Youth Programs Organizer

Organizational Overview:

GreenRoots, Inc., is a grassroots community-based organization with over a 30 year track record of achieving significant environmental justice accomplishments and public health victories in Chelsea, East Boston and the Greater Boston region. GreenRoots’ mission is to achieve environmental justice and greater quality of life through collective action, unity, education and youth leadership across neighborhoods and communities. We do so through deep community engagement and empowerment, youth leadership and implementation of innovative projects and campaigns.

Job Overview:

The Youth Programs Organizer (YPO) oversees the planning, preparation, administration, and implementation of our high-school youth engagement program and events. The YPO supervises, supports, mentors, inspires and leads our Environmental Chelsea Organizers (ECO) through yearlong programming focused on organizing, movement building, political education, and environmental justice. The YPO works collaboratively with the Director of Food Justice and Youth Programs to create, manage, support, facilitate and evaluate educational and youth engagement and leadership programming for ECO in order to advance GreenRoots mission while expanding a powerful youth organizing network in Chelsea and East Boston. Equipped with environmental and climate justice organizing and education expertise and a strong commitment to equity, the YPO will develop and implement a curriculum and foster partnerships to empower ECO youth to lead local and statewide youth-led organizing efforts and campaigns. The YPO oversees and supports ECO centering direct learning, curricular resourcing, and collective action.

ECO is a core component of GreenRoots mission; and is one of our longest standing programs. We firmly believe in youth power. Thereby, ECO is our primary means of engaging youth. ECO is intended to lead campaigns for youth, by youth, around environmental, social and economic justice issues facing young people in Chelsea, East Boston and the Greater Boston area.

ECO is a seven member team of young people who work year round, after school and during school breaks. Through this work, ECO members grow their leadership skills, career readiness, and relationship-building skills through urban agriculture, environmental justice, and civic engagement projects and campaigns. ECO are BIPOC youth between ages of 14 and 18 from Chelsea and East Boston.

ECO’s schedule:

School Year: September to June 4PM - 7PM, Monday to Thursday

School Vacations and Summer: Monday to Thursday, 9AM - 2PM

Youth Time Commitment: 12 hours/week during school year and 20 hours/week during school vacations and summer

YPO is a full-time, in person position.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Encourage and model the core values of GreenRoots through leadership and program development implementation.
• Oversee and support the development of ECO’s goals and objectives, manage new and existing youth-led campaign implementation, and evaluate pre and post-activities.
• Develop the program curriculum to include age appropriateness, effectiveness, social justice, antiracism education, environmental justice, political education, critical thinking, leadership, and more.
• Lead recruitment, selection, scheduling, training, development, and evaluation of all ECO members.
• Supervise and support ECO members and Junior Youth Organizer.
• In coordination with the Communications Organizer, assist in developing the Youth Programs marketing plan to promote all youth programs through community partnerships, special events, print, online, GR’s website, and social media outlets.
• Develop and maintain relationships with other community organizations, educators, informal/formal educational organizations, and other organizations with shared values and campaigns.
• Lead outreach through presentations, phone calls, social media and at the neighborhood level to build a base of youth of Chelsea and East Boston as grassroots organizers.
• Support ECO to help lead base-building, campaign and coalition work – including outside of the immediate Chelsea and East Boston area - and facilitate meetings.
• Coordinate and engage in campaigns that advocate for education, immigration and community safety and justice and elevate the voices/experiences of young people in our campaigns.
• Participate in community meetings, staff meetings, and community building events.
• Work with GreenRoots’ key member leaders and allies to move forward priority campaigns.
• Support GreenRoots’ wide events throughout the year.

Who we are looking for:

• 4+ years working with youth in organizing, nonprofit, or social movement spaces.
• 2+ years of experience in youth organizing, advocacy and/or legislative work.
• 2+ years of experience directly supervising and mentoring youth.
• 2+ years of experience working with multilingual and multicultural parents and caregivers.
• Strong facilitation, curriculum development, and project management skills.
• A deep commitment to anti-racism, civic engagement, social, racial, and environmental justice, and GreenRoots’ mission and vision.
• Proficient in Spanish and English; writing and verbal skills required.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a team, as well as to take initiative and work independently; accountable self-starter.
• Highly attentive to detail and accuracy.
• Comfortable being outnumbered by teenagers, and energized by it — someone who can hold space for a young person's first campaign meeting and help them find their voice as an organizer.
• Ability to represent GreenRoots in a wide range of partners, institutions, and community-based organizations.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends.
• Ability to commit to the mission and vision long term (3 - 5 years).
• Familiarity with the communities of Chelsea and East Boston preferred but not required.

Compensation: Full-time, Exempt, (35 - 40 hrs. per week), $60k- $70k a year, depending on experience

• 401(k); up to a 4% Match
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Wellness Bonus
• Paid time off (up to 32 days)
• Federal & State Holidays

How To Apply:

Please submit resume, cover letter, and curriculum/lesson plan sample to GreenRoots describing your interest in the position and how you meet the qualifications; and send to Samay Esparza-Campaña, Director of People & Culture, at samayen@greenrootsej.org and include “Youth Programs Organizer” in the subject line of your email.

This is a high priority hire that must be filled quickly. Please submit your application as soon as possible. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis.

We know research shows candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often only apply when they meet every qualification listed. If you're excited about this role and share our commitment to environmental justice and youth leadership, but don't check every box above, we still encourage you to apply. Bilingual Chelsea and East Boston residents, people of color, indigenous people, immigrants, queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you are selected as a final candidate, you will be required to complete a comprehensive background screening, including a SORI & CORI review, as a condition of employment. Should the background check reveal potentially disqualifying information, you will have the opportunity to provide context and discuss your individual situation before a final decision is made.

Timeline:

• Round 1: Initial virtual interview (approximately 30 minutes)
• Round 2: Interview (approximately 60 minutes)
• Round 3: Interview with team members and ECO, including facilitating an activity (approximately 90 minutes)

Job Description (en español)

• 401(k); up to a 4% Match
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Wellness Bonus
• Paid time off (up to 32 days)
• Federal & State Holidays

Proficient in Spanish and English; writing and verbal skills required.