Position: Youth & Community Organizer
Reports to: Organizing Director
Classification: 1.0 FTE (40 hours / week)
Salary: $60,000
Priority deadline: 10:00am October 31, 2022 but applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Ideal start date: January 9, 2022
Location: Seattle, WA (temporarily remote due to COVID-19)
Please submit cover letter, resume and three references to:
Email: jobs@feestseattle.org
Subject: Youth & Community Organizer (FULL NAME)
No phone calls please.
FEEST is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People of color, queer, gay, lesbian and/or bisexual people, transgender, genderqueer and/or non-binary folks are encouraged to apply. Work is performed in a remote environment until it is safe to return to the office. Some heavy lifting and physical labor is required during special events. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.
FEEST’s Vision for Society:
We envision a society where working-class youth and families of color are thriving in vibrant, politically powerful communities. We see this society built on values that include, but are not limited to:
- Interdependence and collective care for our people and planet
- Transformative economic, racial, and environmental justice
- Self-determination
- Collective liberation
- Creativity and radical joy!
FEEST’s Vision Statement for Schools:
We envision a today where youth of color and working-class youth exercise their power to change systems that serve them so that they can thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally. In our vision, schools are vibrant learning centers that reflect the students they serve and support the long-term growth and holistic wellness of students and our communities.
Mission Statement:
FEEST trains youth of color and working-class youth to build collective power and organize for transformative and systemic change in their schools.
About FEEST:
FEEST trains youth of color and working-class youth to build collective power and organize for transformative and systemic change in their schools. Our power comes from building a strong base, developing youth leaders, and running dynamic, radically joyful campaigns for systemic material change. Our work is both youth-led and multigenerational.
Our roots started in food justice and through that, we have won systemic improvements in school food in Highline and Seattle Public Schools. Since the 2020 campaign to remove police from Seattle Public Schools, we have expanded our campaign goals to include a wide range of systemic solutions that improve student wellness at school.
Primary Job Responsibilities:
Manage youth base building and leadership development to run strong campaigns for systemic change in their school districts. Build a committed intergenerational base of FEEST alumni, parents, teachers, school staff, union workers and community members to mobilize around FEEST’s youth led campaigns. Build out a basebuilding program and public events series to create community joy, recruit new members, and inspire our base to take action to further our campaigns.
Student Leadership Development (30%) – Student Organizers are supported to find their leadership style and authentic connections to our campaigns. Students are trained to become powerful public speakers, recruit and train new members, and build FEEST’s base.
- Design and facilitate dynamic and energizing skill building workshops for student organizers
- Train youth to:
- Build a 10% base of students and teachers at their school through 1:1s
- Facilitate and agitate their peers in basebuilding events, New Member Orientation
- Lead workshops and present externally about FEEST’s campaign goals
- Co- create and facilitate 2-4 youth leader meetings a week in person and/or online
- Collaboratively create each week’s all-district meeting agenda and curriculum plan
- Create leadership development plans for youth with clear goals and leadership roles
- Co-design and facilitate a two week youth organizing summer camp for incoming leaders. Responsibilities include: Developing curriculum on youth organizing, food justice, skill building, leadership development; managing new partnerships, guest speakers, volunteers; coordinating food and transportation logistics
Basebuilding & Event Planning (60%) – Envision and execute a plan to build a deeply engaged base of students, teachers, alumni, parents, staff and union workers at each school
- Create clear monthly recruitment goals and outreach system to increase membership
- Train current members to recruit new members through 1:1s and a diverse, creative range of outreach activities that agitate the base and connect to their self-interest
- Support, evaluate progress, and hold members accountable for carrying out outreach
- Plan and execute basebuilding events with youth leaders
- Both virtual and in-person (safety permitting)
- Buying and coordinating supplies, volunteers, and food needed
- Cultivate deep relationships with students, community partners, and staff at each school to increase knowledge of schools and be responsive to youth and staff needs
- Steward school and district relationships. This includes prompt communication and relationship management with Decision Makers, school staff, allies, community partners
- Event Planning: Build out a basebuilding program and public events series to create community joy, recruit new members, and energize the base about our campaigns.
- Coordinate with outside facilitators and contractors
Build the Organization and Movement (5%)
- Engage in collective visioning with staff and youth to create FEEST’s organizing strategy
- Participate in assessments regarding the overall health of our organization and member participation
- Regularly assess the political landscape to explore new relationships to build our power and organizing skills
- Build trust and solidarity with other organizations doing similar organizing work locally and nationally
- Explore strategic risks for building greater power
Admin & Org – Wide (5%) – Planning is efficient, all team events are supported with a collaborative spirit
- Create efficient and proactive work plan to execute strategic program outcome goals
- Meticulously track attendance, time sheets, program budgeting
- Coordinate annual outreach and hiring of new youth leaders
- Participate in fundraising and resource development activities including phone-banking and individual asks
Additional Information
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is currently a partially remote-work position but candidates should be prepared to work in the office and travel to school and community partner sites once it is safe to do so. FEEST is unable to provide relocation assistance.
- Access to a vehicle is highly recommended. Our program sites are far-reaching across White Center, South Seattle, Rainier Beach and Sea-Tac and our office is not very accessible by transit.
- We provide full medical, dental and vision benefits, generous paid time off, and access to professional development each year.
- We follow COVID-19 guidelines provided by our school partners and funders in our current contracts, which requires all staff to present documentation confirming they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a medical exemption.
Qualifications for a Successful Candidate:
- Playful: someone who has ideas, curiosity, and passion to cultivate joyful community environments
- Relationship-Builder: someone who is outgoing, and loves to form deeper connections with an intergenerational community, including youth
- Flexibility: adaptable to change and a strong team player who can step in and fill the gaps where needed
- Solutions-oriented: brings creative problem solving skills to the team
- Commitment to growth: at FEEST we have a culture of giving feedback for the sake of our growth, learning, and the long-term health of our movements
- Experience in youth leadership development
- Unapologetically rooted in social justice, equity and committed to apply racial, gender and economic justice lenses in both personal and workplace context
- Lived experience or demonstrated professional skills working with racially and economically diverse individuals and communities, including working class, immigrant/refugees, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ populations
- Ability to manage competing priorities and self-direct to meet strict deadlines
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
Please submit cover letter, resume and three references to:
Email: jobs@feestseattle.org
Subject: Youth & Community Organizer (FULL NAME)
No phone calls please.