Youth Program Specialist

International Rescue Committee•Spokane, WA

8d•$22 - $24•Hybrid

About The Position

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future. Job Overview: The vision of the IRC Washington Youth Program is that youth from refugee and immigrant backgrounds will have the skills and resources necessary to pursue a future of opportunity. The Youth and Education Program works towards this vision by providing educational and enrichment opportunities to help school-aged youth from refugee and immigrant backgrounds catch up on missed education, adjust to a new school, accelerate English language development, and build positive relationships in the school and community. This program supports school-age youth and their families, and also provides support to teachers and school administration to better connect and serve these students. The Sr. Youth Program Specialist is responsible for teaching and implementation of IRC’s Youth and Education Programs in Spokane, WA. The Individualized Tutoring Program matches K-12 students and families with an IRC screened, trained, and supervised tutor who supports English language acquisition, literacy and fluency, math skills, general homework and social emotional learning. Tutors meet with students once a week after school for 1-2 hours for 3-6 months. Tutoring occurs at home or online. Tutoring is one of IRC’s long-standing programs and IRC is committed to providing high quality tutoring in alignment with Standford University’s National Student Success Accelerator’s standards. The program serves 60-70 multilingual learners annually. Tutoring occurs on weekdays between the hours of 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm The School Support program provides families with support navigating the U.S. School system. Activities include conducting info sessions for parents, coordinating parent teacher meetings and school tours, helping families resolves school related issues and helping families access digital content. The Family Engagement program works with schools and community partners to host workshops and events for families to learn about resources available at schools and other topics such as digital literacy skills, online safety, activities for kids, and high school graduation as well as accessing free community spaces such as the library and Mobius Discovery Center.

Requirements

Relevant degree in Education, Teaching, Child/Youth Development or related field, or 2-4 years relevant experience in teaching, tutoring, or youth development programming.
Experience in training and facilitation utilizing adult learning principals
Cross-cultural experience; connection and experience working with people from refugee and/or immigrant communities
Experience working with multi-lingual students and families
Committed to anti-racism and continual learning and growth
Demonstrated ability to use a variety of instructional strategies appropriate for individual student needs
Commitment to creating safe and healing learning spaces for newcomer students and utilizing trauma informed practices with students and families
Flexible and adaptable – able to quickly problem solve and change plans and activities according to student need or unexpected circumstances
English proficiency, both spoken and written.
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
Proficiency in MS Office suite including Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams
Ability to work well with people of diverse cultural backgrounds
Ability to work well independently and as part of a team
Ability to maintain responsibility for multiple tasks in the context of a diverse, fast-paced work environment
Willing to be First Aid/CPR certified upon hire
Access to reliable high-speed internet from home office.
Access to reliable transportation to travel regularly throughout the Spokane Public School district area.

Nice To Haves

TESOL certificate a plus.
Bonus if the candidate has professional proficiency in predominant language of local client base desired (Dari, Pashto, Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Ukrainian etc.)

Responsibilities

Provide direct instruction to tutees in the Individualized Tutoring Program and serve as a substitute tutor as needed.
Prepare lesson plans and materials tailored to the students’ needs.
Collect and maintain appropriate student and family records, documents, and case notes, maintaining confidentiality.
Conduct outreach phone calls to invite families to participate in programs.
Conduct enrollment sessions with new families, ensuring the families understand the program and collecting all necessary documentation.
Provide ongoing support and problem-solving for volunteer tutors, answer questions, provide coaching, and disseminate teaching and learning resources and best practices.
Assist program coordinator with conducting regular supervision of community tutors to ensure quality instruction and safeguarding accountability, this includes regular tutor observations and feedback, and quarterly feedback calls with families and students.
Provide one-on-one support for families in navigating the U.S. school system through culturally responsive guidance and resources.
Conduct informational sessions for parents and coordinate parent–teacher meetings and school tours.
Assist families in resolving school-related issues, advocating for student needs, and facilitating communication with school staff.
Help families access and use digital learning platforms, tools, and school-provided online content.
Provide functional support to other youth programs and events. These include the elementary summer reading program, the Youth Roots Internship, and events such as Mobius field trips.
Participate in all program meetings, staff development activities, and fully engage as a member of the IRC team.
Assist as needed with events and other youth team projects.
Comply with all policies, procedures, and protocols of the agency.
Other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

10 sick days
10 US holidays
20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure
medical insurance starting at $163 per month
dental starting at $6.50 per month
vision starting at $5 per month
FSA for healthcare and commuter costs
a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching
disability & life insurance
an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.