ASAP Debate Coordinator

Posted by After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP) on June 18, 2019

ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships was created in 2002 at the request of city leaders to bring public awareness to the dangers of the afternoon hours for unsupervised youth in Philadelphia. ASAP’s mission is to develop and support high-quality after school activities and resources to empower youth and strengthen communities in Philadelphia. ASAP works with schools, libraries, and community sites to serve more than 5,000 youth (K-12) annually through the following citywide initiatives: ASAP Chess, ASAP Debate, ASAP Drama, and ASAP Scrabble.

ASAP Debate helps under-resourced schools engage middle and high school youth (grades 5-12) in rigorous out-of-school time programming designed to develop skills that are essential to classroom and post-secondary success and foster a sense of achievement and belonging among participants. Since taking over the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League in 2006, ASAP has grown the number of debate programs from five high schools to 45 middle schools, high schools, and community centers in 2019. Looking forward, ASAP Debate endeavors to build on this success and provide youth in Philadelphia the same opportunities as their suburban and private school peers to develop key critical thinking and public speaking skills.

The Debate Coordinator will works alongside the Debate Manager to support the expansion of ASAP Debate and provide more opportunities for young leaders to find their voice and speak their mind on key issues. This includes building new school partnerships, recruiting and training adult debate club leaders, and fostering a sense of community among student debaters.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia to promote ASAP Debate to priority schools and communities
• Recruit and support training for new ASAP Debate coaches
• Assist with the planning and leadership of after school and weekend debate tournaments, including the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League, monthly middle school tournaments, and regional weekend competitions
• Provide support and encouragement for ASAP Debate coaches through regular phone calls and emails, a weekly e-newsletter, and periodic site visits
• Manage special ASAP Debate projects, including the high school debate mentor program which matches high school debate students with middle school ASAP Debate clubs for additional coaching and mentoring support
• Recruit youth to attend the annual ASAP Summer Debate Academy, a two-week long program where more than 40 youth spend 50 hours exploring a single debate topic to expand their critical reading, writing, and speaking skills, while receiving additional real-world context through guest speakers and educational trips
• Work with the Debate Manager and Director of Programs to collect and analyze student- and club-level data to measure the program’s impact and look for opportunities for continuous quality improvement
• Support ASAP’s other initiatives as needed and contribute to overall organizational goals through participation on ASAP’s internal staff committees

Requirements – The ideal candidate for this position will:

• Be passionate about empowering youth, strengthening communities, and providing equitable educational opportunities
• Value creativity, critical thinking, and attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Exhibit a willingness to collaborate and work as a team to accomplish strategic goals
• Be able to multi-task and organize multiple long-term projects with overlapping deadlines
• Have experience with youth development programs and/or community outreach
• Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills
• Have the flexibility to work some evenings and weekends
• Be familiar with the Philadelphia school system, preferably as an alumnus
• Scholastic debate experience preferred but not required
• Required education level: minimum Bachelor’s Degree
• Upon employment, candidate must obtain required clearances to work with youth (available through ASAP office)

Preferred start date is July 8, 2019. Annual salary is in the range of $30,000-$35,000 and will be determined based on candidate’s strength of qualifications and relevant experience. Employment at ASAP comes with a generous benefits package, including subsidized health and dental insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, life insurance, and free enrollment in the company’s 401K plan. Employees are eligible for comp-time for working events outside of normal business schedule of 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.

For more information and to apply, please send a resume, writing sample, and cover letter providing more information on your educational and professional experience to Sara Morningstar, ASAP Director of Programs at smorningstar@phillyasap.org.