Youth & Community Organizing Coordinator

Primary Job Responsibilities:

Through the implementation of FEEST’s strategic plan and a youth-led multigenerational organizing Framework, the YCOC will train, supervise, and co-lead students to organize and build power amongst themselves and their broader communities to win short and long term policy changes in their school district. The YCOC will manage youth-centered community base building, leadership development, and execution of powerful campaigns to increase pressure on decision makers and win tangible improvements in South Seattle and South King County.

Key Responsibilities:

Basebuilding (20%) – Build a 10% student base and a 10% teacher base at each school through consistent 1:1s

• Create clear monthly recruitment goals and outreach system to increase membership of youth and adults supportive of organizing and policy priorities.
• Train youth to recruit new members at their schools through 1:1s and a diverse, creative range of outreach activities that agitate the base and connect campaign goals with individual self-interest.
• Support, evaluate progress, and hold youth accountable for carrying out outreach plan.
• Plan and execute basebuilding events with Student Organizers
  • Both virtual and in-person (safety permitting)
  • Buying and coordinating supplies, volunteers, and food needed
• Cultivate deep relationships with students, community partners, and staff at each school to increase knowledge of the school and be responsive to youth and staff needs by attending school-based meetings and weaving FEEST into the infrastructure of each school.
• Steward school and district relationships. This includes prompt communication and relationship management with decision makers, school staff, allies, community partners.
• Create and manage a “backoffice” committee (managed by adults but priorities led by youth) that pulls in and leverages allies and co-conspirators to take action to provide resources or remove barriers that prevent youth success.

Youth Leadership Development (30%) – Student Organizers are trained to organize engaging and effective campaigns while building valuable life skills.

• Design and facilitate dynamic and energizing organizing programming and skill building with Student Organizers; plan youth skill building and development each quarter.
• Train youth to:
  • Build a 10% base of students and teachers at their school through 1:1s
  • Identify problems and solutions that are widely and deeply felt at their school and in their district
  • Build engaging campaigns for tangible solutions in their school district; execute tactics that build the base or increase pressure on decision makers
  • Facilitate and agitate their peers in basebuilding events and New Member Orientation(s)
  • Run meetings with decision makers
  • Lead workshops and present externally about FEEST’s campaign goals
• Coordinate and facilitate 2-4 student organizer meetings a week in person and online
  • Collaboratively create each week’s all-district meeting agenda and curriculum plan
  • Independently create individual district meeting agendas; adapting curriculum to meet the needs of your team and school district’s political landscape
• Create a leadership development plan for each Student Organizer with clear goals and leadership roles; support growth through regular check ins.
• Co-design and facilitate a youth organizing summer camp for incoming youth leaders. Responsibilities include: Developing curriculum on youth organizing, food justice, skill building, leadership development; managing new partnerships, guest speakers, volunteers; coordinating food and transportation logistics
• Use trauma-informed care practices to support students in their learning and decision making. Create healthy boundaries and structure to ensure the FEEST meetings are welcoming, accessible, and safe for students.

Executing Campaigns for Systemic Change (25%) – Student Organizers and YCOCs will co-run campaigns with clear solutions directed at a decision maker

• Support youth campaign research by running engaging strategies to collect community feedback, researching policies, elected officials, and campaign tactics.
• Support Student Organizers in developing comprehensive organizing strategy, powermapping, and executing tactics to put pressure on decision makers.
• Adapt strategy and tactics to decision makers and youth in your team and district.
• Consistently evaluate goals, give feedback, and ensure success of campaign in your district.

Building the Organization and Movement (10%) – Engage in collective visioning with staff and youth to refine and implement FEEST’s organizing strategy.

• Participate in assessments regarding the overall health of our organization and member participation.
• In partnership with Student Organizers and the Organizing Director:
  • Regularly assess the political landscape to explore new relationships to build our power and organizing skills.
  • Document and/or create ongoing or historic resources or tools for organizing using a community-centric participatory process.
  • Build trust and solidarity with other organizations doing similar organizing work locally and nationally. Explore strategic risks for building greater power.
  • Co-develop and manage a youth and community organizing data library consisting of, but not limited to, research, photos, interviews, etc. that would contribute to the growing knowledge of future Student Organizers.

Admin & Operations (15%) – Campaign planning is efficient, all team events are supported with a collaborative spirit

• Create efficient and proactive work plans to execute strategic program outcome goals.
• Meticulously track Student Organizer attendance, surveys, paperwork, and program budgeting.
• Coordinate annual outreach and hiring of new Student Organizers.
• Participate in team-wide fundraising activities including phone-banking, donor and funder meetings, and fundraising and community engagement events.
• Work with the Admin Team to ensure consistent data entry of all youth related information (e.g. attendance).
• Participate in all-staff meetings, team-building, trainings, and events.
• Timely email, voicemail, and project management.
• Practice rest and self-care by using paid time off and taking breaks.

Required Qualifications:

• Unapologetically rooted in social justice, equity, and committed to apply racial, gender and economic justice lenses in both personal and workplace context.
• Commitment to building youth power, leadership, creativity, and joy.
• Lived experience or demonstrated professional skills working with racially and economically diverse individuals and communities, including working class, immigrant/refugees, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ populations.
• Ability to build strong interpersonal relationships.
• Strong critical thinking skills, creative problem solver, adaptable and flexible.
• Effective writing, attention to detail.
• Ability to take initiative and be assertive, strong time management skills.
• Integrates and offers feedback in a growth-oriented way; willingness to practice principled struggle.
• Sense of humor and playfulness.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working with youth, in school systems, or in South Seattle/South King County.
• Connection to the South King County community a plus.
• Experience working with youth-led groups or organizations and/or taking leadership from youth.
• Training and/or experience in trauma-informed care.

Additional Information

• This is currently a hybrid work position. Candidates should be prepared to work in the FEEST office in White Center and on campus at Franklin, Chief Sealth, Rainier Beach, Tyee, and Evergreen High Schools. FEEST is unable to provide relocation assistance.
• Access to a vehicle is highly recommended. Our program sites are far-reaching across White Center, South Seattle, Rainier Beach and Sea-Tac and our office is not very accessible by transit.
• We value collective and self care, and require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a medical exemption.

We provide a generous package of benefits for full-time employees, currently valued at more than $11k. This includes full medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, health bank and work from home stipends, and access to professional development each year.

English fluency required; bilingual or multilingual preferred, especially in Spanish, Vietnamese, Khmer/Cambodian, Tigrinya, Amharic, Arabic, Somali, or Samoan.