Professional Mentor (Friend)

Friends of the Children – Lane County is a vibrant, active chapter of a 30-year-old national professional mentoring network, proven to disrupt generational poverty by providing paid, professional mentors that work with children throughout their childhood and wraparound services for their caregivers. 12+ years – no matter what.

We are currently seeking an extraordinary professional mentor for our Childhood program (kindergarten to 5th Grade) to serve as a positive adult role model to eight elementary aged female children.

At Friends of the Children, we put children first and use our values to change the way the world treats and views youth facing great barriers. As a Friend you will nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and practices. Do you want to help urban, rural, and Indigenous youth discover their limitless potential, by fostering their internal resiliency? Are you ready to help build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities? If so, the impactful role of a Friend might be for you.

Are you looking to make a difference in the lives of children? 

We will hire extraordinary individuals who have knowledge of Lane County and are looking to develop intensive, long-term, trusting relationships with children in our innovative program. A Friend will work with eight (8) children and will:

• Set positive expectations.
• Nurture and promote the child’s individual strengths, talents, and abilities.
• Help assure physical and emotional well-being.
• Teach life and academic skills.
• Provide enrichment activities.
• Model responsible behavior.
• Simultaneously manage multiple priorities to ensure goals are met in a timely manner.

Friends spend approximately four (4) hours per week with each child and will report directly to the Program Director.

The ideal candidate will have:

• 2 or 4-year degree, plus one to three years’ experience working/volunteering with children, mentoring experience is preferred.
• Alternatively, comparable work experience with youth in a professional social service; education or therapeutic setting or work with trauma impacted families.
• Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied capacities and settings
• Ability to develop trusting relationships with children, families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life
• Experience with utilizing social and emotional learning curricula.
• Willingness to commit for a minimum of three years.
• Superior scheduling and time management skills.
• Data entry and database management skills.
• Bi-lingual in Spanish and English is a plus

What you'll experience:

• You’ll be part of a friendly and collaborative workplace, where work-life balance is respected.
• You’ll be part of a dynamic and supportive national network, with a proven, evidence-based mentoring model.
• You’ll have new challenges daily. We commit to supporting you in every way, helping you serve our kids, and keeping your batteries charged.
• You’ll be supported through substantial training around working with trauma-impacted populations, effective behavioral health interventions and a wide range of other topics.
• Most of all, you’ll play a critical role in helping Lane County’s children facing great barriers change the trajectories of their lives!

Work hours are flexible and will vary depending on the needs of the youth. Friends must provide their own child-safe vehicle and insurance; we reimburse for mileage.

If you are this amazing person, here’s what we have to offer:

Position Details

Salary: $44,500

Comprehensive Benefits Package including healthcare, dental, paid vacation, sick leave, and 401(k).

Intrigued? Want to know more? To learn more about the position’s responsibilities and qualifications, see below:

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended as a comprehensive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Core Job Accountabilities:

• Develop and sustain a long-term, caring, protective, and loving relationship with each child.
• Spend time with children, one-on-one and in the classroom
• Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social emotional supports for the family.
• Set age-appropriate expectations and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, abilities, and needs.
• Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child.
• Develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child to experience growing confidence
• Deepen connections for youth through incorporating specific community knowledge in activities.
• Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for identity development.
• Develop positive relationships with families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life.
• Reinforce basic academic skills.
• Develop physical health and interest in activities including modeling through participation with youth in safe, active play and sports activities
• Maintain a 40-hour work schedule that includes afternoons, evenings, and possibly weekends
• Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines.
• Complete, distribute, and collect time summaries, activity journals, short-term plans, expense reports, and evaluations materials accurately and in a timely manner.
• Attend and actively participate in team meeting and staff functions.
• Maintain current driver's license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance.
• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.
• Transport children in personal vehicle or company vehicle as required for mentoring activities.
• Provide information and support to the executive team on related activities.
• Fulfill other responsibilities as requested.

Essential Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to partner with parents/caregiver to provide concrete and social emotional support for the family;
• Ability to develop trusting relationships with children, families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life;
• Ability to relate to children and to develop and sustain trusting, supportive relationships with them;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied capacities and settings to help them learn and grow;
• Ability to cultivate trusting relationships with children, parents, teachers and community members;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and communicate appropriately within the workplace;
• Ability to use creativity and initiative in planning activities to continually develop children;
• Ability to work independently and as a team player;
• Ability to manage several concurrent issues and solve problems effectively.
• Ability to set goals and develop plans to meet those goals to ensure the development of each child;
• Ability to complete administrative tasks accurately and on time;
• Ability to handle high mobility and driving demands safely and with good judgment;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; organizational and time management skills;
• Basic computer and keyboarding skills, proficiency with e-mail systems, familiarity with MS Outlook and Access (or other database applications);
• Ability to exercise good judgment independently, in various situations and environments, and under varying levels of stress;
• Bi-lingual or multi-lingual is a plus
• Willingness to obtain or work toward a Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA) or Peer Support Specialist certification.

Additional Job Requirements:

• Maintain current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance.
• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.
• Transport children in well maintained personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities.

Working Hours and Conditions:

This is a full-time, exempt position. Due to the nature of a Friend’s role, the work hours are somewhat non-traditional and include late afternoon and evening work and possibly weekends. We recognize that each Friend’s working schedule will balance the various elements of a unique role, the needs of the individual children and families, and the Chapter’s schedule. Each Friend is expected to exercise appropriate discretion in this regard. The Program requires that you see each of your assigned children both in and outside of school, for an average of four hours each week, although how you accomplish that is at your discretion within established Program guidelines.

Because deep relationships will develop between the Mentor/Friend and their youth we ask that candidates be willing to commit to the work for at least three years.

Education and Experience Required:

• 2 or 4-year degree, plus one to three years’ experience working/volunteering with children, mentoring experience is preferred.
• Alternatively, comparable work experience with youth in a professional social service; education or therapeutic setting or work with trauma impacted families.

Benefits:

Friends of the Children – Lane County cares about the health and well-being of our employees We offer generous vacation and sick leave paid time off, paid holidays, a comprehensive medical benefits package, a 401(k)-retirement plan, and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Employees can add optional plans, at employee expense, which include medical coverage for dependents, a Flexible Spending Account, and supplemental life insurance.

Compensation:

$44,500 annually

Location : Eugene, Oregon. Serving all of Lane County

Cover Letter: Applications without cover letters will not be considered; please use this as an opportunity to convey why you want to be the Professional Mentor for Friends of the Children - Lane County!

Friends of the Children – Lane County is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.