Youth Coordinator

Religious Exploration Youth Coordinator

First Parish Cambridge, a Unitarian Universalist church, is looking for an enthusiastic Youth Coordinator to lead our middle school and high school groups. We are looking for someone to step into a leadership role, building programs for this coming church year and into the future, supporting our groups as they go through middle school and high school. The candidate would run classes and service projects, as well as organizing field trips and outdoor programs. Programs over the next few years would include Coming of Age, Building Bridges (programming connecting with other religions and spiritual practices), OWL (Our Whole Lives human sexuality programming), and general youth groups. Our leader would be outgoing, organized, warm, and inclusive, with experience with tweens and teens.

Please submit a cover letter and resume, along with two references, to Jennifer@FirstParishCambridge.org. Our new youth coordinator would begin in the first week of August.

Overview:

Our Junior Youth Group (middle schoolers) consists of a cohort of about ten 6th – 8th graders and requires a strong, warm leader. Curriculum will center around service projects and developing conscious awareness of the other. Meeting Sunday mornings from 10:20-11:45.

Our Teens (high schoolers) will be going through the Coming of Age program in the upcoming 2025-’26 church year. It is an exciting program to teach, exploring spiritual practices, religious beliefs, philosophy, and service. Meeting on Sunday or Monday evenings, with other times for service projects and outings. Our vision for it is as follows:

Coming of Age for 9-11th graders

• Classes focused on values and beliefs exploration
• One on one mentoring to develop a personal credo, which they will deliver in the service at the end of the year
• Offering meaningful service, in our church for things like the Meals Programs or the RE Programs, and in our community
• An outdoor wilderness experience
• Grounding in spiritual practices

The candidate would be involved in organizing all aspects of the program – finding mentors, selecting curriculum, and coordinating service and outdoor activities.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have experience with middle school and high school youth and teaching experience. Knowledge of Unitarian Universalist values and a background in philosophy and religion is a plus. Must be outgoing and able to organize events and take into consideration varying needs. Also, the candidate must be welcoming and warm. We are looking for a leader who loves having interesting conversations with youth.

Time requirements:

• Sunday mornings, 9-1:00 for the Junior Youth group
• The teen programming will take place regularly either Sunday afternoons/evenings or Monday evenings, with service events and field trips at other times. For example, our Tuesday Meals program is something the kids could help with, and that is on Tuesday afternoons. Field trips could be over the weekends. Game nights on Fridays once per month.
• Planning and coordinating with families, the congregation, and staff is flexible throughout the week
• This is a 15 hour/week position; $28.50/hour

Job Duties:

• • Leads Junior Youth class on Sunday mornings, 10:20-11:45
  • Leads Coming of Age for teens, identifying mentors and selecting curriculum
  • Lays the groundwork for Building Bridges next year, creating relationships with local religious organizations
  • Recruits, trains, and supports a team of 5-6 volunteers
  • Creates a calendar of youth programs and activities for the year and oversees the administration of these events
  • Communicates regularly with families via newsletters and other publicity
  • Helps plan occasional intergenerational services
  • Creates a warm and welcoming environment for children and parents
  • Plugs teens into volunteer roles in younger classrooms
  • Organizes service events for both age groups
  • Administration of programs, including registering new families and maintaining online attendance, implements safety policies, such as CORI checks for volunteers
  • Occasionally deliver “A Time for All Ages” during the service on Sunday mornings
  • Collaborates with elementary teachers in the annual Christmas Pageant

Please send cover letters and resumes to Jennifer@FirstParishCambridge.org.