Service Learning Associate

If you are passionate about empowering youth, building community, and creating a more equitable world, we hope you consider joining the YCS team. Staff work collaboratively with youth in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to develop and lead service learning initiatives, ranging from park cleanups to voter registration campaigns to community art workshops. Join us to bring your own skills and interests to a collaborative, creative, youth-focused workplace. 

About the organization: Youth Community Service (YCS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that elevates youth voice to raise community connection and equity through service. We believe in a world where youth shape a better future for all. Since 1990, YCS has engaged youth in impactful service-learning programs in the midpeninsula of the San Francisco Bay Area. YCS is a collaborative organization with a rich curriculum and programs, partnerships with local service agencies and schools, and broad community visibility and support.

About the job: The Service Learning Associate will be part of the High School Programs team. This team delivers in-school and after-school programming for students across three districts: Palo Alto Unified School District, Mountain View-Los Altos, and Sequoia Unified High School District. NOTE: This position may support students across multiple school districts, but the primary focus for this role is growing student programming in San Mateo County.

Here’s what your WEEKLY TASKS might look like as a Service Learning Associate at YCS: 

• Meet with youth leaders on school campuses during the school day to develop school-based service projects 
• Cultivate relationships with staff and students in San Mateo County high schools
• Take on an engaged role in planning and delivering San Mateo County programming, including but not limited to existing county-level outreach and the East Palo Alto Youth Leadership Core for Emergency & Disaster Preparedness
• Meet with youth leaders over Zoom to develop community-facing service projects
• Facilitate interactive service learning lessons and wellness workshops in a classroom setting 
• Deliver the six-week Summer of Service leadership program
• Support annual events, including National Day of Service in September, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, and the YCS Community Impact Exhibit in April/May
• Participate in collaborative meetings with partners at schools, in city governments, and at other local nonprofits
• Table at events hosted by schools and partners throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties

Salary and benefits:

Schedule: Mostly in-person, with some flexibility

Hours: 40 hrs/week - flexible hours, some nights and weekends

Pay Rate: $26/hr. 

Benefits: Health, Vision and Dental, Vacation, and Sick Time

YCS Mission: YCS elevates youth voice to RAISE community connection and equity through service.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Commitment to equity, youth voice, and community building
• Passionate about service, service-learning strategies, and youth development
• Ability to lead a project through its life cycle, from goal-setting and planning to implementation and evaluation
• Ability to balance and prioritize multiple tasks and deliverables
• Experience OR ability to quickly learn and use tools, including the Google suite (Google Slides, Docs, and Sheets), Asana, and the YCS Do Service Platform (managed through Galaxy Digital)
• Excellent communication, writing, and organizational skills.
• Interest in one or more of the following: social-emotional learning, suicide prevention, mental health, racial justice, environmental justice, and LGBTQ inclusion.
• Ability to take initiative and innovate, while also communicating well with a team

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with community building, engagement, and outreach is strongly preferred
• Experience facilitating group discussions is strongly preferred 
• Multilingual preferred (especially Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Tongan, and/or Samoan)
• Knowledge of the Midpeninsula area is preferred, with an emphasis on San Mateo County for this position

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Candidate must utilize own transportation for fieldwork (with mileage reimbursement).
• All YCS staff members are required to submit a copy of their automobile insurance, CA driver’s license, and a clean DMV record.
• All YCS staff members are also required to submit results from a TB test and complete Live Scan fingerprint screening. YCS can arrange tests at no cost.

List of YCS High School Programs:

• Youth Connect - interconnected programs where youth lead service learning projects after school and on their school campuses to address critical issues in our community
• School Based Programs - weekly Service Clubs with lunchtime meetings, class consultations, service recognition, Service Fairs, and Service Days
• Summer of Service - six-week summer leadership and service program
• Check out our Instagram Page for examples of community events and youth-led projects.

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to register@youthcommunityservice.org