Are you passionate about reshaping the narrative for young men of color in our community, nation, and world? Join us as a Full-Time Project Rise College Access Mentor with AmeriCorps, a national service and volunteerism agency, for up to 10 months starting this August of 2024. As a Project Rise College Access Mentor, you will join a nation-wide movement to help increase the college going rates among high school students enrolled in Improve Your Tomorrow’s Continue to Dream Academy. This is an opportunity to empower students through mentorship, academic support, college advising, parent engagement, college tours, weekend and evening events and engaging after school programs. 

What is Improve Your Tomorrow?

Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) was founded in 2013 with the mission to increase the number of young men of color (YMOC) to attend and graduate from colleges and universities. We envision a world where men of color are overrepresented in higher education, underrepresented in the criminal justice system, and leaders in their communities. We work to combat academic inequities and build a college-to-community pipeline through service, teamwork, character and liberation. 

Benefits

Project Rise College Access Mentors receive a bi-weekly stipend, medical benefits (if serving full-time), loan deferment (if eligible), professional development, career advising and much more! At the completion of the service term, Project Rise College Access Mentors receive a monetary educational award. Please see more details for your region below. 

• Earn an Education Award upon completion of program requirements
  • Earn up to or between $1,565.08 to $10,000 in educational awards that can be applied towards student loans and college expenses. 
•  Term of service will count towards Public Student Loan Forgiveness
• Eligible for Student Loan Forbearance and Interest Accrual Payment (for all loans that qualify)
• Eligible for Health and Child Care Benefits 
• Eligible for Student Loan Deferment, (for all loans that qualify)
• Gain Career Readiness & Leadership Development training that prepare you for your career path and to be leader
• Participate in Wellness workshops designed to support mental health, wellness, and personal empowerment.

Living Stipend Amounts 

Sacramento 

• $517.99 Bi-weekly stipend for 20 hours per week 
• $690.65 Bi-weekly stipend for 25 hours per week 
• $1,250.21 Bi-weekly stipend for 40 hours per week 

Responsibilities:

Project Rise College Success Mentors are assigned a caseload of 25-30 continuation high school students with the goal of providing weekly academic, college and career readiness, emotional, and mental support (mentorship). 

This role is suitable for those that desire to work with juniors and seniors who have been historically underserved and have not succeeded in the traditional high school setting. This individual would be working with students to navigate both college and career options. 

• Recruit and enroll eligible students to join Improve Your Tomorrow’s program through tablings, presentations, parent calls, and direct communication with school administration and students.
• Provide guidance and oversight of college eligibility for both high school juniors and seniors to ensure the completion or understanding of prerequisite courses to access 2-year institutions. 
• Assist with the implementation of Project Rise transition plans with foster youth to include academic, social-emotional support, and career readiness.
• Co-facilitate workshops with Program Manager on topics such as anger management, conflict de-escalation, communication skills, stress reduction/coping mechanisms, exercise, overall wellness, and career readiness. 
• Bridge support services to members such as food, housing, and mental health resources. 
• Serve as an advocate for Project RISE participants in juvenile court or as required by the juvenile justice system. 
• Assist with the recruitment and coordination of Project Rise evening group meetings 
• Conduct weekly communication with parents/guardians via phone/email in regards to the student academic, emotional, and mental growth (mentorship follow-up).
• Ensure all students on caseload complete an academic or career plan to capture both current and future academic goals and college or career aspirations as applicable (mentorship). 
• Provide after school programming and activities that promote self awareness, wellness, teamwork, character building, service, and college and career readiness (after school). 
• Provide a space for members to build strong study habits and receive academic support on a weekly basis (academic support).
• Complete data entry on a daily basis of student progress into IYT’s Salesforce database such as transcripts, mentorship notes, member information, attendance etc. (mentorship follow up). 
• Participate in events outside of the normal Monday through Friday service hours, including but not limited to, weekend college tours (twice a semester on Saturdays), overnight camping trips, evening pop up events, college and career fairs, weekend brotherhood events, Brotherhood Conference, Brotherhood Graduation, Summer Arc, evening parent/family nights and potential school events (service).
• Attend monthly mandatory team building and trainings aimed to strengthen both mentorship, professional, and career development. 
• Support/Assist Program Manager in both programming and administrative duties as directed. 
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

• Must be a college graduate or college student that is familiar with college requirements and application process
• Have reliable transportation
• Must be available weekends and evenings for events (minimum twice a month) 

Schedule Requirements: 

• Weekly commitment of 20, 25, or 40 hours on average per week
• Must be available to serve Monday through Fridays from 830am to 5pm or 9:00-5:30pm pending site needs
• If a current student, must ensure classes take place during the evening or outside of regular service hours
• Fridays are mandatory for professional development training
• Available for weekend and evening activities as required, including one to two Saturdays per month are required for teambuilders, and IYT signature events

Note: This is not an hourly job, but a 10-month AmeriCorps program. 

Requirements:

• Clearance from background checks is required for employment, with fingerprinting expense covered by IYT
• All incoming mentors must attend Mentor Fellow Orientation (California regions will be held in Sacramento, CA.)
• Mileage and hotel accommodations are provided by request.

IYT 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. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact IYTMentorFellowship@improveyourtomorrow.org to request assistance. We will work with you to provide reasonable accommodations.

Questions? Please email us at IYTMentorFellowship@improveyourtomorrow.org