JOB OPPORTUNITY
Community Engagement Coordinator (Changing Voices)
To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to jobs@storycatcherstheatre.org with the position title in the subject line.
Position Summary.
Storycatchers Theatre is hiring a Community Engagement Coordinator to join our team at an exciting time of organizational growth. Reporting to the Changing Voices Program Manager, the Community Engagement Coordinator will develop relationships and correspond with prospective program participants within the Changing Voices program, support advertising and marketing campaigns, lead information session presentations, and build and manage relationships with community leaders and organizations.
To be successful in this role, you will thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic organization where you can leverage your relationship-building and public speaking skills to draw prospective participants to the Changing Voices program. You will bring existing community relationships and be able to think creatively about how to ensure that our reputation and value proposition is known deeply within our community and partners. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who understands the importance that arts and storytelling play in the healing and growth of an individual, familiar with the local community, and enthusiastic about the mission of Storycatchers Theatre.
The Community Engagement Coordinator will have the opportunity to interact with our program participants as a mentor, workshop facilitator, and advocate in building a positive program environment.
About the Changing Voices Program.
Changing Voices is an employment program at Storycatchers Theatre composed primarily of emerging Black and Brown adults in the justice system who are 18-24 years of age. The program uses story-writing, performances, civic engagement, job/life skills training, and case management support to empower participants to meet personal goals. Under the guidance of trained teaching artists, participants collaborate to create various forms of art inspired by their personal stories while also receiving case management support.
Responsibilities:
- In collaboration with the Program Manager and Director of Arts Education Programs, develop a recruitment strategy to ensure a strong pipeline of prospective candidates
- Build and maintain relationships with local high schools, community-based organizations and other groups that work with justice impacted young adults from a full range of local communities to increase the pipeline of interested qualified candidates
- Track the weekly progress towards recruitment-related goals
- Host information sessions for interested candidates and present compelling information about the Changing Voices program
- Serve as prospective candidates point of contact throughout the recruitment process
- Grow visibility of Changing Voices in the community through participation in job fairs, festivals, and community events
- Responsible for progress reporting and data analytics to support applicants transition through the application stages
- Demonstrate a high-level understanding of top referral channels while identifying and testing out new channels
- Participate in staff meetings and trainings
- Other duties as assigned
Essential Skills and Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree
- At least 3 years of professional experience preferred, preferably in recruitment and/or partnership development
- Effective communication/public speaking skills and the ability to connect quickly and authentically with people from a variety of different professional and cultural backgrounds
- Experience working with young, ethnically diverse populations
- Evidence of cultural sensitivity in past employment and life experiences
- Excellent time management and organizations skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities
- Ability to meet with partners and community leaders, via own transportation
- A passion for working with young adults, an unshakable belief in their potential, and a strong commitment to the mission of Storycatchers Theatre
- Strong work ethic and positive attitude, with a willingness to be flexible
- Available for occasional weekend or evening events
Why Work Here?
We believe our staff is the heart and soul of the organization. Our workplace culture is challenging, supportive, collaborative and mission driven. We take a genuine interest in career paths, work-life balance, and welcome contributing ideas from staff at all levels. Working at Storycatchers means working somewhere full of engaging, savvy, diverse people who care deeply about pushing our work forward. If you want to work in a progressive organization, where you can build something meaningful and have fun while doing it, we would love to hear from you. Storycatchers strives to deliver an equitable compensation and benefits package to support the financial, mental and physical wellness of our staff. This includes medical, dental, and vision coverage to employees and dependents; FSA plan; a 403(b) plan; company-paid life insurance; and a generous paid time off policy and holidays.
About Storycatchers Theatre.
Storycatchers Theatre guides young people to transform their past experiences into expressive arts-based presentations while developing the courage and vision to become leaders and mentors. By creating support for youth within the criminal justice system, Storycatchers prepares them to change their lives and emerge successfully from court involvement. We dedicate all our resources to meet the complex needs of adolescents and young adults who have become involved in the justice system. We have worked with young people in the Illinois juvenile justice system since 1990, developing and refining a nationally recognized, award-winning, trauma-informed creative youth development methodology. We conduct year-round residential programs in three separate juvenile justice facilities and offer a post-release performing arts jobs program, Changing Voices, to young people navigating reentry to Chicago.
We are a collaborative organization that believes in committing to each other as well as the youth we serve. We implement a uniquely effective arts education model that helps marginalized young people develop the capacity to envision and pursue meaningful futures. We believe in second chances.