ORGANIZATION SUMMARY Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC) is an educational nonprofit organization with a statewide scope, which provides direct service to high school aged youth. CYC’s mission is to solve Colorado’s dropout crisis. CYC utilizes an outreach, relationship, and case management approach to support in-school youth to remain in school. CYC started Corps for a Change in 2015 as a way to increase preventative programming within the organization. Corps for a Change focuses on increasing student engagement and attendance.

POSITION SUMMARY Corps for a Change members are placed at (1) high school and will support a caseload of 20-40 students who are at-risk of dropping out due to low attendance and lack of school engagement. The position is full-time (35- 40 hours per week), with school breaks and holidays off. AmeriCorps members engage in an intake process to assess what support students might need to be more engaged. AmeriCorps members will focus on interventions such as one-on-one meetings, phone calls, resource referrals, tutoring, home visits and other school-wide attendance and engagement initiatives. The goal of the members’ term of service is to support students to be more engaged in school, improve attendance, and help support a path toward academic success.

POSITION DUTIES • Quickly build relationships with youth identified with low attendance/engagement • Monitor student attendance and conduct one on one meetings to support students in being successful in school (academics, attendance, social-emotional needs, general school engagement) • Provide school-wide engagement/attendance supports
• Engage parents/guardians through phone calls, meetings, and home visits • Provide tutoring to students as needed • Address barriers to student learning by connecting them with in-school and local community service providers so they may focus on school • Track all students’ progress within CYC’s database, school databases, and other spreadsheets • Complete CYC intake process (pre- and post-survey, identities and life events information) • Member will collaborate with school staff, students, families, and CYC staff in order to successfully accomplish responsibilities • Support additional school and district-wide engagement and outreach efforts/needs as they relate to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on education and student engagement

HOURS AND TERM OF SERVICE: Members are required to serve full-time, during a typical school schedule, with some mandatory night and weekend hours, depending on the needs of the service site. A typical member schedule is from 7:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. However, this can be flexible depending on the needs of the site and/or the member. 675 hours of service are to be completed between January 9th, 2023 and May 31st, 2023. Members are required to participate in regular team meetings remotely.

MEMBER TRAINING: Members will participate in a five-day onboarding training at the beginning of their service term. It will be both online and in-person. Members will participate in interactive trainings, self-directed learning projects, etc. In addition, members will receive one-on-one supervision training twice per month by their CYC supervisor and participate in ongoing professional development trainings facilitated by CYC staff and through community partners of CYC. Members will also participate in professional development opportunities at their service sites which vary depending on the site. Members are also required to participate actively in “cluster groups” which meet regularly to create a space for members to support and train each other in best practices. These groups will have 5-6 members and group membership will be based on where members are serving.

SERVICE LOCATION: CYC AmeriCorps members will be placed at one school during their term of service. Placement will be determined based on the preferences of the member, needs of the member and the needs of the school. There will be regular opportunities to connect as a larger team with your fellow Corps for a Change members, in addition to bi-weekly supervision with your CYC supervisor. Service locations sites are located in, though not limited to, Denver, Grand Junction, Commerce City, Aurora, Fort Collins, Jefferson County, and Thornton.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
• 17 years or older by start date (17 year olds must have guardian permission)
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
• Have a high school diploma or G.E.D; College degree or some college experience preferred.
• Not have served more than the allowed number of AmeriCorps terms previous to this term.
• Submit to a full background check, including a sex offender registry check, state criminal history registry check, and FBI fingerprint-based check. This position has recurring access to vulnerable populations and selection is contingent upon satisfactory results of these checks.
• Strong planning and time-management skills. • Strong capacity to be flexible and adaptable to varied circumstances. • Consistent follow-through. • Ability to accept and incorporate constructive feedback from coaches and program staff. • Ability to work with diverse personalities. • Ability to adapt to a sometimes challenging and high-pressure environment. • Strong personal standards of excellence, ethics, and integrity.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Independent, self-motivated work style
• Excellent follow-through and strong organization skills
• Experience working with middle and high school age youth, especially disadvantaged youth
• Volunteer experience and interest in service learning
• Access to a reliable vehicle and valid driver’s license
• A passionate and committed belief that youth can rise above seemingly insurmountable obstacles and return to school, graduate, and enter into post-secondary education.
• Bilingual – Spanish/English a plus

BENEFITS:
• Health Insurance through Corps Network - Cigna • Living allowance of $1,215 pretax distributed twice a month
• Eli Segal Education Award of up to $2,474.27 for the 675 hour term • Bus pass for everyday commute OR mileage reimbursement for any miles traveled during the school day (this DOES NOT include reimbursement for normal commuting miles) • Cell phone and laptop for use during service term. • Members participate in professional development and training including topics such as motivational interviewing, restorative practices, positive youth development, equity and anti-oppression, education policy and funding, etc. • Access to the Member Assistance Program (MAP) that provides free, confidential, 24/7 phone counseling to members and 3 free in-person or telehealth sessions with a licensed clinician. • Federal Loan Forbearance – AmeriCorps will pay off interest that is accrued during your term of service on all eligible student loans.

Colorado Youth for a Change believes all students can learn, succeed in school, and rise above seemingly insurmountable obstacles to graduate.