Professional Mentor "Friend" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Friends of the Children-Philadelphia is a nonprofit that is impacting generational change by empowering youth through relationships with professional mentors. We do this by providing children facing the most obstacles with a long-term salaried professional mentor whom we call a Friend from kindergarten through high school graduation 12 years no matter what. We are currently seeking an extraordinary professional to embark on a new career journey as a Friend at our Philadelphia location.

At Friends of the Children-Philadelphia we put children first and use our values to change the way the world treats and views youth facing great barriers. As a Friend you will nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love acceptance and culturally-informed practices. Are you ready to help build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities If so the impactful role of a Friend might be for you.

Basic Function / Position Objective:

We are currently seeking a mentor (Friend) for our Childhood program (Kindergarten to 5th Grade) to serve as a positive adult role model to eight elementary children and develop loving caring and sustained relationships with each child. For each child a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote each childs strength talents and abilities; help ensure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document activities and participate in the ongoing evaluation process. Friends will work primarily one-on-one with their children while also building trusting supportive relationships with parents/caregivers. A Friend must know understand honor and support the organizations mission vision values and principles and be able to clearly articulate the organizations function.

Essential Responsibilities

• Develop and sustain a long-term caring protective and loving relationship with each child
• Spend time with children one-on-one
• Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social emotional supports for the family
• Set realistic expectations and goals based on each childs strengths talents abilities and needs
• Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child
• Deepen cultural connections for youth through incorporating specific cultural knowledge in programming
• Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for cultural identity development
• Develop positive relationships with families teachers and others involved in each childs life
• Reinforce basic academic skills
• Maintain a 40-hour work schedule that includes afternoons evenings and weekends (normal working days are Tuesday through Saturday with Sundays and Mondays off)
• Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines
• Complete distribute and collect time summaries activity journals short-term plans expense reports and evaluations materials accurately and in a timely manner
• Attend and actively participate in team meetings and staff functions
• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification
• Transport children in personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities
• Provide information and support to the executive team on related activities
• Fulfill other responsibilities as requested
• Be a good role model to youth and their families

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Two-years of experience working with children
• Willingness to commit for a minimum of three years
• Advocate to secure additional resources opportunities and services for youth as appropriate
• Basic knowledge of historical trauma and trauma/ healing informed practices
• Assist with systems navigation in schools to secure conditions for optimal academic success
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to develop trusting relationships with children families teachers and others involved in each childs life
• Ability to work independently and as a team player
• Ability to manage several concurrent issues and solve problems effectively
• Strong written and verbal communications skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• A sense of humor is a plus

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

• Professional

MINIMUM EDUCATION PREFERRED:

• 2 or 4-year degree
• Alternatively at least seven years progressive experience working with children and families will be considered in lieu of a college degree.

SALARY RANGE:

• $50k-$60k Annually
  

BENEFITS

• 3 weeks paid vacation. Comprehensive health dental vision and long-term disability. 401k with 3% match.

REPORTS TO:

• Program Director

Office is located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Cover Letter: Applications without cover letters will not be considered; please use this as an opportunity to convey why you want to be theProfessional Mentor for Philadelphia at Friends of the Children!

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to addressing discriminatory practices and to working toward racial equity. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants regardless of race color religious creed national origin ancestry age sex gender pregnancy sexual orientation marital status familial status disability or genetic information in compliance with applicable federal state and local law. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely based on their qualifications for the job to be filled.

Friends of the Children is growing rapidly as communities across the country are experiencing the power of how One changes a childs story: One Friend. One Child. 12 years. No matter what. #ThePowerOfOne

To learn more about Friends of the Children Philadelphia go to: