General Function:

The Youth Organizing Fellow will be responsible for the overall development and coordination of an organizing project and assist in the coordination of an existing coalition of youth organizers called TLTW (Teen Leading the Way). He/she will supervise and mentor a group of 6-8 young people, ages 15-20, with the goal of creating a forum for youth-led systemic change that addresses the root causes of social injustice, while at the same time increasing young people’s belief that they can be effective agents of social change. The Organizing fellow will also focus half of his/her time working with TLTW and political leaders in creating policies that will support and address the challenges young people are facing.

This is a very competitive fellowship which will ultimately lead into a full-time paid position upon completion of the 9-12 month fellowship. Fellows will receive considerable training, as well as opportunities to visit other established youth organizing programs (for best practices study) throughout the country.

As part of this overall project, there will be several short-term, winnable projects and one long-term organizing movement planned during the course of the year. Unlike community service or direct service projects, the group will focus on learning approaches and organizing strategies that will help them best develop campaigns aimed at the root causes of social injustice. There will also be an emphasis on using public policy as a tool for grassroots change.

Specific Responsibilities

• Facilitate youth organizing trainings.
• Assist teen leaders to develop their own action plans to carry out an organizing campaign.
• Assist teen leaders in learning various organizing strategies (petitions, rallies, etc.).
• Work with other UTEC staff to facilitate workshops on various organizing tools (designing flyers, creating videos, and designing web sites).
• Mentor teen members and follow-up on their personal development plans.
• Build relationships and exchanges with other established youth organizing programs.
• Compile all necessary reports.
• Facilitate evaluation process in partnership with teen leaders.

Qualifications

Activist and organizing experience preferred; ability to multi-task and adapt to changing environment; flexibility to work hours as program needs change; BA preferred/equivalent community experience accepted; bi-lingual/bi-cultural (Southeast Asian, Latino/a) preferred; previous experience working with young people; strong leadership & facilitation skills; ability to provide own transportation; strong comfort level in approaching teens in various different situations; ability to laugh at oneself a must.

Compensation: Bi-weekly stipend provided ($18,000-$20,000 annual), as well as compensation to attend national youth organizing trainings.

Application Procedure :

It is preferred that all Fellow candidates email resumes/cover letter to gregg@utec-lowell.org.

In order to expedite the internal sorting and reviewing process, please write "resume" and the position you are applying for as the only contents in the subject line of your e-mail (i.e. Resume - Office Administrator).

Application deadline is listed as September 1, 2008 but we will fill the position before then if we receive a qualified application. So...send your resume in ASAP!