Program Empowerment Director VISTA, DREAM Program

Posted by DREAM Program Philadelphia on April 25, 2016

Program Empowerment Director AmeriCorps VISTA – Philadelphia Office

The Dream Program, Inc. (http://www.dreamprogram.org)
● Location: Philadelphia, PA
● Type: Full Time VISTA term (1 year, with opportunity to reapply for a 2nd year)
● Hours: 40+ hours, regular evenings and occasional weekends
● Start Date: July 17th, 2016 – End Date: July 21st, 2017

Welcome to DREAM! DREAM places a high premium on having fun, dreaming big, thinking outside the box and creating opportunities for youth to thrive and believe that anything is possible! DREAM’s Village Mentoring model builds upon the adage that “it takes a village to raise a child” and uses a community oriented approach to mentoring and empowering youth living in affordable housing. If you want to work for an organization which encourages you to be creative, silly, energetic, thoughtful and passionate about creating positive changes for youth, than maybe you’d like to join our team. We are currently seeking three Program Empowerment Directors for our recently launched Philadelphia office.

Our Mission
DREAM is a youth development organization that works to change the life outcomes of youth living in low-income housing developments by providing high quality, college campus based Village Mentoring, summer enrichment programming, local and regional adventures, support for post-secondary success, and an unwavering commitment to some of our most vulnerable youth.

DREAM’s mission is to build communities of families and college students that empower youth from affordable housing neighborhoods to recognize their options, make informed decisions and achieve their dreams. All of our DREAM youth receive consistent, year-round DREAM programming, from elementary school through high school graduation and into college and career. DREAM is a small but growing organization and after a successful expansion to Boston in 2009, DREAM saw tremendous opportunity in the city of brotherly love and launched in Philadelphia the city of brotherly love in January 2014.

AmeriCorps has played a significant role in DREAM since our inception in 2001, helping strengthen our program model and providing critical capacity building support to grow our reach. We’re excited to continue our partnership with AmeriCorps with this unique and rewarding VISTA position.

Program Empowerment Director Responsibilities
● Oversee school year and summer enrichment programming
● Recruit and orient youth participants and their families
● Recruit and support volunteers
● Evaluate program impact
● Plan and implement volunteer training events
● Manage teen “mentors-in-training” programming
● Manage backend administration

It Helps If You Have…
● A minimum of a bachelor’s degree
● Experience working with youth and college students, and additional experience in one of more of the following areas:
o Community development
o Youth/student led initiatives
o Project / program design and implementation
o Group travel planning
o Volunteer management
● Exceptional communication and facilitation skills
● A flexible schedule (able to participate in overnights, trips and evening meetings)
● An outlook that remains steadfastly optimistic in times of rapid change
● Creativity, energy and an entrepreneurial spirit
● Desire to engage in the startup phase of a non-profit organization
● A good sense of humor and contagious energy

Benefits
● Living Stipend of $12,312
● Monthly Housing Stipend of $150
● Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,550
● Health Care Coverage

If interested, please apply online at:
https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=66027&fromSearch=true

You can also contact jmacfadgen@dreamprogram.org if you have any questions.