to successfully function in a fast paced and demanding work environment supporting multiple key staff.
• Exceptional ability to write clearly, effectively, and informatively; demonstrating accuracy and thoroughness.
• Understand issues surrounding incarceration and the impact on families.
• Able to effectively manage competing demands, multiple tasks/projects, and meet deadlines on time and within budget.
• Ability to skillfully create and present PowerPoint presentations using MS Office applications, database, and spreadsheet software.
• Proficient in internet navigation, virtual video conference platforms (i.e. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams) and social networking technology.
• Proficient in data collection, data entry, and documentation.
• Possess critical thinking skills to analyze and proactively question and offer recommendations.
• Demonstrate professionalism, political savvy, and skills to ensure that all tasks and deliverables are completed in an efficient, timely, and high quality manner.

Education and Experience

• High School Diploma required. Some college preferred.
• Minimum of two (2) years in an administrative support role or volunteer recruitment role. (Education can be substituted for experience).
• Experience working in a youth-supporting environment is preferred; familiarity working with elementary and middle school children in high-risk urban communities highly desired.
• Skilled in the use of common office machines, including but not limited to copy machines, fax machines, and phone systems.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to talk and hear.

• Required to sit for long periods of time.
• Able to work remote as well as in office when required.

Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision; color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.

Employer’s Rights

This position description provides a general overview and may not list all the duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisor to perform other duties related to your position and based upon organization priorities. You will be evaluated in large part based upon your performance of the deliverables and tasks listed in this position description. The employer retains the right to revise this position description at any time.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: From $17.50 per hour

Benefits:

• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

COVID-19 considerations:
The U.S. Dream Academy follows CDC-recommended guidelines to protect its employees, students, and community against COVID-19.

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Orlando, FL: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Application Question(s):

• Briefly share your experience working in a youth-supporting environment, particularly with elementary and middle school children in high-risk urban communities.

Education:

• Associate (Preferred)

Experience:

• Administrative: 2 years (Required)
• Google Suite: 2 years (Preferred)
• Volunteer Training: 2 years (Preferred)
• Volunteer Recruitment: 1 year (Required)
• Microsoft Office: 2 years (Required)

Language:

• Haitian Creole (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)

Work Location: In person

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