Overview
Position Summary: The Life Coach is the central staff member to a set of programmatic enrichment, prevention and intervention strategies designed to support the holistic development of Children’s Aid Next Generation Center. The designated coach will work with foster care Middle/High School students under the daily supervision of the Social Work Supervisor who works under the direction of the Director of Youth Empowerment to develop and teach Life Skills to youth and their family, provide group sessions, foster and uphold the balance of parent and school communication, monitor student academic development, help develop appropriate social skills through events and field trips, and coordinate additional resources for students and their families relevant to familial enrichment, prevention and intervention.
Key Responsibilities:
- Help Middle school and High school students set and achieve academic and non-academic goals
- Ensure that each student has a set of achievable yearly goals and an action plan that have been developed with the input of the student, teachers, and parents/caregivers
- Use the tools and resources provided to track student progress around these goals that are aligned to larger outcomes in the areas of Attendance, Self-Efficacy, Life Skills, Avoiding Risky Behavior, and Health
- Foster positive and healthy relationships with each student
- Provide intensive one-to-one life coaching to 15-25 students identified based on a set of specific needs
- Maintain regular communication with students’ parents/caregivers in order to support the identified goals
- Produce weekly reports documenting interventions and progress of student
- Work with his/her colleagues, supervisor and director to identify and coordinate academic and socio-emotional resources for students and their families
- Participate in on-going training and professional development provided by Children’s Aid
- Use the resources provided by the Children’s Aid to meet the needs of students on a daily basis
Qualifications:
- 3-5 years of experience working with high school foster care youth
- Bachelor’s Degree required
- Bilingual Spanish Speaker Preferred
Desired:
- Experience with group facilitation and youth counseling
- Exceptional leadership skills and communication skills
- Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Commitment to professional development
- A demonstrated commitment to goal-orientated work and focus on outcomes and results
- A demonstrated ability to effectively work with high school students who have been traditionally under-served including English Language Learners, youth with special needs, youth who have been or are currently involved in the child welfare system, children living below self-sufficiency, and children from single parent households
- Demonstrated ability to engage and motivate young people in urban settings
- Ability to work independently and creatively as well as handle multiple tasks with exceptional attention to detail
- Ability to work cooperatively with his/her high school colleagues
- Ability and willingness to work collaboratively with colleagues
- A thorough understanding of youth development principles and practice
- A history of service to under-resourced communities
- Professionalism, sound judgment, foresight, flexibility and maturity
Compensation:
- Commensurate with experience and qualifications
- Authorized to provide hours toward attaining Licensed Clinical Social Work designation