Are you planning to pursue a career in youth development or teaching and looking for an exciting, hands-on experience working directly with youth to support learning and enrichment?
WEC seeks current college and graduate students to serve as Woo-Labs College Corps Fellows during the 2021 - 2022 school year. This position is ideal for those passionate about positive youth development and interested in expanding their ability to facilitate meaningful, authentic learning experiences for young people under the mentorship of experienced out-of-school-time programming professionals.
To learn more about the impact of our work with youth organizations, read our blog post “WEC CONVENES WOO-LABS, A PROJECT COMMITTED TO IMPROVING AND AMPLIFYING OUT-OF-SCHOOL LEARNING.”
What is “Woo-Labs”?
Woo-Labs is a network of community-based partners committed to advancing educational and racial equity and closing opportunity and achievement gaps by improving their capacity to provide high-quality, culturally responsive, project-based learning opportunities for youth. Fellows will work in-person directly at partner sites to execute these strategies, with a focus on building capacity for project-based learning opportunities and measurement framework data collection.
Fellows will receive considerable support from both WEC and the partner site, including comprehensive pre-service training and regular professional development on youth development topics such as project-based learning, social-emotional learning, trauma-sensitive practices, and state content standards alignment.
Learn more about the job description, duties, compensation, and how to apply HERE.
Responsibilities and Duties
● Engage directly with young people to build trusting, affirming relationships
● Help partner site develop and implement robust project-based learning activities
● Coordinate the collection of Woo-Labs measurement data, including:
o Collecting daily student attendance
o Scheduling program observations
o Implementing student and staff surveys
● Support with site-specific parent engagement and student attendance promotion strategies
● Perform other site-specific responsibilities as needed
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Experiences
WEC seeks candidates who are:
● Experienced with and/or passionate about positive youth development
● Interested in K-12 education and/or out-of-school time programming
● Interested in project-based learning
● Skilled at relationship building and fostering supportive learning environments
● Able to work with individuals from various age groups and those with diverse learning styles and racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds
● Eager to advance educational and racial equity
● Organized, detail-oriented, and effective time managers
● Enthusiastic team players
● Flexible, quick learners
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Experiences
● Prior experience with K-6 age group
● Familiarity with Worcester community
● Enrolled in a relevant field of study at their college or university
● Bilingualism a plus
Compensation
Fellows will earn $15 an hour. Fellows will serve approximately 220 hours total from September/October to May/June for total compensation of $3,300 (total hours may vary depending on available grant funding). Please note that Fellows must complete a site-specific background check prior to working with youth.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter and résumé to Emily Dodge (edodge@wecollaborative.org). Please indicate in your cover letter if you have any preference on partner site placement (see below). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Feel free to contact Emily with any questions.
Worcester Education Collaborative is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. Worcester Education Collaborative is under the fiscal sponsorship of United Way of Central Massachusetts.
Partner Site Information
Woo-Labs will hire up to 10 College Corps Fellows to serve at one of the following partner sites. Applicants will have the opportunity to express their placement preference during the application process. See partner site websites for additional information on educational programming:
Organization & Mission statement
African Community Education (Saturdays, 9 - 2:30pm | October – June)
To assist African refugee and immigrant youth and families in achieving educational and social stability through access to academic support, leadership development, cultural expression, and community outreach in Worcester.
Black Excellence Academy (Weekday afternoons | September – June)
To foster excellence and a positive self-esteem in a culturally relevant learning environment in order to accelerate academic performance while enriching knowledge and appreciation of Black History and Culture.
Boys and Girls Club of Worcester (Weekday afternoons, September – June)
To help youth, especially those who need us most, develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and community leaders, through caring professional staff who forge relationships with our youth members and influence their ability to succeed in life.
Girls Inc of Worcester (Weekday afternoons | September – June)
To inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
Latino Education Institute (Saturdays, 10am - 2pm | October – May)
To ensure the success of Latino children in school and in our community.
Main IDEA (One weekday afternoon TBD | October – May)
To use artistic activity to focus on empowerment and intrinsic motivation, and work to improve student academic achievement, motivation, and engagement, as well as improve social competencies such as teamwork skills, self-expression, and self-confidence.
Southeast Asian Coalition (TBD)
To promote and advocate for the success of the Southeast Asian population of Central Massachusetts in their pursuit of naturalization while also maintaining their own unique cultural identity.
Worcester Art Museum (Saturdays, 10 am – 2:30 pm October – June)
To engage students in traditional and novel media and art-making techniques to explore their own creative voice and foster 21st century skill-building.
YMCA of Central Massachusetts (Weekday afternoons | September – June)
To strengthen our communities and to develop the spirit, mind, and body of all persons, regardless of means, through activities guided by and based upon our core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
YWCA of Central Massachusetts (Weekday afternoons | September – June)
To promote children’s success by providing a balance of academic support, arts and cultural enrichment, recreation, and nutrition.
RECAP: Summer 2021 Fellows
