About the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment

For 30 years, the Rose Foundation has supported grassroots initiatives that inspire community action to protect the environment, community health, and people’s rights. Our community-based grantmaking approach has earned national recognition for building grassroots power for conservation and social justice causes, and our New Voices Are Rising (NVR) youth leadership and environmental stewardship program works to uplift and prioritize youth leadership in BIPOC communities that have been most impacted by social and environmental injustice.

Position Summary

The NVR Youth Coordinator supports the NVR Director in the implementation of the New Voices Are Rising Program, including assisting in planning and impact evaluation. They lead student engagement activities, recruit and mentor program participants, and oversee temporary summer staff and school-year Fellows. They manage the Summer Climate Justice Leadership Academy, including designing curriculum, recruiting students and Peer-On-Duty (POD) Leaders, and managing all logistics like classroom activities and field trips. They also manage school-year Fellowships and internships, coach students in developing their individual workplans in a collaborative process that involves student Fellows, POD Leaders, the Summer Youth Co-Coordinator, advisory board members, and program partners. While some program activities are remote, this is primarily an in-person position which requires significant time in the Oakland office or in the field with students.

Who Should Apply

You are deeply committed to youth development, community-driven work, and environmental justice education and advocacy. You are comfortable working with youth of color from Oakland and around the Bay Area, including queer youth, and passionate about encouraging young people to step forward as community leaders. You are excited to collaboratively implement the youth-facing programs and strengthen environmental justice leadership within Oakland and Bay Area youth. You have experience engaging young people in meaningful environmental or social justice advocacy and are excited about the opportunity to design and lead youth activities which fulfill the requirements of foundation and governmental funders.

We value a diverse team whose lived experiences inform their relationship to social justice and community equity work. We encourage candidates to apply who have deep roots with underserved communities in Oakland and Contra Costa County, BIPOC folks, as well as candidates who identify as women, femme, non-binary, or LGBTQ+. We encourage candidates who are comfortable conversing in Spanish, or another language commonly spoken in California communities of color, to apply.

Roles and Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the New Voices Youth Coordinator include, but are not limited to, the following:

Student Engagement (70%)

• Lead the planning and implementation of remote, hybrid, and in-person school-year Fellowships and Internships.
• Shape Fellowship positions, draft job descriptions, and design capstone projects which meet the requirements of funding commitments.
• Mentor Fellows in the completion of environmental justice projects.
• Coordinate opportunities for Fellows to engage with public agencies and community groups in work to advance environmental justice.
• Coordinate with internship school sites to identify student interns and plan student engagement activities.
• Develop and coordinate the New Voices Summer Climate Justice Leadership Academy, a hybrid, six-week environmental justice intensive summer academy for Bay Area youth.
• Develop recruitment materials, and recruit and on-board youth participants.
• Lead the process of developing/updating the overall Summer Academy curriculum arc, including weekly themes, daily lesson plans and field trips, and coordinate activity logistics, speakers, and externship placements.
• Co-manage the New Voices Are Rising social media platforms in coordination with Fellows and the Rose Communications team.

Community Engagement (10%)

• Support the NVR Program Director in establishing and maintaining partnerships with community groups.
• Strengthen the NVR Advisory Board by working with the NVR Program Director and Fellows to identify youth board members, and support their engagement and understanding of their roles.
• Attend meetings and advocacy events when student participation is involved and serve as alternate for the NVR Program Director when they are unavailable.

Administration (10%)

• Assist the NVR Program Director in creating and implementing impact evaluation processes, including data systems to collect the necessary metrics.
• Incorporate input and feedback from Fellows, POD Leaders, and other students to enhance program design.
• Track sign-in sheets collected during recruitment events, workshops, town halls, or other community activities and record recruitment data.
• Assist the NVR Program Director and other staff with tracking program activities to ensure timely progress towards completing overall program goals, specific grant deliverables, and other commitments as needed.
• Develop and implement systems for maintaining contact with current students and program graduates, updating lists of students and alumni, forwarding opportunities, and tracking their educational and work status post-program.
• Additional duties, as assigned by the position supervisor.

Participate in and Strengthen Organizational Initiatives (10%)

• Strengthen the NVR team as a whole, including participating in activities that develop and strengthen the entire NVR team, and linking students with overall organizational activities.
• Support all-hands-on-deck projects, like our annual fundraising event.
• Promote the organizational mission and join in the stewardship of organizational well-being.

Qualifications

• Activist orientation and a demonstrated commitment to environmental justice and building a grassroots base.
• Minimum of three years experience working directly with youth through community organizing, leadership development, education, or advocacy.
• Experience working with queer youth and youth of color.
• Ability to coordinate complex logistics and be accountable for critical details while working under multiple priorities.
• Collaborative approach to long-term planning, short-term troubleshooting and structural dynamics.
• Asset-based approach to youth accountability; focus on restorative practices and growth opportunities for youth participants as opposed to punitive consequences.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings and weekends, based on student activities, agency, and partner scheduling constraints.
• Abide by the Rose Foundation’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
• A background clearance is required

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with urban school districts (especially Oakland Unified School District) and/or local organizations serving low-income, BIPOC high-school youth.
• Familiarity with local, regional, and statewide decision-making bodies, community organizations, and environmental and social justice advocacy organizations.
• Experience in government-funded programs.
• Experience in impact tracking.
• Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish, or another language commonly spoken in the Bay Area.
• Licensed driver able to assist in transporting students and materials to and from activities and events.
• Associate or Bachelors degree, especially in a related field.

Salary, Hours, and Benefits

The NVR Youth Coordinator is a regular, full-time, non-exempt, at-will position. Starting pay is in the range of $24 to $31.25 per hour (equivalent to $50,000 - $65,000 annual salary) depending on experience and qualifications. Benefits include fully paid platinum-level health insurance (medical/dental/vision) for employee and dependents; sick leave which exceeds California standards; generous vacation and paid holidays; Flexible Spending Accounts; and 401k with employer contribution and match; plus, sabbatical and professional development opportunities. General hours are 9:30am-5:30pm, Monday through Friday, but occasional evening or weekend hours may be required. While some activities are remote, this is primarily an in-office position which requires significant time in the Oakland office or in the field with students.

Please apply at: https://rosefoundation.applytojob.com/apply/KuRWLKCvTX/New-Voices-Are-Rising-Youth-Coordinator

Workplace Considerations

Most Rose staff are hybrid, and everyone who works from the office is required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The Rose Foundation will work with the hired candidate to ensure proper equipment setup and connectivity to allow hybrid functionality. We continue to monitor local and national public health guidelines and update our office/work protocols accordingly. We continue to envision a hybrid work environment dependent on individual roles and responsibilities.

Our office is in a commuter-friendly location five blocks from Lake Merritt BART; located near Jack London Amtrak, AC Transit including the 72R, 12, and Oakland’s network of bike lanes.

The Rose Foundation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.