Summer Youth Development Professional (Ferguson TCOE)

Summer Youth Development Professional

The Youth Development Professional is responsible for the planning, implementation, and supervision of activities for assigned programs that achieve predetermined program outcomes.

Education: High school diploma required, Associates degree from accredited college or university or BA/BS preferred.

Experience: Minimum of one year of experience working with children in a group setting, management experience is a plus.

Physical Requirements:

1. Able to lift, carry, push, pull, or roll up to 20-25 pounds.
2. Capable of prolonged, extensive, or considerable standing, walking, and speaking and occasional reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, or crouching and working in front of a PC monitor.
3. Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word as well as convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly in addition to perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels and ability to receive detailed information through verbal communication and make fine discriminations in sounds is necessary for the safety of the children in the program.
4. The employee may be subject to both inside and outside environmental conditions. Inside weather conditions provide protection from weather conditions but not necessarily temperature changes and outside environmental conditions provide no effective protection from weather.
5. The employee may be subject to sufficient noise to cause the employee to shout in order to be heard above the ambient noise level.
6. Local travel as well as some regional travel is required in performance of duties.

Emotional/ Mental Demands of Work:

1. Routine reporting and grant deadlines; variance in work volume.
2. Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
3. Understands the implications of decisions on members.
4. May handle emergency or crisis situations.
5. Manages the distraction of many interruptions without losing concentration or unduly disrupting programming.
6. Some weekend work is required.
7. Keeps current with best practices, resources, and materials.
8. Creates opportunities for members to receive personalized assistance.
9. Exercises creativity and mental flexibility in presenting instruction and programming to accommodate members of widely varying learning styles, intellectual levels, and abilities.
10. Voicemail and e-mail are checked daily. Attends all meetings and events and notifies appropriate staff prior to missing a meeting/event and follows up to get important information.

Job Relationships:

1. Treats members and their parents with dignity and respect at all times.
2. Fosters good working relationships with parents, staff, management, and other professionals in order to meet objectives.
3. Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; supports everyone's efforts to succeed.
4. Cooperates and works together with all co-workers; independently plans and completes job duties, including appropriate judgment.
5. Uses tactful, appropriate communications in sensitive and emotional situations. Follows appropriate chain of command to address concerns in a timely manner.
6. Develops and maintains the highest level of customer service relationships with members, parents, volunteers and all other professional partners.

Skills:

• Youth Development Skills
• Professional Approach to Work
• Planning & Organizational Skills
• Computer Skills
• Verbal/Written Communication
• Confidentiality

Values and Strategic Behaviors:

1. Mission
2. Fun
3. Integrity
4. Excellence
5. Team-Oriented
6. Creativity and Innovation
7. Recognition

Essential Responsibilities:

Safety

1. Takes appropriate action when children are injured, including both minor incidents and major accidents. Documents all types of accidents and incidents and provides them to the Manager or Site Coordinator/ Club Director for review before providing the information to the parent on the day of the occurrence.
2. Responds immediately to children that are hurt or in distress and acts to comfort and assist the child appropriately
3. Remains calm and in control while providing first aid or CPR for the child. Assesses the situation to decide if further action should be taken if necessary, calls an ambulance or parent, depending on the severity of the situation.
4. Understands and complies with universal precautions to avoid contact with and control blood borne pathogens
5. Knows what a "bodily fluids clean up kit" is, what items should be included in a kit, and demonstrates how to use it.
6. Acts appropriately if there is contact with blood borne pathogens and takes steps to prevent transmission.
7. Completes and/or reviews written documentation for behavioral incidents and provides those reports to the Manager or Site Coordinator/ Club Director.
8. Appropriately reports any instances of abuse and neglect of children, as required, as a mandated reporter.
9. Consistently enforces and reviews Club rules with current and new members. Executes emergency procedures.

Youth Development Activities

1. Addresses children by their names and makes an effort to talk with each child every day.
2. Participates in the new member orientation process and club-wide events.
3. Provides guidance and role modeling to members. Manages groups of members to make efficient use of time.
4. Helps establish an expectation of school success, high school graduation and college attendance and begins to work toward these outcomes with members beginning at age six.
5. Provides every member with opportunities to feel a sense of belonging, usefulness, competence and influence.
6. Works to create a community in the Club and includes children who may be isolated.
7. Creates environments and experiences that affirm and respect cultural, linguistic, ethnic and socio-economic diversity.
8. Develops all Club activities with fun in mind. Builds programs consisting of creative games, activities and contests that provide maximum excitement.
9. Presents lectures and discussions to group to increase members' knowledge or competence in three priority outcome areas. Delivers programming, including group activities, recreational activities, guest speakers, and field trips. Implements Club programs at the highest quality that is creative and engaging for members. Meets the developmental needs of youth and the curriculum is adapted when needed. Programs are consistent, on schedule, and carried out as planned.
10. Inputs and gathers data, as appropriate, in the membership management and/or outcomes management system or other data-gathering vehicle, works with other staff to implement special projects.
11. Creates a calendar of events and activities for members. Facilitates and assists with coordination of special events and other youth-oriented activities. May be required to drive a Club van.
12. Effectively engages parents and builds with them trusting relationships.

Behavior Management and Positive Guidance

1. Demonstrates awareness of each child's limitations and abilities and uses guidance techniques accordingly, and explains rules at the child's level of understanding, using a variety of techniques.
2. Anticipates and defuses disruptive behavior in children.
3. Addresses problem behavior or situation, rather than labeling the child.
4. Adapts the Club environment and curriculum to minimize potential challenging behaviors.

Family Relations

1. Maintains professional boundaries in relationship with staff and families.
2. Uses positive communication strategies for families.

Program Implementation

1. Effectively implements activities that are designed to intentionally strive toward desired outcomes.
2. Uses organizational logic models to guide implementation of assigned programs.
3. Makes program decisions based on professional standards.
4. Assures there are enough materials to engage all the members in the group at the same time.
5. Deadlines are consistently met.
6. Includes transitions in activity plans. Does not expect children to wait unoccupied with nothing to do for long periods of time.
7. Can effectively organize and operate various types