Religious Expoloration Youth Coordinator

Religious Exploration Youth Coordinator

Approximately 35 hours per month, leading Junior and Senior youth classes

First Parish Cambridge, the Unitarian Universalist Church in Harvard Square, is looking for an engaging Religious Exploration Youth Coordinator to lead our youth groups and carry their self-development and group connection forward. The youth organizer would be responsible for two age groups: middle school and high school. They would run classes and service projects, engaging with the larger community, as well as planning field trips and outdoor programs. Programs over the next few years will include Neighboring Faiths/Building Bridges, OWL, Coming of Age, and general youth groups.

For the upcoming church year, here is an outline of the youth coordinator focus:

Our Junior Youth Group, a cohort of about ten 7th – 9th graders, will be going through the Neighboring Faiths (Building Bridges/Crossing Paths) curriculum. This involves focusing on various spiritual paths and religions, experiencing their services and rituals when possible, and learning about those paths while engaging in thoughtful discussions. Some examples of traditions to study include Buddhism, Judaism, Christian religions like Quakerism and Episcopalianism, and Hinduism. The group will meet weekly, with approximately one visit to another organization per month and three class meetings on Sunday mornings. The Coordinator will arrange the visits and develop lesson plans for classes. We provide resources like Soul Matters for curriculum. Generally, the class will meet on Sunday mornings from 10:20-11:45, unless there’s a visit that requires another timeframe.

Our Senior Youth Group will meet monthly, likely on an evening. This group just completed Coming of Age and will gather next year to keep their connection strong. The group is comprised of 11th and 12th graders.

The Coordinator’s administrative responsibilities will be emailing parents, tracking attendance, finding a volunteer assistant for each class (from an active list), meeting with other teachers after class on Sundays, welcoming new families into your classes, and providing any lesson updates for the weekly newsletter.

We are looking for a warm, strong leader to connect with preteens and teens with individual needs. Teaching experience is valued, and strong leadership is a must. A background in philosophy and religion would be very helpful, including an understanding of Unitarian Universalist values, or at least a willingness to dive in and learn. The candidate must be outgoing and able to organize events and take into consideration varying individual needs.

Time requirements:

• Sunday mornings, 10-1:00 for Neighboring Faiths group, plus time for planning and arranging visits, totaling 7 hours per week
• The teen programming will require 7 hours per month for one meeting
• Planning and coordinating with families, the congregation, and staff is flexible throughout the week
• Pay is $200/class taught, with the above time allotted, which is 7 hours per class for planning and delivery

Please send a cover letter and resume to Jen Goodman, DRE, at Jennifer@FirstParishCambridge.org.

Standard benefits