Professional Mentor "Friend"

Professional Mentor "Friend"

Friends of the Children New York

Job Description

Title: Professional Mentor “Friend”

Reports to: Family Engagement Managers

Status: Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Salary: $52,500 per year

Basic Function / Position Objective:

A Friend works intensively with eight (8) to ten (10) male youth, serving as a positive adult role model and building caring, trusting, and lasting relationships with each participant. For each child, a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote their strengths, talents and abilities; help assure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document activities and participate in an ongoing evaluation process, including fulfilling other required administrative tasks. Friends will work primarily one-on-one with their Achievers. A Friend must also know, understand, honor and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, principles and policies, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function. This is a mobile position, requiring daily travel in and around NY.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Develop and sustain a long-term, caring, protective, and loving relationship with each child and caregiver.
• Spend time with youth, one-on-one and within group settings.
• Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social emotional supports for the family.
• Set realistic expectations and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, abilities, and needs.
• Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child.
• Deepen connections for youth through incorporating specific community knowledge in programming.
• Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for identity development and opportunities for cultural awareness.
• Develop positive relationships with caregivers, families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life.
• Reinforce basic academic skills and refer to tutoring if needed.
• Maintain a 40-hour work schedule that includes afternoons, evenings, and weekends (normal working days are Tuesday through Saturday with Sundays and Mondays off).
• Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines.
• Complete, distribute, and collect time summaries, activity journals, roadmap goals, short-term plans, expense reports, quarterlies, assessments and evaluations materials accurately and in a timely manner.
• Attend and actively participate in team meeting and staff functions (in-person or virtually).
• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.
• Provide information and support to the development and executive team on related activities.
• Fulfill other responsibilities as requested.

Essential Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to partner with parents/caregiver to provide concrete and social emotional support for the family;
• Ability to develop trusting relationships with youth, families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life;
• Ability to relate to children and teens and to develop and sustain trusting, supportive relationships with them;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrated ability to work with children and teens in varied capacities and settings to help them learn and grow;
• Ability to cultivate trusting relationships with children and teens, parents, teachers and community members;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and communicate appropriately within the workplace;
• Ability to use creativity and initiative in planning activities to continually develop children and teens;
• Ability to work independently and as a team player;
• Ability to manage several concurrent issues and solve problems effectively;
• Ability to set goals and develop plans to meet those goals to ensure the development of each child;
• Ability to complete administrative tasks accurately and on time;
• Ability to handle high mobility;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; organizational and time management skills;
• Basic computer and keyboarding skills, proficiency with e-mail systems, familiarity database applications; and
• Ability to exercise good judgment independently, in various situations and environments, and under varying levels of stress.

Required Education, Experience, and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s Degree, with two years’ experience working with children and teens a plus.
• Willingness to commit for a minimum of three years in the role.
• Advocate to secure additional resources, opportunities, and services for youth as appropriate.
• Assist with systems navigation in NYC schools to secure conditions for optimal academic success.
• A sense of humor is a plus.
• Maintain a 40-hour work schedule that includes afternoons, evenings, and weekends.

Desired Skills and Experience:

1. Bilingual (preferably Spanish or French)
2. Experience working in Education, Social Services, and Foster Care Agencies
3. Experience working with communities impacted by Substance Abuse, Criminal Justice, Juvenile Retention, Homeless Shelters and Transition Homes, Immigration, and Mental Health.

Working Hours:

This is a full-time, non-exempt position. Due to the nature of a Friend’s role, the work hours are somewhat non-traditional, and include late afternoon and evening work. We recognize that each Friend’s daily work schedule will vary due to the uniqueness of the role and the needs of the individual children and teens being served. Each Friend is expected to exercise appropriate discretion in this regard. The general workweek is Tuesday through Saturday, with Sunday and Monday as days off. The Program requires that you see each of your assigned Achievers both in and outside of school, for an average of four hours each week, although how you accomplish that is at your discretion within established Program guidelines.

All employees are expected to perform their roles in alignment with our values and to commit to create a sense of belonging for themselves, our colleagues and the children and families we serve.

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.

FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN VALUES

Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, and manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth.

PUT CHILDREN FIRST

We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth's needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS ON LOVE

We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love and acceptance. Our practice is rooted in the wisdom of communities, tailoring support to honor each youth’s unique identity and shared heritage. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy and healthy communication. We build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.

COMMIT TO EMPOWERMENT

We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.

PURSUE GOALS RELENTLESSLY

We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.

UNLOCK ALL POTENTIAL

We believe everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, because where you start shouldn’t decide how far you go. We advocate to ensure every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. We amplify and listen to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities we serve. We harness different perspectives to overcome barriers and drive measurable change for every child. Together, we work to challenge and remove obstacles so potential isn’t limited by any circumstance.

Comprehensive benefits package provided.