Creative Writing Program Director (Volunteer)

Mentor A Promise is a New York City–based nonprofit serving children and youth (ages 5–18) experiencing housing instability, grounded in the belief that every child is a Promise—full of potential, dignity, and possibility. We deliver consistent, high-quality programming across mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, and creative expression in shelters, schools, and community spaces, creating structured environments where students can grow, be seen, and build lasting skills. Through signature experiences like The Imagination Studio, The Kitchen Table, The Sound Lab, and The Story Space, we nurture academic development, emotional well-being, and creative voice, all within a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and accessibility-centered framework. Our work prioritizes dignity-protective storytelling, consent-driven engagement, and deep community partnership, ensuring that how we serve is as intentional as whom we serve. We are not only addressing immediate needs - we are building pathways to confidence, belonging, and long-term opportunity, so every child has the support and foundation to carry their promise forward.

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Creative Writing Program Director (Volunteer)

Organization Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Location Remote (with potential NYC-based collaboration)

Type Volunteer

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a youth-centered nonprofit dedicated to supporting students ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability in New York City. Through mentorship, social-emotional learning, academic enrichment, and creative expression, we create safe, consistent, and empowering spaces for young people to grow, thrive, and succeed. We believe every child deserves a promise kept — and we work every day to make that promise real.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Creative Writing Program Director (Volunteer) to lead MAP’s creative writing initiatives across schools, shelters, and community partners. This role will set the creative vision, build curriculum, manage volunteers and teaching artists, and oversee publications, showcases, and partnerships that amplify student voices. The ideal candidate blends artistic excellence with equitable, trauma-informed program leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the vision, strategy, and annual plan for MAP’s creative writing programs
• Design and refine curriculum, lesson sequences, and resource libraries (poetry, fiction, memoir, spoken word)
• Recruit, train, schedule, and support writing mentors, teaching artists, and volunteers
• Launch and manage student publications, zines, chapbooks, readings, and showcases
• Build partnerships with schools, libraries, shelters, and arts organizations
• Ensure programming is culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and aligned with SEL
• Establish goals, track participation and outcomes, and deliver impact reports to leadership
• Collaborate with Development on grant narratives, budgets, and success stories
• Coordinate logistics calendars, materials, permissions, and safeguarding practices
• Maintain brand and storytelling quality across all creative writing outputs
  
  

Requirements

• Significant experience leading arts/education programs or writing workshops
• Strong background in creative writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or spoken word)
• Demonstrated ability to manage volunteers/teaching artists and multi-site programs
• Excellent communication, organization, and project management skills
• Commitment to equity, youth voice, and trauma-informed practice
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Experience in NYC education or community arts settings
• Curriculum design and assessment experience; familiarity with SEL frameworks
• Editorial/publishing experience (print or digital) and event production
• Grant/report writing or collaboration with development teams
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities (e.g., Spanish, Haitian Creole) a plus
  
  

What You’ll Gain

• Leadership experience shaping a citywide creative writing initiative
• Opportunity to publish and showcase youth work across MAP platforms and events
• Collaboration with a dedicated, mission-driven team
• Portfolio of curricula, programs, and publications with measurable impact
• Letters of recommendation and professional references for future opportunities
  
  

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist.

For any additional questions or concerns, please email us directly at hr@mentorapromise.org

Help us build a creative writing program where young people transform lived experience into craft, confidence, and community.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, our volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals who are based in the United States. This limitation is due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements associated with our work. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understanding of these constraints.