AmeriCorps Summer Activities Lead

About Breakthrough Silicon Valley

Breakthrough Silicon Valley launches talented students who have been historically excluded from higher education on the path to college, and inspires high school and college students to become the next generation of leaders, advocates, and educators. BTSV’s six-year college access and success program, which supports students from 7th grade to first year of college, has proven to be effective in preparing these students for college: a stunning 99% of BTSV graduates attend college immediately after high school.

BTSV’s tuition-free program provides year-round out-of-school time academic support, advising, and advocacy for a diverse group of talented students, most of whom come from under-resourced communities and will be the first generation in their family to go to college.

Through our students-teaching-students model, BTSV also provides a consummate professional development experience providing talented high school and college students the opportunity to understand the K-12 system and the drivers of educational inequities, and to design and teach classes under the direction of seasoned educators.

Located in San Jose, California, Breakthrough Silicon Valley is an affiliate of The Breakthrough Collaborative, a leading national service organization that acts as the national voice for 25 Breakthrough sites across the country.

About the Summer Activities Lead (SAL)

As the Summer Activities Lead (SAL), you will lead co-curricular activities that are vital in creating a vibrant, engaging, and inclusive student experience during the Breakthrough Silicon Valley (BTSV) Summer Program. Serving directly with the Dean of Students(DoS), SALs are responsible for planning and executing a range of co-curricular activities that foster student leadership, summer program spirit, and community building. In addition, SALs support program data collection, student and family communication, and the day-to-day operations of the summer site.

BTSV employs two SALs at each site (SAL 1 and SAL 2), who collaborate closely with each other, the Dean of Students (DOS), and the Summer Intern to ensure smooth program execution.

Essential Functions:

Shared Responsibilities (SAL 1 & SAL 2)

• Serve directly with the Dean of Students to plan and execute co-curricular programming that promotes leadership, community, and spirit.
• Collaborate with teaching fellows to support daily program operations.
• Assist with collecting and tracking program data (attendance, student communication, engagement).
• Support student and family engagement through outreach and communications.
• Build rapport, Interact and engage with students during co-curricular activities

SAL 1 Responsibilities:

• Lead the planning of field trips, Spirit Week, and Olympic events, with support from our summer intern and SAL 2.
• Assist with the planning and logistics of Community Building Day activities.
• Co-lead and execute All-School Meeting (ASM) planning with the Dean of Students.
• Take and review daily student attendance, flagging issues for troubleshooting with the DoS.
• Assist with student/family calls regarding attendance and participation under DOS guidance.
• Support SAL 2 + Summer intern with weekly newsletter production and family communications.

SAL 2 Responsibilities:

• Lead the planning of the end-of-summer Celebration, with support from the Summer Intern and SAL 1.
• Co-lead Community Building Day planning and logistics with the Summer Intern.
• Assist the Dean of Students with All-School Meeting (ASM) planning.
• Verify student absences through direct classroom follow-up.
• Serve as the main lead in updating attendance reports in Salesforce and contacting families regarding attendance or participation concerns.
• Create and distribute weekly newsletters and other family communication pieces; collaborate with the Summer Intern on tasks related to production and submission.

Daily and Weekly Activities

Throughout the summer, your days will be varied and fulfilling:

• Take, review, and update student attendance; flag or troubleshoot issues with the Dean of Students (DOS).
• Call students and families regarding attendance or participation concerns under DOS guidance.
• Communicate and coordinate with staff to support daily programming.
• Assist with preparing and running All-School Meetings (ASM) alongside DOS.
• Provide on-the-ground support for co-curricular activities (field trips, spirit events, Olympic games, community building activities).
• Collaborate with SAL partner and Summer Intern to ensure smooth execution of activities.

Mentorship and Guidance

You will serve and report under the mentorship of the Dean of Students and have some oversight from the Summer Program Director. The Summer Activities Lead (SAL) will receive their Performance Review at the conclusion of their service. The final performance review will also include:

• Whether the member has completed the required number of hours
• Whether the member has satisfactorily completed assignments
• Whether the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service and in the member's position description.

Ideal Candidate

This position is perfect for you if:

• You have strong organizational and event-planning skills.
• You demonstrate excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
• You are detail-oriented and able to manage logistics and data tracking.
• You are comfortable working with middle school students and families from diverse backgrounds.
• You bring flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm for community building.
• You have experience with youth programming, event planning, or family engagement (preferred).
• You enjoy laughter and having fun while making a difference.
• You can commit to 300+ hours of service from June 8 to August 7, 2026, serving full-time hours throughout the program.

Training and Professional Development

BTSV wants you to learn and grow as much as your students will. At the start of your service, you will receive a comprehensive orientation to your new team, to BTSV, our program, and your role. Throughout the summer program you will serve with your colleagues, BTSV Staff, and with the expert guidance of an Instructional Coach, an experienced educator who will provide training, coaching, observation, feedback, encouragement, and support. Members will receive formal and structured feedback via performance reviews. Note, training hours will not exceed 20% of total service hours.

Requirements

• “Breakthrough Spirit”: You’re a collaborative team player who is committed to excellence and is open-minded. You demonstrate a growth mindset, think creatively to solve problems, and serve with a sense of humor and humility.
• Commitment to Breakthrough Silicon Valley’s mission and goals as well as a passion for educational equity.
• Have a commitment to community service and the ability to serve the full service term. (300+ hrs of service, full-time from June 8 to August 7, 2026.)
• Recent college graduate, or currently enrolled in college.
• At least 17 years old at the start of the service period (June 8, 2026).
• Candidates 18 years of age or older must pass a National Service Criminal History Check.
• US citizen, US national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States.
• Access to reliable transportation to our summer program sites via personal vehicle, public transit, or other means.
• Spanish or Vietnamese language skills are a plus, but not required.

Location(s)

BTSV maintains two offices in San Jose and our Summer Program sites will be co-located or nearby to these offices:

• Bridges Academy: 1702 McLaughlin Ave, San Jose, CA 95122
• Herbert Hoover Middle School: 1635 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95126

The Summer Activities Leads are required to serve full-time in person. This is not a remote position.

Application Process

Apply online at https://breakthroughsv.org/join-our-team. We will review applications on a rolling basis.

Compensation & Benefits

AmeriCorps positions are volunteer roles which carry a living allowance. BTSV’s AmeriCorps Members will receive:

• $5,294 living allowance (pre-tax) paid semi-monthly over the service period.
• Summer Activities Lead (SAL) who complete their AmeriCorps service are eligible for a $1,565.08 education award via the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. This can be used for continuing education or to repay certain student loans.
• Student loan forbearance, if eligible.