Master Teacher/Mental Wellness Counselor Paid Internship (Non-Profit/Summer)

The Yleana Leadership Academy is seeking a Master Teacher/Mental Wellness Counselor for its residential summer academy. We take pride in serving rising high school seniors from underserved urban areas as part of our mission to close the achievement gap through a three-week transformative summer SAT experience on a college campus. We are part college experience, part summer camp, part intense SAT training, and part leadership academy.

Our students are all low-income, and the majority are first generation students of color. All of our students attend on full scholarship and describe Yleana as one of the most transformative experiences they have had - they return to their schools with a renewed dedication to their education, and the real sense that they can succeed in whatever they choose to do in life.

Yleana at its best is made up of people who are constantly generating new and better ways to do things, drawing on what they have seen, read, and experienced, who replace “I can’t do that” with “Let’s make it happen." We prefer instructors who can improvise, who are creative, who approach problems in unexpected ways, and who generally understand how to communicate the test to diverse groups of students.

Working at Yleana is outstanding. In 2017, our average score improvement in a 3-week period was 160-180 points on the SAT, and we want your help to make that number even higher.

What you'll be doing: Co-lead classes of 9-14 students on SAT Critical Reading, Writing, Math, and Essay according to the set Yleana strategies, and help students one-on-one Facilitate open, small-group discussions on topics such as race, class, and gender as part of our Issues curriculum Engage students in breakout sessions during our Entrepreneurship class - which culminates in a camp-wide Shark Tank competition Lead students in after-class (sometimes during-class) games and activities Mediate disputes between students as needed Provide counseling for students to ensure their well-being and happiness Identify students in need of support and create a sustainable plan for their mental wellness while they are at camp Update senior staff when conflicts arise and when conflicts are resolved Advise staff on standard methodologies for communicating with students Other responsibilities as needed

In this role you would be critical to the success of camp and the happiness of your students and coworkers. Counseling students at a sleepaway camp can require long hours and balancing responsibilities, but if you have a passion for building an inclusive environment where our students can thrive, this might be your dream job.

Master Teacher/Mental Wellness Counselor interns generally earn a stipend of between $4000-5700 for the summer. All summer interns receive full room and board for the duration of camp.

Stipends are determined on the basis of camp experience, level of school completed, SAT experience, proven SAT competence, flexibility/creativity/x-factor during the interview process, and additional responsibilities that you can undertake.

Camp runs from Saturday 6/16/18 to Monday 8/13/18; the Master Teacher/Mental Wellness Counselor intern will have to be available for the entire window of time.

We will prioritize your application if you are available to teach at our Follow Up Program in after the summer program.

Run like a day of camp, it takes place on college campuses in each of our partner cities (Boston, Baltimore, NYC, Philadelphia) after the second session of camp is over. Pay is $25/hour, and is in addition to the base stipend.

The next priority application deadline is May 1, 2018. We hire on a rolling basis, so the earlier you apply, the better.

Diversity and equal opportunity are at the core of Yleana and our mission. We are committed to building a team that reflects the world. People who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply.

We'd love to hear from you if you: Have a BA/BS degree (highly preferred) or are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program (required) Have experience counseling high school students (required) or have a Master's in counseling or a related field (highly preferred) Can achieve a minimum score of 720 verbal/720 math on a hiring assessment (SAT) Have 1-2 years’ relevant tutoring/teaching experience (highly preferred) Have 1-2 years’ experience working with students/peers (highly preferred) Are an outstanding teammate Quickly adapt to unforeseen problems Love serving as a mentor/role model to diverse students Exude empathy, patience, and compassion for our students Work until the job is done flawlessly, rather than saying “It’s good enough” when it’s not quite there Have a real passion for helping students from historically marginalized communities succeed in graduating high school and matriculating to college

The Yleana Leadership Academy, the flagship program of the Yleana Leadership Foundation, is a residential summer academy which serves rising high school seniors in urban areas (Baltimore, Boston/North Shore of MA, NYC, and Philadelphia) and seeks to close the achievement gap through a three-week transformative intervention summer SAT experience on a college campus. We are part college experience, part summer camp, part intense SAT training, and part leadership academy. In addition to SAT classes, students explore issues like race, class, and gender through our Issues curriculum, an open-forum discussion setting where they question these issues through readings by people like James Baldwin, Junot Diaz, bell hooks, and Sherman Alexie. We also help our students develop higher order/critical thinking skills through our Entrepreneurship class, which culminates in a one-day startup fair with entrepreneurs from all over the world advising the students all day until their crowning faceoff - a Shark Tank competition.

Yleana campers are typically low-SES, of color, and first-generation college students; all attend on full scholarship. Besides studying for the SAT, being part of Issues and Entrepreneurship classes, campers enjoy a traditional summer camp experience (complete with campfires and S’mores!) while becoming a part of a welcoming and introspective camp community. One of the greatest compliments we have received came from a student who had been in foster care and had faced significant obstacles at home who told us that Yleana was the first place she felt safe, where people truly cared about her.

In 2017, our average score improvement in a 3-week period was 160-180 points on the SAT.