Recreation Specialist
About The Position
In consultation with the Program Director and Case Managers, the Recreation Specialist will organize recreational activities for the children and youth who reside at the New Broadway Family Shelter. Recreational activities may include trips to local museums, parks and libraries as well as special events throughout the city. The Recreational Specialist will be responsible for building partnerships with local museums (e.g., the Studio Museum in Harlem, Museum of the City of New York, El Museo del Barrio) that have educational programs targeted to children and youth; and partnerships with organizations that are already serving NYC Department of Homeless Services clients. The Recreation Specialist will be responsible for completing all required documentation and data entry in a timely manner, developing and managing budgets for each activity, coordinating activities with the Facility Driver as needed, and being a team player.
Requirements
- Bachelors Degree in relevant field or High School Diploma/GED plus 3 years relevant experience in social or recreational programming for homeless youth and children.
- A strong working knowledge/background working with homeless families with children
- Knowledge of community resources for homeless youth and children
- Basic computer literacy (e.g., Microsoft Word, e-mail, Excel, internet browsing)
- Crisis management and de-escalation skills
- Knowledgeable in the use of Motivational Interviewing and Harm Reduction
- Willingness and ability to work a flexible schedule, not 100% confined to regular business hours
Nice To Haves
- Bilingual preferred
- Experience with and commitment to a client-centered approach
Responsibilities
- Schedule a minimum of 2 weekly onsite and off-site age-appropriate recreational activities for youth and children of the New Broadway Family Shelter.
- Work in collaboration with the Case Management team and families to identify activities of interest to the youth and children and appropriate times and location of activities, and to encourage participation in the activities.
- Track participation and other data to assess the parents/children/youth’s satisfaction with each activity, and use the data for the purposes of continuous quality improvement.
- Establish and strengthen relationships and partnerships with local libraries, museums, and other nearby institutions that offer special educational programs for youth, specifically homeless youth. Educational programs should include academic, arts, and physical education.
- In collaboration with the Case Management team, organize and facilitate holiday-specific events throughout the year, including a toy drive and holiday dinner around Christmas time, a summer BBQ and monthly birthday celebrations for the children and youth residing at the shelter.
- Establish and maintain budgets for each recreational activity. Maintain all accounting associated with each activity and implement cost containments to maximize contract dollars.
- Arrange all logistics associated with each activity, specifically the off-site activities, including arranging for transportation with the Facility Driver.
- Submit documentation and complete required data entry in a timely manner.
- Attend individual and group administrative and clinical supervision as required
