Professional Mentor "Friend"

Friends of the Children Eastern Washington•Spokane, WA

31d•$25 - $26

About The Position

Friends of the Children - Eastern Washington is a nonprofit that is impacting generational change by empowering youth through relationships with professional mentors. We do this by providing children facing the most obstacles with a long-term, paid, professional mentor, who we call a “Friend,” from kindergarten through high school graduation, 12+ years - no matter what. In Eastern Washington, many of the youth we serve are navigating significant systemic barriers, and a large portion of the youth in our program identify as Native or multi-ethnic from marginalized communities. Friends of the Children - Eastern Washington, is committed to culturally sustaining practices and honoring the strengths, traditions, and identities of the communities we serve. Friends must be open to learning, practicing cultural humility, and embracing the cultures of the youth and families we serve. As a Friend you will nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally sustaining practices. Basic Function/Position Objective: Friends serve as a positive role model to eight elementary children developing loving, caring, and sustained relationships with each child. For each child, a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote each child’s strength, talents, and abilities; help ensure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document activities and participate in the ongoing evaluation process. Friends will work primarily one-on-one with the children they serve, while also building trusting supportive relationships with parents/caregivers. A Friend must know, understand, honor, and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, and principles, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function.

Requirements

2 or 4 year degree with experience working directly with children.
Alternatively, 4 to 7 years experience working with children and families will be considered in lieu of a college degree.
Ability to advocate in schools and the classroom for youths’ academic success.
Strong interpersonal skills
Demonstrated ability to work with children with high barriers and who have experienced trauma.
Ability to develop trusting relationships with children, families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life.
Ability to work independently and as a team player.
Ability to manage several concurrent issues and solve problems effectively.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong organizational and time management skills.

Nice To Haves

A sense of humor is a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and sustain a long-term, caring, protective, and loving relationship with each child.
Spend time with children, one-on-one and in groups in the school classroom and community.
Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social emotional supports for the family.
Set realistic expectation and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, abilities, and needs.
Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child.
Deepen cultural connections for youth by incorporating specific cultural knowledge and interventions and programming.
Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for cultural identity development.
Develop positive relationships with families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life.
Reinforce basic academic skills Maintain a 40-hour work schedule typical to standard business hours with some flexibility allowed with supervisors approval.
Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines.
Complete, distribute, and collect time summaries, activity journals, short-term plans, expense reports, and evaluations materials accurately and in a timely manner.
Attend and actively participate in team meeting and staff functions.
Maintain current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance.
Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.
Transport children in personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities.
Provide information and support to the executive team on related activities.
Fulfill other responsibilities as requested.