United Way Youth Venture Champion-SY 2025-2026

United Way Youth Venture School Champion - SY 2025-2026

(1 position per school pending funding)

The United Way Youth Venture School Champion has an exciting leadership role in cultivating changemaker culture across the Fitchburg Public School youth population. Champions lead the way in promoting the United Way Youth Venture opportunity connecting opportunities to seed and root a school culture of young people leading positive community change. Through a dynamic process young people work in teams to research and generate solutions to community problems with a joyful empowering and transformative effect on everyone involved. Students learn community organizing and business planning skills and have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to earn seed funding awards. All of this work is student-led and student-created with support from the UWYV Champion.

Qualifications:

• Current FPS Employee;
• Teaching experience preferred;
• Proven ability to work with a diverse group of students on community-oriented projects;
• Ability to work effectively with teachers support staff and parents and advocate for children to problem-solve;
• Ability to work effectively with teachers support staff and parents ;
• Strong interpersonal communication and organizational skills and ability to work with all stakeholders;
• Belief in the commitment to increasing personal growth both academic and social-emotional to obtain the highest level of achievement for every student;
• Applicants must commit to being present for the full duration of the program.

Responsibilities:

The United Way Youth Venture School Champion will:

• Specifically encourage faculty staff and community awareness involvement and support of the United Way Youth Venture (UWYV) program including educating the broader community about the positive impact of youth as United Way Youth Venturers;
• Work with school administration and FPS Afterschool Program staff to inform the students parents and guardians of the opportunity to participate in the UWYV program via presenting to the school board and/or PTO Meetings;
• Work with school administration and FPS 21st Century Afterschool staff to determine and/or review the best method of programmatic integration for UWYV in a way that addresses school/after school program goals and can be structurally supported and manageable;
• Share the UWYV opportunity with all students within the school and actively work to engage students to participate in UWYV across afterschool programming of three (3) 10-week sessions if delivered during 21st Century Afterschool Program or weekly for the duration of the school year if delivered afterschool as an extracurricular offering;
• Facilitate and/or coordinate weekly UWYV meetings during afterschool time with adult support staff to implement the UWYV Action Plan (business plan);
• Coordinate with the 21st Century Administrator and/or FPS 21st Century Afterschool staff to determine responsibilities and planning for weekly meetings;
• Help implement a pre- and post-engagement review with Venturers;
• Coordinate a community panel and recruit panelists to review student Venture proposals (Champion and 21st Century staff to each recruit two panelists);
• Maintain accurate records; such as Venturer attendance for all meetings. Track and report financial activities such as seed funding fundraising and expenses- ensure accurate accounting of all activities and funds;
• Aid in the implementation of the Venture project;
• Recruit and train well-matched non-controlling adult mentors or Allies with each Youth Venture Team with support from Lead Champion;
• Personally attend (2) 1.5 hour professional development and training sessions;
• Plan and facilitate (2) 1.5 hour professional development and training sessions for Allies with support from Lead Champion;
• Maintain regular and consistent communication with Venturers FPS Afterschool Program Staff Allies and school administration;
• Chaperone UWYV events and coordinate the attendance of Venture team members from the school (including as necessary arranging for parental permission and student travel) as well as encourage other interested prospective Venturers and interested adults from the school and community to attend.

All program hours must be during out-of-school time. All duties must be performed during non-contractual hours.

Locations:Crocker McKay Reingold Longsjo Memorial FHS Goodrich

Reports to: 21st Century Administrator

Evaluated by: 21st Century Administrator

Terms of Employment/Salary/Work Year: As negotiated by the Fitchburg School Committee and the Fitchburg Education Association (FEA). This is a one-year appointment.

Total Compensation: Level Five (5) $1663.00. This is a retirement-eligible stipend. The request for payment form must be submitted upon completion of the assignment.

Funding Source: United Way Youth Venture 2.0 & Youth Participatory Action Research grants

Applicants must commit to being present for the full duration of the program.

The responsibilities and duties listed are illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar related or a logical assignment to the position. The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties may be assigned as required.

Notice of Non-Discrimination
The School Committees policy of nondiscrimination extends to students employees and the general public with whom it does business. Fitchburg Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race color religion creed national origin gender sexual orientation gender identity age or disability in admission to access to employment in or equal treatment in its programs and/or activities in compliance with state and federal law.
Questions related to this policy must be addressed to: The Office of Human Resources 376 South Street Fitchburg MA 01420